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My First Sleepover
My oldest son, Noah, recently had his seventh
birthday party. This party was a little different
than the previous six because, when all the
festivities were over, the boys didn’t leave.
They spent the night.
There is an entirely new dynamic when you have
someone else’s kid sleep at your house.
It’s a higher level of responsibility. Not
only do you have to return the child unharmed, you
have to make sure he is fed more than once, has
brushed his teeth and used the bathroom, changed
into his pajamas, changed out of his pajamas, and
somewhere in there gotten enough sleep to be
conscious the next day.
Thankfully, Noah’s friends are all good
kids. One had too much energy for one body to
contain and had to be asked a few times to make at
least the same amount of noise as everyone else
there. One thanked my wife so often for inviting
him to the party, we nicknamed him Eddie Haskell.
One had a very short “disappointment
fuse” and often needed consoling. The last
guest was nice and quiet.
The evening went on and I supervised the
organized elements of Noah’s party: the food
and games, the presents and cake. In between my
games, the boys played their own, like “Night
Crawler” and “Throw The Sticky Lizard On
The Wall” and “Superheroes and
Villains”. They tried to have a pillow fight
but it wasn’t long before someone was crying
and I had to order a ceasefire.
Eventually, it was time to hunker down and
prepare for bed. Everyone settled down in their
sleeping bags to watch Disney’s “Robin
Hood” in the dark. The movie was accentuated
with giggles and “hey!” and all sorts of
fun boy sounds.
The movie ended and eventually everyone fell
asleep. I took my post on the couch in the family
room in case any of them needed help or thought
they might want to sneak up and visit my daughters.
They were only six and seven, but I figured I
better get some practice early. At 5:00AM, One of
the boys woke me up and asked if I would call his
parents. This was his first sleepover and he was
done being away from home.
I called, and his mother picked him up fifteen
minutes later, apologizing over and over while she
stood on my porch in her bathrobe and slippers. I
told her not to worry. I would be back asleep in
three minutes. I’m talented that way.
In each of their own ways, those five boys
celebrated what it means to be young and innocent
and full of life. They were boys. They probably
didn’t even need my games and a movie. They
would have had just as much fun with some sticks, a
blanket, and a pair of shoe laces. (These are
creative kids). They just played and wrestled and
enjoyed being boys.
If I can physically keep up, I am looking
forward to next year. I wonder if my wife is
looking forward to our three daughters’
parties.
©2010, Mark
Phillips
* * *
Women, it's true, make human beings, but
only men can make men. - Margaret Mead
Mark
Phillips is a Stay-At-Home-Dad and freelance
writer. Along with raising his four children, he is
developing a franchise called “The Vacuum IS a
Power Tool.” It is designed to help SAHDs
maintain that which makes us men, instead of hairy
Mom-substitutes. He earned a B.S. in
Communication/Theatre Arts and teaching
certificates in English, public speaking, and
psychology from Eastern Michigan University. After
six years as a high school English teacher and
Director of Dramatic Arts at Powers Catholic High
School in Flint, Michigan, he changed careers and
became a Stay-At-Home-Dad. www.TheVacuumIsAPowerTool.com
or E-Mail
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