My boys are the same way.  They never get enough sleep at those parties.  They always seem to be held on a Saturday night, and I can't have the kids sleep in too long on a Sunday morning or else they won't be tired enough to sleep Sunday night....and getting them up for school on Monday will be hell.

They always come home bleary eyed and grouchy and are heck to get along with for the rest of the day.  It's got to the point where their dad and I balk at letting them go to any sleep over.  We'd rather have them at our house so we can enforce the 'lights out at midnight rule'. 

Hmm....maybe that's why no kids want to sleep over at our house.  Oh well, it's no skin off my nose.

Actually for boys it is usually called a sleep over, and I dont let mine (or did not) do too many of them (I think a total of 2 for all 4), before they are teens.  At least then they can deal with the lack of sleep better.

Actually for boys it is usually called a sleep over

Splitting hairs aren't we? Both terms elude there will sleep when indeed there is none.

Karen, we did the same thing here. I also discovered after talking to Alex that the parents had the boys stay in the basement where all the video games were and, of course, they played games all night. At another "sleep over" he went to, he slept pretty well but they didn't have games where they were sleeping. Same was true at his birthday party. The games were in the basement and the boys slept in the living room where I could hear them.

I think I will talk over the whole video game thing with the parents for the next sleep over he gets invited too. Sunday was a wasted day and this morning he is a zombie.

I host sleep overs for my nephew from time to time. I put the projector on the wall so the video games are huge and the kids all seem to love it. I can be sure though that the only sound I hear by 2:00am or 3:00am (for the ones that think they can stay up all night) in the morning is snoring though.

I keep a tight schedule and it has never failed me. (one kid thought he could make it all night ... he was wrong)
1. I always make sure we have some very exhausting activity planned for early in the evening.
2. Basketball (for those that want to) in the evening before 10:00pm (If it is raining I will allow a few rounds of air mattress wrestling - a few cheap twin sized air mattresses and a queen on the floor)
3. Video games till midnight - Every video game has rules down to how long and much a player may play. I always get the kids involved in the rules. (maybe someday I will post my rules worksheet)
4. Movies after midnight - This rule has no exceptions. I don't care if they switch the movie a hundred times. Even the most adamant pranksters usually forget about their plans far before the first of the kids fall asleep.
5. I stay awake and in the room right next door. Having a 'supervisor' in the next room is always a good way to make sure things never get out of hand. I don't check on them except to make sure 'no one just got hurt' or if they need anymore refreshments.

The kids seem to like the structure and rules and the parents never get a too tired kid. In fact, I have one kid who will call my house to see if he and my nephew can come over and spend the night.

just john, that is almost exactly what we did with Alex's sleep over birthday party right down to the video games projected on the wall! The kids all conked as soon as I told them to just lay down (at about 1). They all slept until at least 8:30. Noone went home grumpy or crying.

I think the sleep over Alex just went to wasn't structured at all. Alex's friend is an only child who is very overindulged. Pretty much whatever he wants whenever he wants it is the rule. At least the parents did feed him a nice breakfast in the morning and seemed sympathetic that he got hurt.

Pretty much whatever he wants whenever he wants it is the rule.

My nephew is too and if the sleep over was at his house ... well you know the results

Slumber parties are what girls go to, boys go to sleep-overs. Apparently in your idealic life you never went to one, or you would know that you don't sleep. Sounds as though Alex is too young to go to them. I wonder did you embarrass Alex by "comforting" him in front of his friends when he was crying? I don't think that would go over well in front of a bunch of 3rd graders. Maybe that was why he was "out of his mind". How does one little boy react to be called "stoned out of his mind"? I'm curious! I enjoyed slumber parties as a kid, we never slept, came home tired and were undoubtably grouches most the next couple days but it's part of being a kid. Don't send him to sleep-overs if it causes you this much trouble.

Dear Another Mom, I was going to delete your comment but then decided it was entertaining so I left it.  I went to a lot of slumber parties when  I was a kid.  I remember what it was like but I am a girl and also, I grew up in a time when we didn't have video games and kids didn't tend to get as indulged as they do now.  I think you are taking yourself way too seriously.

I didn't call him "stoned out of his mind".  See, I have the ability to blog and describe things without saying them to my son.  I am wondering, what in your life has made you so spiteful?  Is popping onto someone's blog and spreading nastiness a hobby in general or I am I just lucky?

Touchy aren't we, did I hit as nerve and to think all I did was respond to what you stated in your blog. I thought JoeUser Discussion Forums were written to discuss and respond. Have some fun, banter with me!

I wonder did you embarrass Alex by "comforting" him in front of his friends when he was crying?

Troll.

Next time I suggest you use your eyes as you are reading. She never said she confronted him. I think if you actually paid attention to what you were reading you might have looked at it with the light hearted tone that was conveyed.

I thought JoeUser Discussion Forums were written to discuss and respond.

It is. That isn't what you are doing.

Have some fun, banter with me!

That's obviously not possible. You go bye-bye.

if you actually paid attention to what you were reading you might have looked at it with the light hearted tone that was conveyed.

Thanks just john!

I just set this for registered users only.  Wish I didn't have to do that but people like that annoy me and aren't worth the energy.

just set this for registered users only.

It is unfortunate, but sometimes you have to.

But as a kid, I never went to any.  We did camp outs, but no sleep overs (and no Video games, but not a lot of sleeping either!) My sisters did the slumber parties, and they would never tell me what they did!

My sisters did the slumber parties, and they would never tell me what they did!

We used to drink a lot of pop (didn't get pop other than at parties), eat chips, watch scary movies, dance, sing, and talk about boys.  We used to play truth or dare also.

We used to drink a lot of pop (didn't get pop other than at parties), eat chips, watch scary movies, dance, sing, and talk about boys. We used to play truth or dare also.

And here I have let my imagination run wild for these many years, and that is all?  Now I see why you called it a slumber party.  If there were any guys there, they would have been slumbering!