Slumber Party Secrets
We’ve been planning Hannah’s sixth birthday party this weekend- developing a theme, pulling together gift bags and dreaming up a few activities that kindergarten girls would enjoy. Her party is six days away, but the birthday spirit has already infused our home with excitement. After all, when you’ve been waiting ALL YEAR for a birthday to come back around, what’s a MERE 6 DAYS worth of waiting?
While I used to be the kind of mom who ambitioned to throw parties that resembled a Family Fun magazine spread, I’m learning to surrender the IDEA of the PERFECT PARTY. You see, over the years, I’ve learned that for my girls, the fun of the party is in the process. Artistic and creative, they seem to enjoy the party planning just as much or more than they enjoy the actual event. They want to design the invitations with lots of glue, string and homemade artistry (surrender number one: kid-designed cards don’t necessarily look atrractive). They want to plan the games and make the props (surrender number two: the party activities may not have a measurable purpose or a clear-cut winner) and most importantly they want to frost and decorate the cake with their own unique design (surrender number three: a cake that resembles a recognizable object and a clean kitchen on party day!).
This year, Hannah has decided to host a pajama party best described as a pre-bedtime slumber party. She’s invited her friends to arrive in jammies, bring their sleeping bags to use as a “picnic blanket” when we serve up an irresistible “bedtime snack” (otherwise known as supper) of pizza and pop, and then play silly games and paint each others’ toenails until the moon comes out. Ingeniously, at the recommendation of her extremely sleep-deprived mother who has vetoed the idea of a REAL sleep-over, Hannah will bid her friends good-bye when the sky grows dark and send them home to count sheep in their own beds.
As we’ve been concocting pajama party plans, I’ve been thinking about the first time my eldest child was introduced to the concept of a slumber party. Having never spent the night anywhere besides Grandma’s house, Luke didn’t have a context for what a slumber party really was. But by the time he reached third grade, sleep-overs were becoming the rage. One day as Luke stormed through the front door after school, he asked, “Mom, what’s a slumber party?”
“A slumber party?” I repeated while my mind entertained memories of giggling girls in pajamas, frozen underwear and midnight munchies.
“Yeah, Justice said he was having a slumber party for his birthday and I’m invited… So what does slumber mean anyway?”
“Slumber is another word for sleep” I explained
“A sleep party?” our soccer-kicking, hoop shooting, backyard racing nine-year-old asked. “That sounds boring.”
“Who’s having a slumber party?” seven-year-old Lizzy chimed in as she waltzed right into the conversation.
“Some boy in my class,” Luke mumbled, still trying to figure out why his friend wouldn’t want to organize a party at the baseball field or a rowdy bash at the bowling alley.
“What’s the big deal about that?” Lizzy asked. “I have a slumber party every night. God sleeps over in my room all the time.”
No sleeping bags required, no frozen underwear should I dare to snooze, just a standing bedtime date with the God who NEVER sleeps! No need to count sheep when the Shepherd of my soul has counted me as His own! Now that’s my kind of slumber party!
Today’s Treasure: “The One who watches over you will not slumber..
The LORD Himself watches over you!” Psalm 121: 4-5
