Tonight, my younger daughter is having her good friend sleepover at our house. Last night, I had an “adult sleepover” with someone I’ll just classify as special to me. And as I was helping her lay out sleeping bags and dig out ice cream bowls in preparation for her big night, I took a moment to reflect on the similarities - and major differences - of our nights.
Sleepovers, no matter who you are, typically bring to mind a good time of some sort. With young kids, it promises a night of giggles and staying up past your bedtime. With adults, the same. With kids, it often means sharing secrets in the dark, and sometimes playing truth or dare. With adults, some version of the same. With kids, there is a satisfaction in the morning of a having had a great night, with the sleep depravation lingering into the next day to aid you in reliving the memories into the next day. With adults, the same.
Obviously there are some fairly significant differences as well. I did not stuff my face with ice cream and other assorted junk food to celebrate my night of staying up late like she will. She will keep her pajamas on for the entire night. She’s carefully planned out all of her activities for the evening. I did the exact opposite and just let it ride.
She’s going to have an incredible night tonight, just as I did last night. Child or adult, there’s something that happens to us when we spend time with our special friends, late at night. We often let our guard down, and seek to create experiences to remember. I still cherish the memories of my childhood sleepovers. I have a vivid recollection of nights spent with those friends, and the time we spent together. Of course, now that I’m a single adult, I’m going to be a hell of a lot more careful about the sleepovers I choose to accept now than I did when I was at 10. But one thing is for sure. I’m just as tired today as she will be tomorrow.
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