Sleepover Explained

A sleepover (also known as a slumber party or pajama party) is a social occasion where a young person stays at the home of a friend. Multiple people and/or friends may sleepover at the friend's home. Typically a younger person will partake in a sleepover; however, an adult or older person may sleep at a friend's home.

Characteristics

A sleepover is an event when a child, without adult presence, spends the night in the presence of other children. The sleepover is often seen as a rite of passage for a young child or teenager, as they begin to assert independence and to develop social connections outside the immediate family.[1] [2] [3]

Teen sleepovers

Beginning in the 1990s, commentators wrote about a perceived new trend of parents endorsing sleepovers for teenagers, with both boys and girls staying overnight together. While some writers decried the trend, others defended it as a safer alternative to teenage dating outside the house.[4] [5] [6] [7]

Notes and References

  1. Judith Ancer, "Sleepovers need not be a nightmare - and help kids to be autonomous in a safe environment", The Sunday Times (South Africa), June 10, 2012.
  2. Edward Eveld, "Sleepovers a rite of passage for kids", Chicago Tribune, August 14, 2005.
  3. Barbara F. Meltz, ["The sleep-over: A rite of passage"], Boston Globe, October 13, 1994.
  4. Peter Annin, "Slumbering Around", Newsweek, November 4, 1996.
  5. Emily Wax, "Coed All-Nighters Put Trust on Line; Not All Parents Are Losing Sleep Over Teen Fad", The Washington Post, November 16, 2000, reprinted as "Coed all-nighters cause unrest", Sarasota Herald-Tribune, November 21, 2000.
  6. [Betsy Hart]
  7. [Amy Dickinson]