Earlier this year I asked my 11 year old daughter what was on her birthday wish list. She looked at me with her beautiful big brown eyes and enthusiastically said…“Pleeeeeeese Mom I really want a slumber party, nothing else just a slumber party!”

The Cake

Well in retrospect I should have guessed this – at twelve what is better than hanging out with six of your best friends, having pillow fights, staying up most of the night talking about boys, sleeping in a sleeping bag, in a custom designed Arabia style tent I’ll add, along with pizza, cake, popcorn, make up, nail polish and the tried and true “Truth or Dare”?

Not that I make a habit of denying my children the important milestones in their lives but I did hesitate on this one for about two seconds then came to the conclusion: wasn’t I totally capable of handling seven pre-teen girls? Besides, what kind of mother would I be if I couldn’t relate to seven twelve year olds … all at once, and then manage to have them cooperate with me? And, it’s still very predominant in my mind that I am totally able to function on only a couple hours of sleep right??

OK, so first on my agenda, assuming my daughter would conveniently or temporarily forget, was to make clear our house rules again such as: no screaming, no running, no throwing food, no loud music, shoes left at the door, TV and music turned off by 10:00 PM, no leaving the house …. just to name a few. Then when she had digested all of this and still wanted a slumber party I explained to her what was expected as the hostess of a party: treat each guest with kindness and graciousness, tend to their every whim and demand … you’ve got the idea, I was trying to dissuade her. I’ve brought her up to know her own mind, and go after what she truly wants so it was no surprise that she was unrelenting.

All in all it was a fabulous party but importantly it was a brilliant opportunity affording me insight into the girls that my daughter has chosen to be her friends and with whom she spends about 40 hours of her time each week.

Here are some pictures highlighting the event: