The Day After (The Sleepover)

Here are just some of the pillows and blankets that the girls used to make comfortable places to sleep in our living room. I was amused at the variety of colors and styles throughout the room. There were bright pinks and purples, silky reds, and luxurious browns (that's my daughter's brown faux fur blanket). They even took a few minutes to fold their blankets and clean up a bit once they woke up in the morning. They were tired, but they seemed to all be in good moods. That was a welcome change: my teens are NOT "morning people" and they are almost ALWAYS grouchy in the morning. Especially when they stay up late like these girls did! But there seemed to be no grouchiness in the crowd this time. Everyone was on their "best behavior." First, the girls ate breakfast (cereal), then they took turns showering/doing their hair and makeup/getting dressed/"primping"--teenage girls do a LOT of "primping"! Once everyone looked their best, they were ready to go outside for a quick walk around the neighborhood. I knew what this was about: they all looked cute and they wanted the cute neighborhood boys to see them! Uh-huh...I'm on to them! :) There were a few boys outside playing basketball, and they casually chatted with the girls...yes, I watched them from the window, of course! No major flirting seemed to occur--they still all seem a bit awkward about all of that. They notice each other, all right...but they seem new to the "rules of flirting." They are past the "pulling hair and chasing each other" stage, but they aren't quite into the "hey, baby, you want to go out sometime" stage. That's fine with me, because I am not at all ready for that stage either!! Still, I better GET ready because it is coming sooner than I think...one minute, they're noticing and writing notes about how cute someone is but not daring to tell them. The next minute, they are dating, "going together," "hooking up," falling in love, and getting heavily involved. Oh, my...THAT is truly my greatest fear about raising teenagers: watching them deal with issues like love and sex. I have had many talks with them and I hope to have many more in the future. I sure hope they make wise choices! Anyway, after a bit of "pre-flirting" with the neighborhood boys, they came back and it was time for everyone to go home. Some were picked up, and we drove some of them home. Once everyone was gone and we were back home again, I asked my daughter how she thinks it went. She said, "It was AWESOME!" For that, I am glad! I guess the 13th birthday sleepover was a huge success! :)