Comments on The (Mommy)Kerrie Show: Spending the Night ... Do you let your kids?

My kids will only be allowed to stay with family o...

2009-07-09T13:02:44.741-05:00

My kids will only be allowed to stay with family or a VERY few friends of mine (people that are like family and I have known forever). You simply can't trust people and it is hard to tell what type of people might show up. A mom might be the nicest person but what about her husband or her older sons friend that occasionally stops by. It is hard telling.

But as far as shipping them off for time to myself…absolutely. The recharging makes me a stronger happier mom. I need time to rejuvenate and breath.

I'm the no sleepover friend. And we will defin...

2009-07-09T11:25:41.498-05:00

I'm the no sleepover friend. And we will defintely carry that through high school, which I think is the even greater chance of things happening. Our reasons. #1, we both know from experience what crazy uncomfortable things can happen at sleepovers. I saw my first R movie at a friend's house with her parents in the room watching it with us. I was maybe 9-10. Very respectable people, still know them today. Obviously different parenting styles! #2 child molesters are not strangers, they are people we trust/know. VIRTUS training sold me on the dangers there. #3. I may totally trust the family, but I know nothing about the other kids or their families that are staying. #4 I'm not going to sit and think to myself, ok, I think it's ok to stay at Ellen's, but hmm, I'm not so sure about that weird lady Kerrie. An across the board decision eliminates me having to judge people as worthy or not.

We do allow them to go to the parties and then have the mom call me when everyone else is ready to go to bed. I am generally not the only parent that does this.

And this does flow with how we parent. Even though we both work, the children are always still only with me or Brian. We have no problems being the odd ones in our decision.

My kids are gypsies and, by rite of the situation ...

2009-07-09T08:35:04.677-05:00

My kids are gypsies and, by rite of the situation they're mixed up in, sleep many places other than in the bed I sweep cracker crumbs out of every night before I tuck them in...however, on a recent trip to one grandma's house, I had to call and check up on an older kid I didn't know who I thought might be there with them...I don't know him or his family and so I don't trust them. Luckily I wasn't made to feel overly protective, the people who keep my kids when they're not with me are as overly protective of them as I am. You cannot be too careful about child molesters, and they come in every age, size, gender, and race.

Frequent sleepovers are new to our society as of late, and I think that they get overdone like the sports-music-activity overload trend.

Well, "Patrick" is 15 and stays at frien...

2009-07-09T06:51:30.547-05:00

Well, "Patrick" is 15 and stays at friends' houses very occasionally. If I know the parents are home and the child in question is polite and well-mannered, he may go.

But kids under about 10? Nope. If I had family nearby like you it might be different, because that is a different situation. :]