To allow overnight stays or not?

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I grew up in the late 80s and 90s. Things were much simpler back then. There were no smartphones and the internet didn’t exist. It didn’t feel as fast and loud as it does today. When I think back to my childhood, I remember playing outside a lot and staying over at my girlfriends’ houses on weekends after we picked out a movie at the local Blockbuster store. Life was pretty sweet. I hope everyone feels that way about their childhood. But maybe I was young, naive and blind to the worries that adults have. Or maybe I was just lucky that nothing bad had happened to me at that point in my life.

I feel like we have so much more information at our fingertips today. We can know what is going on in any part of the world instantly on our phones. While this technology is amazing, it can also be overwhelming. There is no denying that we all know so much more about the world and what can and does happen to people (for better or for worse) on a daily basis. It has brought to light many things that we may never have known. For example, as we have seen recently Headlines about terrible things happens to children during sleepovers. It’s disturbing and upsetting, and leads to parents debating whether their children should have sleepovers at all.

Our guest today, Kristin Andrus, is extremely passionate about this topic. Her family has one important rule: they don’t allow their children to have sleepovers. Some people strongly disagree with this rule, while others agree with her opinion because they too know scary stories that can and have happened at sleepovers. We asked Kristin to share her thoughts and experiences with defending children’s rights on the show.

Who is Kristin Andrus?

Kristin Andrus is a philanthropist and community champion who advocates for women, children, and refugees in Utah and beyond. Kristin is the driving force behind the high-impact nonprofit-philanthropy partnership Building Bridges. She also serves on the boards of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area and UnDEfeated, an organization that supports underprivileged youth and single mothers in Uganda. In addition, she advises the First Lady of Utah, Neighborhood House, Younique Foundation, Utah Valley University, and Women Who Succeed. She is a community activist who believes in building bridges and bringing people together to help communities thrive! Nonprofits count on Kristin’s social media and marketing expertise and her preternatural ability to get things done. She is also Chief Culture Officer for her husband and six children, and an incredible cook!

What did we discuss?

In this episode, we chat with Kristin Andrus about the great pajama debate—should you allow your kids to have pajama parties or not—and how to make the best decision for your family when it comes to pajama parties. Here are some of the questions we covered in our conversation:

• Kristin, can you tell us more about this “pajama debate”?
• What factors should parents consider when deciding whether to allow their child to attend a pajama party, or whether to allow pajama parties at all?
• Can you elaborate on statistics that have influenced your attitude towards overnight stays?
• Are there certain ages or developmental stages at which sleepovers may be more or less appropriate for children?
• If parents decide to let their child stay overnight with them, what important conversations should be had beforehand with the parents and their child?
• What advice would you give to parents who feel pressured by their child or other parents to allow overnight stays despite their reservations?

This is a very big and passionate conversation. While some of my favorite childhood memories are sleepovers with my girlfriends, Kristin’s stories and the statistics got me thinking about how I might approach this topic with my kids when they reach the age of being invited to sleepovers. This episode really gives us parents information we need to know and new things to consider. I wonder what your thoughts are on this great sleepover debate? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Kristin’s Resources

Thank you for listening to this episode! Follow us on our podcast Instagram page @thebabychickchat. Let us know what you think and if there are any other topics you think we should cover. Cheers to informed parenting and advocating for your family!

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