Sleeping away from home, yes or no?

I am a single mom and since I am not married and do not date much I began referring to special Mitchell and Mommy time as a date when he was 4. I refer to him as my hot date and these blogs are inspired by my sweet and slightly wild friend from middle school, Christy and her husband John.

So last week my hot date spent the night away from home for the first time. I sat up all night clutching my phone waiting on the call from my friend saying that Mitchell was scared. But no call came, I sat with tears in my eyes realizing my sweet boy is growing up and that I am so proud of him.

This leads to the logical questions, when is it ok for your children to spend the night out away from family?

If you are single mom like me and you and the father have custody arrangements, you have to let your children spend the night out earlier than others. I put my foot down and refused until my son was 6 months old and even after that I wasn't always too sure.....of course this had more to do with the fact that I don't think highly of the other parent than do I trust that my child will not be harmed?

Well Mitchell is 6 now and the sleep over was truly accidental. I am praising God for accidents right now. He is teaching me to let go and trust in what I have taught him thus far. According to my friend he was a very polite house guest (no louder than thier son) and he slept all night ( I attribute that to pure exhaustion)!

Looking back on it now I have total trust in this family. Mitchell and their youngest son have been in school together since the age of 3, the mom teaches a music program at their old pre-school. Dad is so gentle and calm and I love his patience and willingness to spend time with all his children. There are three teenage girls in the home at various time and I have seen nothing but sweet, innocent friends coming to vist. While we all don't worship at the same church we do believe that solid biblical teaching is essential for our families.
There are no guns or animals in the home, they are healthy eaters and my son truly feels at home there.

Please know that there are other people that have asked to have him over and because I am not sure of the answers to the questions below, my answer has been no. I stand firm with those No's and feel no ounce of shame. As a mom, you are the first line of defense for your children. And here is my little tidbit for mom's who have a hard time saying no....if your skin starts to crawl, your stomache is in knots or you just get an uneasy feeling......that's God whispering to you. LISTEN!

LIST OF QUESTION that you should have answers to, that you are comfortable with before your child spends the night at a friend's house

1. Do you know both parents?

2. Do they raise children the same as you?

3. Are their night time routines similar?

4. Do you know what your child will eat?

5. Do you know where your child will sleep?

6. Are there older children in the house, are they a good or not so good influence?
7. Are there weapons in the house, are they locked up?
8. Will you ever ask their child to spend the night? Why or why not?

Please feel free to leave comments or ask queestions and until our next date......have a a great one!