My children dearly loved their occasional Friday Night Sleepovers with Nanna and Papa (my parents). I remember this most in connection with our two oldest daughters, Annie and Mary. (At certain time periods, we were not living close to my parents, rendering the Friday Night Sleepover impossible or at least rare.)
What a nice break it was for us, as parents, to have 18 hours off from parenting. Our girls would go to Nanna’s and Papa’s on Friday evening. I’m sure Nanna had whatever the girls wanted to eat for dinner. They played until bedtime, read stories, and sang songs with Nanna at the piano. Nanna was a gifted story teller!
The next morning, after a fun (and probably unhealthy) breakfast, they went to the pond to feed the ducks old stale bread. Then, it was off to the grocery store to do Nanna’s and Papa’s weekly shopping. Nanna had the girls pick out a treat and they got to eat it while riding in the grocery cart. They were done with the treat by the time they got to the check-stand, and Nanna had the checker ring up the item using only the empty wrapper.
The Friday Night Sleepover was not extravagant; it did not cost a lot; it was simple. But oh how memorable it was and how much fun our children had, just spending 18 hours with their grandparents! They will never forget it. It doesn’t take too much to make a memory—just time and love!
