Melanie Lacob with her two children (names withheld for privacy) outside their home in West Vancouver, B.C., on Jan. 25. Ms. Lacob says that they are hesitant to send her kids on sleepovers.Jimmy Jeong/The Globe and Mail
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Are childhood sleepovers a thing of the past?
Once a rite of passage, sleepovers have become the subject of intense debate between parents at school drop-offs and on social media. The Globe and Mail’s generations reporter Ann Hui set out to learn why some parents, and particularly millennials, are hesitant to let their kids spend the night at a friend’s house, while others still see it as an important bonding experience.
What she found was that parents' concerns, in many cases, stem from an increased awareness in recent years about the prevalence of child abuse – and the fear that children might be especially vulnerable at sleepovers. But there’s also no good data in Canada on the safety of sleepovers, leaving parents to wade through heated discussions and worst-case scenarios on social media to try to weigh the risks themselves.
Millennial parents increasingly saying ‘no’ to sleepovers
What do you think? Should kids have sleepovers? Why or why not? Hui and (Gen X) culture and life editor Rachel Giese answered your questions about parenting choices.
What are your thoughts about kids having sleepovers?
Sleepovers nowadays seem to be a contentious issue, especially among millennial parents. Some worry about the dangers lurking in other people's homes while some say they are an important part of a kid's childhood. Where do you land on the spectrum? Do you think kids should have sleepovers? Why or why not? Reporter Ann Hui and editor Rachel Giese will answer your questions about parenting choices on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 1 p.m. ET. Fill out the form below or send questions to audience@globeandmail.com and they might answer you during the live Q&A!