Stapleton seven year old Olivia Hoffman has had four sleepovers with friends. The aftermath of all of them have been rough on the family. “She comes home tired and grumpy,” said Olivia’s mom Annie. “From what I’ve observed, it is about the same thing as an adult going to Vegas for three days. You come home exhausted, unable to think, and sometimes sick. The worst thing is, you know it’s coming. There’s no chance you are sending your kid over for an overnight party and they will come home how you sent them. You know you’re totally screwing your entire family’s life up for a while after the event.” Kids are excited so they can’t get to sleep well, plus they are in a new environment. “For kids, routine is everything,” said Annie. “I mean, when we stay at a hotel, VRBO, or even a relative’s house, it gets the kids way off schedule. So, when they stay somewhere else without familiarity and their family, but they have their friends there, it’s just chaos for the child.” Although the first three sleepovers were difficult, Olivia’s most recent one was particularly hard. “Usually, recovery is about a four day process,” admitted Annie. “She is way off schedule, takes an afternoon nap, falls asleep late, wakes up the next morning late, and so on. We kind of know what to expect. But, with this last one, the cycle simply repeated itself for over a month.” According to Annie, Olivia got a cold, was never able to get back on the appropriate sleeping schedule and was grumpy for a month. “I’m not sure if it was the particular place she was staying, or just a combination of several factors. But, I’m not sure I’m willing to go through that again.” Annie says she is going to be careful in considering allowing Olivia to go to any more sleepovers this year. “I always thought seven year olds were too young to sleepover,” said Annie. “And, maybe it’s just a maturity issue. No matter what it is, I’m not sure we will go through it again anytime soon.” Yes you will, Annie. Yes you will.