Friday, February 22, 2008

The Evolution of the Sleepover

So when I was ten, I realized that there would be a point in my life when I would no longer go to sleepovers...those crazy fun girly, "truth or dare playing, movie-watching, staying-up-until-3-and- trying-not-to-be-the-first person-to-fall-asleep" events. I figured the cut-off would be around 13 or 14. And apparently, I was dead wrong.

Last night, as a matter of fact, I went to the second of a series of 'girls' nights' that some of my friends from church decided to implement last October. In a lot of ways, both this sleepover and the one previous resembled the sleepovers of yesteryear: movies, junkfood, talking about guys and life and everything else, finding that anything and everything at 2 o'clock in the morning is funny, and hearing weird noises at night. However, there are some interesting developments in the sleepover department that have been changed both by age and by the slow decay of time in general:

1) The sleepover world has been changed dramatically by technology. We no longer watched old VHS's, but DVDs on Emma's massive television with surround sound. We also had cell phones, and we texted or called 50 people that night. I counted. In the morning, we weren't woken up by a clock or a parent, it was someone's cell phone that was ringing. And, once we woke up, the first thing we did was check our emails and facebook.
2) We have become a lot smarter over the years -- instead of shooting straight for truth or dare, we checked out the lunar eclipse and we spent 2 1/2 hours figuring out a bunch of riddles that Emma had stored away in her memory. As an added technology change, Derek (Loralee's amigo) was on speakerphone trying to figure them out with us.
3) We have become more vain over the years...before going to bed, it wasn't just brushing teeth that was essential. It was all about taking out contacts and getting rid of makeup. And throughout, there were pictures being taken by random cameras, so one of us was always posing.
4) I drove myself home. Weird!

So I have to say, it was a different experience, but still amazingly fun. Sleepovers are a changing event in a changing world...and if they've changed this much in five years, I wonder what they'll be like in the next five.

5 comments:

bekah said...

you think too much.

:) however that is really interesting. what were some of the riddles? it would be fun 2 try 2 figure them out. :)

<3<3<3<3<3

Kaylene said...

Funny how you thought you'd be done with sleepovers so early, because my parents didn't even let me go to sleepovers until I was around 14 and even then it was only to Amy's house! I love waking up and checking email and Facebook. If I didn't have that to wake up and be excited about every day, I don't know what I'd do :) Man, new moms must have gone crazy before the internet.

Amy Coons said...

Arielle...it's Sister Coons! Let's see, is it time yet to just go by Amy? I found your blog through Kaylene's. (I hope you don't mind me reading...) I really loved reading this! You are awesome! I did get your Christmas letter and thoroughly enjoyed it. Your writing is very funny. Sleepovers are an interesting activity. After pulling several "all-nighters" in Jr. High, I realized the true stupidity in that and was fine then going to bed at 2 or so. Anyway, sounded like a ton of fun.:)

bekah said...

hey woah, you got to sleepover people's houses, even if it was just to amy's? i don't get to sleep over ANYWHERE! i'm going to have to figure out that one..

bekah said...

that was to kaylene, by the way.