Summer Memories

My sister called me today, complaining that I hadn't updated my blog in soooooo long, and it was so boring. So, here you go.

As a child, one of the highlights of the summer was the annual outside slumber party. My parents would let us invite a few friends (as many would fit in a tent) and have a sleepover outside. I don't remember what we'd do for the first few hours, but just before bed, my dad would sit us all down and tell a spectacularly scary ghost story. We would then try to go to sleep, but it was difficult, what with all of us crammed in there like sardines, and most likely hopped up on sugar, and adrenaline from the scary story. He'd eventually holler at us to go to sleep.

Right as we were all asleep, he would then pull some stunts to scare us. One year, he employed my best friend's older siblings to make a "ghost" appear over the fence. It was a sheet on a broom, and it was supposed to smoothly glide along the length of the fence. It more did a happy, jumpy little jaunt that made everyone laugh.

I'm nostalgic because as I type this, we have a bunch of kids in our back yard, having a summer sleepover. Today is K's birthday (I shall get sentimental and write a blog post about that tomorrow when I have pictures to illustrate). She begged for a full on party with the outdoor sleepover I've been promising her.

The question is, do I tell the scary story, or let them sleep? We did have someone die in the back yard, not more than about 20 feet from where the tent is now. If I bring that up, will it be overkill? Or fun?

Well, nobody ever accused me of being too nice, so I think I shall go tell the kids a story.

UPDATE: Apparently, I am a "cool mom". I went out and told them a bunch of scary stories, including one where I shriek at the end and had them all screaming. After a while, one of the kids said that I was such a cool mom, and the other kids all agreed. They said that most moms would be yelling at the kids to be yelling at them to go to sleep, but not me. I told them I'd start doing that in about twenty minutes. So, I get to be hang onto a cool status for a bit longer. Then, I went inside for a bit. Snuck out very, very quietly. Sat by the tent and quietly listened to them visit. They were definitely spooked, as they were constantly hearing noises that simply weren't there. I very quietly stuck my hand deep under the tent, where I knew the center of their circle was. Then I wiggled it up and around and scared them silly. I had forgotten this, but they had brought a chess set outside, and apparently, I put my hand right under that, so when I wiggled my arm around, the chess pieces flew in a very dramatic way.

After that, they begged to sleep inside. They insisted they were too hot to sleep. I'm suspicious.

They eventually fell asleep around 1:00am, and slept until 9, when a friend who wasn't permitted to actually SLEEP here came back for the rest of party arrived back at the house.