First sleepover for our kids this weekend

Our kids have never spent a night away from home—now both want to sleep over at friends' houses this weekend and I’m trying not to freak out 😅

Our kids are almost 7 and 9, and this will be their very first sleepover. They’ve asked before, but it’s never worked out until now. We’re saying yes this time, but I can’t lie—I’m nervous. It’s not that we don’t trust the families. We know both the kids and the parents really well. They play together almost every day and live nearby. The parents seem kind and responsible, and we’ve talked with them a lot. Still, it feels like such a big step.

The reason they’ve never stayed anywhere before isn’t because we’ve been strict. It’s just that we don’t have much close family nearby. We’re originally from Gothenburg, and most of our relatives are either still in Sweden or back in Syria, where my husband is from. So it’s always been just the four of us here in Norway. We’ve always done things together—birthdays, holidays, everything. That’s probably why we’ve been slower to let them go off on their own.

Now that they’re asking to do this on their own, I want to say yes with confidence. But part of me is worrying about whether they’ll miss home or get scared in the middle of the night. Will they be okay falling asleep without us? Will they eat what’s served? What if one of them wants to come home at 11pm?

I know it’s probably time. They’re both excited and not showing any signs of nerves. Maybe I’m the one struggling to let go. But I’d love to hear from other parents—how did your kids' first sleepovers go? Anything we should be ready for?