• For her 16th birthday, my daughter wanted to host a co-ed sleepover. I was not on board.
• We eventually compromised and I agreed to let boys stay until 11 p.m., but later relented.
• Despite my initial concerns, the sleepover was uneventful and my daughter got her birthday wish.

Teenage co-ed sleepovers are not my thing. And though this wasn't our first co-ed party, I'm not sure I was emotionally prepared for this one. Our first took place when my daughter was two. Any display of affection came in the form of messy check kisses, with arms clasped tightly around another toddler's waist, as they tried to wriggle away. But it seems that today's teens also like having co-ed birthday parties and don't shy away from asking their parents for those parties to be sleepovers — something I never dreamed of asking my own parents at that age.

We agreed on a compromise

My daughter bugged me for weeks about her upcoming 16th birthday. She wanted ten of her friends there, a mix of a few boys, but mostly girls. She pointed out that I let her go to weekend get-togethers, where she sometimes ended up sleeping over in places with her guy friends there, which was fine with me. After all, I knew they stayed up most of the night watching movies. But this felt different. Now she wanted everyone to sleep at my house. Being a sober, single mom made me nervous about these things. So we agreed she could invite the boys for the evening, but they'd have to leave by 11:00.

The day before the party, with all her teen excitement tagging along with us, we made a trip to a local party store. We left with a bag of party supplies, plus a back seat full of helium balloons, bobbing around, which my daughter kept batting as they lurched towards the front seat. We dropped the balloons and other party stuff at home, then headed to the grocery store to retrieve the cake and a cart full of snack food that occupies the bottom row of the teen food pyramid.

The next day, after decorating the house with the streamers and balloons, her friends started to arrive around 5 p.m., far too early for my menopausal nervous system to handle. They came in dribs and drabs for the next hour or so, and my blood pressure surged when the last car pulled up with the boys and their adolescent hormones.

After taking jumps on the trampoline, the group settled in the family room, surrounded by bowls of chips, peanut M&M's, and popcorn. Between fits of laughter, they decided on what movies they'd watch during the night.

The kids eventually wore us down

The party remained fairly calm, a noticeable difference from last year's all-girl group. I bolstered myself and my nerves by inviting a couple other mom friends to join me at various stages throughout the evening, helping me to remain somewhat chill for most of the night.

When I finally settled into a novel, along with my ever increasing fatigue, my daughter detected my vulnerability and popped the question one last time. "Mom, can the guys please stay over. Ple-e-ease! It's the only 16^th birthday I'll ever have."

Little did I know, one of the boy's father had already arrived to pick them up, and another crew of kids were working on him out on the porch. After over an hour of wearing us down with their-junk-food-energy-fueled-persuasion, we gave in and I had my first co-ed sleepover.

Honestly, it wasn't that bad

After all my fretting, it was quite innocuous. I told the boys they had to sleep in the guest room without any girls, although I did find out there was some making out going on after I went to bed.

The next morning, I was exhausted, as were the kids, but we made it through the night just fine.

I imagine when my daughter gets her license and her own car, and is driving around late at night without my supervision, this co-ed sleepover will look like nothing much. I still don't think I'll be volunteering to host another one of these anytime soon though.

In 2023, YouTube Music rolled out the “Samples” feed as a “personalized music discovery feature,” and it’s now accessible from artist pages.

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Twin Peaks has ended, but the show’s stars, including Kyle MacLachlan, Sherilyn Fenn and Lara Flynn Boyle, have remained on our screens.

The series, which ran from 1990 to 1991, followed an investigation into the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington. The series developed a cult following in part because of its campy storytelling — and David Lynch and Mark Frost‘s unique vision.

After ABC pulled the plug on Twin Peaks, the 1992 prequel feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was born. The universe expanded even more when Showtime revived the series for one season in 2017 with Lynch and Frost returning to direct and write all the episodes.

MacLachlan, Fenn, Mädchen Amick, Lee and David Duchovny all returned for the revival after appearing in the original series. The new season also featured some new — but familiar — faces, including Laura Dern, Michael Cera, Richard Chamberlain, Trent Reznor, Jessica Szohr and Amanda Seyfried in a wide variety of roles.

Fans still holding out hope for more Twin Peaks content were shocked when Lynch announced in 2024 that he wasn’t sure whether he would be able to direct any more projects after being diagnosed with emphysema.

Lynch told Sight & Sound in an interview that he got the disease from “smoking for so long,” adding, “I’m homebound whether I like it or not. I can’t go out. And I can only walk a short distance before I’m out of oxygen.”

Despite attempts to work from home, Lynch’s future plans for his directing career remained unclear. “I like to be amongst the things and get ideas there,” he concluded. “But I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it.”

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David Lynch, the famed director behind Eraserhead, The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive and the cocreator of Twin Peaks, has died. He was 78.

Lynch’s family announced the news in a Facebook post on Thursday, January 16. “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch,” the wrote. “We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”

Born in Montana in January 1946, Lynch released his first feature film, Eraserhead, in 1977, writing, directing, producing and editing the eventual cult classic. As he made his mark on the industry, he went on to direct 1980’s The Elephant Man, 1984’s Dune, 1986’s Blue Velvet, 1990’s Wild at Heart, 1997’s Lost Highway, 1999’s The Straight Story, 2001’s Mulholland Drive and 2006’s Inland Empire.

In addition to earning Oscar nominations for The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, Lynch received widespread praise for Twin Peaks, the ABC television series he cocreated with Mark Frost. Though the show only ran for two seasons from 1990 to 1991, it gained a massive following and spawned a revival in 2017.

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A diverse talent, Lynch was also known for his work as a painter, musician, actor and photographer.

In August 2024, Lynch revealed that he had been diagnosed with emphysema in 2020 after decades of smoking. He told Sight and Sound at the time that he was housebound and would likely be unable to direct any future projects in person.

Three months later, Lynch elaborated on his condition, explaining that he needed oxygen to walk as a result of his decades-long smoking habit. According to the late director, he was an avid smoker from the ages of 8 to 76.

“In the back of every smoker’s mind is the fact that it’s healthy, so you’re literally playing with fire,” he told People in November 2024. “It can bite you. I took a chance, and I got bit.”

David Lynch's Quotes About His Health After Smoking Since 8 Years Old

Despite his diagnosis, Lynch noted that he was not able to quit smoking until two years after he learned of his condition. “I saw the writing on the wall, and it said, ‘You’re going to die in a week if you don’t stop,’” he recalled. “I could hardly move without gasping for air. Quitting was my only choice.”

Emphysema causes intense shortness of breath, which made it hard for Lynch to complete even the most routine activities. “It’s tough living with emphysema,” he continued. “I can hardly walk across a room. It’s like you’re walking around with a plastic bag around your head.”

Lynch joked that he didn’t mind being homebound after his diagnosis, quipping, “I never really liked going out before, so it’s a nice excuse.” However, he realized he should have given up smoking sooner. “I don’t regret it. It was important to me,” he said of his smoking habit. “I wish what every addict wishes for: that what we love is good for us.”

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Lynch went on to describe how smoking influenced his career. “I loved the smell of tobacco, the taste of tobacco. I loved lighting cigarettes,” he shared. “It was part of being a painter and a filmmaker for me.”

Despite his love of smoking, Lynch hoped to use his diagnosis to inspire other smokers to quit. “I really wanted to get this across: Think about it. You can quit these things that are going to end up killing you,” he said. “I owe it to them — and to myself — to say that.”

Lynch is survived by his four children: daughter Jennifer with ex-wife Peggy Reavey, son Austin with ex-wife Mary Fisk, son Riley with ex-wife Mary Sweeney and daughter Lula with ex-wife Emily Stofle.