Ashley Tisdale Explains Her No-Sleepover Parenting Rule

Ashley Tisdale French is opening up about her parenting boundaries regarding sleepovers, sharing her concerns in a recent blog post on her website By Ashley French.

The 40-year-old High School Musical alum, who shares two daughters with husband Christopher French—Jupiter, 5, and Emerson, 20 months—laid out her reasoning for steering clear of traditional overnight visits at other homes.

"I'm just not a fan of sleepovers. As a parent, it comes down to this: You can know someone well and still not really know them. You just don't always know who people are in their home. You don't know how parents talk to each other, how they handle conflict, who else has access to the home… the list goes on," Tisdale explained.

She acknowledged that families may appear pleasant on the surface, but emphasized that the possibility of something going wrong isn't a risk she's willing to take. Tisdale also referenced research indicating that if something harmful were to occur, it typically doesn't involve strangers.

The former Disney Channel star drew from her own past to support her stance. She recalled an unsettling incident during a childhood sleepover at her best friend's house when the friend's older brother and his companions were also present. "I thought I'd slept soundly through the night, but the next morning, they all thought it was hilarious that I had gone sleepwalking. I remember feeling really weird and vulnerable about having no memory of that," she recounted.

Rather than eliminating overnight experiences entirely, Tisdale and her friends have devised an alternative approach: "group getaways" as the children grow older. These arrangements would allow parents to enjoy time away while kids experience a sleepover atmosphere in a shared setting.

"Maybe an Airbnb or hotel rooms with a shared door. The kids can have their independence and fun while the parents unwind nearby. That feels different and doable," Tisdale noted.