Sweet Sixteen Birthday Parties
Is imagination dead, or does everyone pile into a rented hall for Sweet Sixteen birthday parties these days?
If you want to give your daughter a more formal party in a rented hall, then instead of planning the party from
your point of view, involve her in the planning.
Even though you live under the same roof as your child, teen-agers can still seem to be alien inhabitants,
and your idea of fun may not (probably won't) parallel hers. Let her help select the party invitations, decorations,
food, and music. The cardinal rule is that it's her party, not yours. Resist the temptation to invite your friends and
family to this party. Sweet Sixteen is a milestone, but you can have the family celebration at another time.
Party Preparations
Start by letting your daughter design the party invitations. Let her print them on her computer. Encourage her to
embellish the envelope. The envelope will probably resemble a scrapbook or a bulletin board, but it's her party.
From the minute you begin planning the party, keep everything—a copy of the party invitation, business cards, scraps
of decorations, EVERYTHING. Add photos from the party, and create a scrapbook as a memento of the party. Have all
the guests sign it the same way they would a school annual. Surprise her with the scrapbook by giving it as a gift a
few months later—maybe next Christmas.
Help your child set up a Sweet Sixteen Website. Install a free chat room or bulletin board so that the kids can plot and
scheme or whatever it is that do on the telephone and the computer for hours on end. If you're not particularly computer
savvy along those lines, your child will know how to do this—trust us—she will know.
Party Ideas
It's not a law that a Sweet Sixteen party has to include boys. If your daughter would rather have a "girls night," then
consider a sleep over with movies, music, etc. They'll fill in the holes with gossip. Invite a friend to play make-up artist/hair
stylist and someone with a digital camera to shoot "glam" shots of the girls. Your daughter's hairdresser may even help you
with this.
If her birthday falls during the warmer months, and you live near a beach, you have the perfect setting, and what's more,
it's free! You won't need much beyond hamburgers and hot dogs, marshmallows, Hershey bars, and Graham crackers for food.
Get a volleyball set, a karaoke machine (let your daughter select the music), and you're all set. If you live in a no-beach zone,
then use a pool. You can borrow a pool for the late afternoon and evening from a friend who lives in a condo. Instead of
volleyball, get a water volleyball set.
If your daughter's birthday falls during the dead of winter and you live in a colder climate, consider an outdoor ice-skating
party, followed by hot chocolate, chocolate fondue and a birthday cake in front of a roaring fire. Borrow a friend's condo
clubhouse if you don't have a fireplace.
If you're planning a fall birthday party, consider an old-fashioned hayride. All you need is a truck, some hay, apple cider
and candied apples, and country roads.
Any time of year, you can rent a video arcade for an evening. That might not sound like fun to you, but the kids will love
it. In fact, if you're planning an outdoor party, use the arcade as Plan B in case of rain.
Take lots of photos and if the kids bring dates, snap candid shots of each couple and present them with the photos in
another party invitation. Paste them on the inside of the invitation, seal them in an envelope and tell them not to open
them until they get home. That way, they're sure to rip them open the second they're out of your sight.
The general rule is this: the worse the idea sounds to you, the better the kids will probably like it, and this is a one-shot deal.
Your daughter only turns Sweet Sixteen once. Enjoy it.
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