Planning a Party for Your Teen: Tips for Parents

Once your child enters their teen years, planning birthday parties becomes a bit more challenging. Your child probably wants the chance to celebrate with friends without you and the other parents hanging around. Yet, they are not quite old enough to be entirely unsupervised or to plan such a party themselves. Here are a few tips to help you and your teen plan the perfect birthday party.

1.  Consider Renting an Event Space

Planning this type of party at home can be a challenge. Your teen may feel like there is a lack of privacy since you and other family members will be around — and you don't want to leave 10 teens unsupervised in your home. Renting a small private event space, like a private room at a restaurant, will give your teen more privacy. They can have their party in the private room, and you can hang out at the accompanying restaurant or bar. You'll be around if your teen needs you, but not in the way.

2. Put a Limit on the Number of Attendees

Especially if your teen is known to be social, it's easy for a small birthday party to become a huge blow-out. One friend invites another friend, and it snowballs from there. To keep the bill manageable and to keep rowdiness at bay, give your teen a limit to the number of people who can attend their party. This limit may be 10, 15, or 20, depending on your budget and how many the room you rent can accommodate. 

3. Let Your Teen Plan Some Activities

Kids tend to get in trouble when there are no activities planned. However, your teen probably won't think the games you would plan for their party are cool enough. So, let them plan a few activities themselves. Just require that they do plan some activities so that they and their friends are not just sitting around on their phones for three hours.

4. Let Your Teen Handle Invitations

The days of paper invitations are gone, except for really special occasions like weddings. As such, you should not pressure your teen to send out paper invitations for their party — they may find doing so embarrassing or awkward. Let them send invitations via social media or text. Just ask that they tell you who they are inviting before they do so.

With the tips above, you and your teen can get along and plan a suitable birthday party.

Share