It seems the younger a child is, the more birthday party ideas there are. At least, that's what I thought until I started reading about theme parties for tweens and teens. The ideas are the coolest and I'm so excited because I have a teen who pretty much dislikes everything- He won't be able to resist smiling with these ideas though...
At BirthdayinaBox.com, you will find a special section for party planning ideas. I suggest visiting this section first, as you'll find more ideas for parties then you could possibly use in a lifetime. This is where I learned about the teen parties. Every age group is covered however, so no matter your child's age or interests, you're certain to find what you need.
My favorite ideas were unisex and involved all kinds of anticipation and being out and about. If that isn't what you're looking for, the game ideas they provide (like squirt gun paintball!) are right up every mother's alley and actually perfect for teens, as in I believe the kids will play them and have fun.
What's nice about the teen ideas is that they can be used with any theme. I think theme parties are ideal, and I talk about it more here, because they allow us to take advantage of our child's special interest, which is almost always highly specific for children with autism.
It's a great way to make their 'symptom' into something completely typical. Beyond that, simply having a day to socialize, as a child, with other children cannot be overlooked or underestimated. Now that my oldest is 14, I see the need for friendships even more. I think a party atmosphere lends itself to being yourself and he benefits from that tremendously.
Being a teenager is tough. Without dating myself, I'll say that I vaguely remember...
Now I just want to make memories of my children growing, just as much as I want my children to have great memories of birthdays past. I have an obscene number of photographs from my children's parties and they are my most precious asset. In a previous post, I talk about the many ways to make and keep memories of your child's special party with online services and a little imagination.
As parents we also worry. And rightfully so!
What if nobody comes? What a terrible thought to consider, I know because I used to think about that all the time. There is a lot you can do to ensure children attend and have fun. I wrote an entire article on this subject, because so many other moms tell me they share this same worry.
I shared one mom's story about the challenges she faced the morning of her son's party and what she decided to do. My heart broke for her because I related all to well to having a child whose special needs sometime surface at seemingly the worst time. I admire her and encourage you to read her story and what I learned from it.
At the end of the day however, this is about a party! and having fun, making friends, memories and plans for the next one. You don't have to go crazy, you don't have to worry or fret. There's a plan to make it simple and successful and I'll repeat it here.
- Get excited
- Go to BirthdayInaBox.com and get everything you need in one place with one click (bye-bye stress and planning)
- Send out your invites
- Include your child, and make it an event everyone is anticipating by talking it up a lot
- Sit back and enjoy the party with everyone else
It's truly that simple and that effective. I started this post talking specifically about teens, but as you can see, the benefits cross age. I was just so excited to find something specifically for teenagers that I had to share it, because sooner or later you will be parenting a teen!
If you have any ideas for teens and tweens, post them below. Let me know what you think of the ideas I found at birthday in a box too!
