As a mom, I’m amidst the fabulous tween and teen years for three of my children.  Long gone are the days of birthday parties with a theme, in which I created games and crafts that matched the desired theme.  No more pin the crown on the princess or hunt for the plastic reptiles in the yard.

There are some distinct advantages to the passing of such parties.  I no longer have to spend countless hours creating these crafts and games, shopping for the materials, and finding just the right party favors.  There is a lot less hands-on time required during the parties also.

However, as my now 12 year old daughter and I began planning her birthday party, I realized that a lack of crafts and games equals a lot of free time for this group.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re all good kids, but with them arriving at 4:00 and staying until the next morning at 11:00, having nothing scheduled seemed to be not that great of a plan.   After mulling different options, we decided on bowling and pizza.

Having hosted this party, I have a few pointers for other parents:

• Plan some event or activity for the party.
• Be a participant, albeit a quiet one.  Hanging out with the girls while they bowled and ate pizza, I was able to learn a lot about them.
• Give them a little space. For example, once they are settled in bed, don’t try to set a “go to sleep” time.
• But give them rules.  As long as the girls were quiet and in their room, they could stay awake as late as they wanted.
• Have set drop-off and pick-up times, so the party doesn’t become a lengthier event than you planned.
• Involve the birthday child in decisions, such as the activity, the menu, the schedule.
• Make the party a lesson in budgeting.  Just because your child gets to help choose the activity doesn’t mean that he/she gets whatever is requested.  Explain how much you are willing to spend, and have him/her work with you to make it happen.

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As a teen or kid, having and getting together with friends is very important and crucial to growing up properly.

There are many benefits to having kids get together with friends.  First of all, this helps kids build social skill that they will need throughout life.  Secondly, friends are fun, and life should be a fun experience.  Finally, well…friends are friends.  Period. (more…)

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Tonight, I am going to my middle school’s first dance of the year, and I’m so excited.  Earlier, I was talking with my mom, and we were talking about what I would consider the dos and don’ts (mainly don’ts) for parents of middle schoolers going to dances, and I decided that you should know, too. (more…)

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Do you have a child with a birthday that falls in the autumn? Here are some party ideas that work wonderfully in the autumn for many ages:

Pumpkin picking and decorating: Get a few parents to help you carpool the children to a nearby farm. Then, let them each pick out a pumpkin of their own. (To avoid spending too much, mention a maximum weight or show them an example of the perfect size.) At home, have some decorating supplies (paint, glitter, glue, googly eyes), and you’ll have many decorated pumpkins that can double as party favors. Older kids could try carving the pumpkins, too.

Corn maze: Search online for a nearby corn maze. Depending on the number of invitees there are, you can split the party into smaller groups and make it a competition, but it helps to keep everyone a winner.

• Root beer making: One of my favorite birthday parties was when my parents took a group of friends and me to Incredibrew, and we made our very own root beer! We got to design the labels ourselves, and each friend got a pack of four to take home and enjoy.
• Autumn-related mini-games: To supplement a party, you could fill a jar with candy corn and allow the guests to make a guess when they enter. Whoever makes the closet guess wins the jar! You also could have a contest to see how many words each child can make from P-U-M-P-K-I-N P-I-E or S-C-A-R-E-C-R-O-W. How about a round of pin-the-nose on the jack-o-lantern or pin-the-stem on the apple? And don’t forget the classic, bobbing for apples, but make sure the apples are sized relative to the guests. It may be impossible for a 5-year-old to pick up the same apple that would be the perfect challenge for a child that is a few years older.
• Costume party: Last but not least, if the birthday is close enough to Halloween one of the greatest sources of fun can be when the guests show up in costumes. Let them have a fashion show or a story-telling contest about their characters!

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