How to Host a Sweet Sixteen for Your Son

As the parent of a soon-to-be 16-year-old, you may be thinking about how to celebrate this milestone birthday. If you have a daughter, you can find tons of great party ideas online by looking at Pinterest or browsing the web. However, if you have a son, the planning may be a bit more challenging. Check out these excellent tips for hosting a Sweet Sixteen party for your son.

• Theme It – One of the easiest ways to host a party that is fun and memorable is to give it a theme. Is your son into cars, sports or superheroes? Choosing one of these things or something else that is near and dear to his heart gives you a good place to start when it comes to decorations, food and activities.
• Make the Food the Highlight – There are few things that are more interesting to teenage boys than food. Whatever happens to be your son’s favorite food should be the focus of the evening. You could have a burger bar, serve tacos and queso, or go with the old standby of pizza. All that matters is that there is plenty of it.
• Consider the Guest List – Talk to your son about who he wants to invite, or not invite, to his party. If you’re going for a big event, you may wish to invite girls and guys. However, many young guys would prefer to have an evening of fun with just their guy friends. Talk to your son and find out what will be best for him.
• Think Outside the Box – If you’re truly at a loss for what to do during this party, something completely unexpected may be best. Set up an escape room or scavenger hunt to keep the guests busy. Another option is to bring in TVs with video games for multiplayer enjoyment. Don’t feel like it has to be the grand ball that many Sweet 16 parties for girls wind up being. The key is that your son has fun at his party.

Hosting a Sweet 16 party for a boy can be a challenge, but it can also be a lot of fun too. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and do something different. As long as your son has a good time, that’s all that matters.