Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think no one will come to 16 yo bday party

188 replies

Florence19791 · 03/11/2024 16:30

DD will be turning 16, she does have any friends but wants to invite some people from school (small class of 5) and from her dance class. We’ve had a look and one place (party boat) does 30 and we could invite the entire dance school and class and hopefully some will come or another place does 10 (trampolining) and we could invite class plus 5 dance friends but would be obvious if no one turns up. WWYD? Any other party ideas welcome. She’s young for her age but wants to fit in too

OP posts:
morestraightforward · 03/11/2024 17:03

she’s invited 3 people
not one turned up
presume the same for her 16th
and arrange a family celebration otherwise this is going to be nothing short of awful

hopeishere · 03/11/2024 17:02

That's really hard. Is there a particular aspect of being a friend she struggles with?

morestraightforward · 03/11/2024 17:02

Florence19791 · 03/11/2024 17:00

Sorry meant to say she doesn’t have any friends but she really wants some but struggles (ND)
We invited 3 girls from class for Halloween who initially said they’d come then one by one they dropped out so worried pizza n movie might end the same way

what the heck??!

she doesn’t have a single friend and you are seriously considering a 30 capacity boat party

good grief Op. no words

Original poster
Florence19791 · 03/11/2024 17:00

Sorry meant to say she doesn’t have any friends but she really wants some but struggles (ND)
We invited 3 girls from class for Halloween who initially said they’d come then one by one they dropped out so worried pizza n movie might end the same way

OP posts:
morestraightforward · 03/11/2024 16:57

i think we can presume the daughter doesn’t have “any” friends or doesn’t have “many” friends

hopeishere · 03/11/2024 16:55

Sorry she does or doesn't have friends? Why is she in such a small school?

I agree trampolining is a bit young mine did that at 10/11.

If you're worried no one will turn up I'd rethink.

Iloveeverycat · 03/11/2024 16:51

When mine were that age they went out for a meal at a restaurant with a few friends more grown up thing to do.

MysticCatLady · 03/11/2024 16:47

I'd go for bowling and a meal. Or cinema and a meal. Or sleepover.

OnMNwaytoomuch · 03/11/2024 16:45

Is there a reason she doesn't have any friends? Is she shy/new to the school or something? I like the idea someone suggested of inviting some girls over for pizza and movies. My 13 year old invited some girls to pizza express and then back to ours. I dropped them all off so they went in alone, I dropped some favour bags and balloons off earlier in the day and the staff kindly put them on the table for their arrival. They had a great time and it was nice and small.

loropianalover · 03/11/2024 16:37

Unless it was a best friend or immediate friend group where they made the plan themselves I don’t see any 16yo wanting to go trampolining with a bunch of acquaintances really…

Could you bulk out the party boat with some family member invites?

Berlinlover · 03/11/2024 16:35

Does or doesn’t have any friends?

Threetrees745 · 03/11/2024 16:35

In all honesty, I don't think a trampoline party will make the friend making process any easier for her. That is a very very young activity for a 16 year old. I was clubbing in the city by then.

Can you not just invite some girls to the house and let them get a pizza and a film or something if she's still in a young mindset?

morestraightforward · 03/11/2024 16:33

Guide her down the small and intimate route op

otherwise could well be tumbleweed