Party for 12 year old dd

[liliputlady]

My d turns twelve in a few weeks. She's just started secondary school and is enjoying getting to know the girls in her class and is still in touch with her primary friends who've all gone off in different directions. She says she'd find it too hard to choose just a couple of friends at this stage and would like a big party, at a pool for example. Just wondering - is this the done thing for 12 year olds, or are they all having small gatherings, or, may be, not bothering at all?

DD 12 shortly too. We have always said no big parties after juniors. She is having a few friends round to the house, 1 new friend and the other 4 from primary. Difficult one when their birthdays are so early and haven't let go of old friends or made close new friends yet, isn't it?

It is a tricky one - tempting to ignore it this time, but probably won't get away with that! Our other problem is that new friends all live miles away, so difficult just to invite them for a couple of hours and don't know them well enough for sleepovers yet!

Pool party very much the done thing here.
DD (yr8 at high school) went to about 7 last year.