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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Halloween party for 15 years old girls?

38 replies

Katastrofee · 01/09/2013 17:41

DD is turning 15 and wants a Halloween disco party for her birthday. Where we live, trick-or-treating is not done, so DD is begging for some Halloween fun for several years now. I really want to grant this wish this time. She is also desperate for a disco, as the school PTA doesn't organize disco parties in years 10 and 11.

I am thinking of girls only party as DD's school is a girl's school and I 've known a couple of parties locally where boys from different schools started to fight, so I want to avoid any aggravation.

I have no idea what 15 years old girls would enjoy at a Halloween party and whether they would turn up at all.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

OP posts:
AcrylicPlexiglass · 01/09/2013 20:12

Will people come if it's a girls-only disco? My twin sons (14) had a party recently and meeting/snogging opposite sex seemed quite a big part of the proceedings...

Original poster
Katastrofee · 01/09/2013 21:35

That's why the PTA stopped school discos at Year 10 - the logic is that it's a girl school, so she would be inviting her school friends. Not all of the girls in DD's class have boyfriends so I'm not sure it would be wise to invite girls with friends. Can't they have fun in girls-only Halloween parties these days? (I know I'm so out of touch!)

OP posts:
AcrylicPlexiglass · 01/09/2013 21:44

um, not sure really! My boys would be aghast at a single sex party if you are talking about a big party. Their party was all about hanging around in the dark, trying to look cool, listening to loud music and trying to drink, smoke and get off with people. We went round confiscating contraband in a low key way, turning down music and exhorting against under age sex taking place on the premises! If you are talking about a small select gathering it could be fine, maybe? Doesn't your daughter have her own strong views on the matter?

webwiz · 01/09/2013 21:49

My DDs would have been perfectly happy with a girls only halloween party at 15. Fancy dress, pizza and a scary film in the dark.

AcrylicPlexiglass · 01/09/2013 21:53

Maybe mine are a bit more wannabe streetwise than average.

Original poster
Katastrofee · 01/09/2013 23:24

Well, there are different speed lanes as it were in DD's school when it comes to boys and there are certainly girls with boyfriends, but they don't rule necessarily.
The PTA only allowed discos in year 7-9 with the local boys school, so either ways girls never got to bring their own friends to discos. I obviously don't want to chase them in the dark corners and be responsible for sex and alcohol...

In practice, given it's a girl's school, we can't "organize" a matching number of boys. If we allow to bring friends, some girls would feel under pressure to bring a boy that they wouldn't take to a party otherwise, and some girls / parents may decide not to come.

Pizza and scary movie sounds fun, no?

They get to show off their frocs...?

Any other suggestions?

OP posts:
Original poster
Katastrofee · 01/09/2013 23:33

Acrilic, are your DSs going to a boys school? How did you 'source' the girls?

OP posts:
AcrylicPlexiglass · 02/09/2013 01:56

They go to mixed schools but seem to know zillions of local kids from all different schools. They didn't invite couples, just lots of girls and boys. But it was a biggish party (around 45 kids) and there were no activities as such like movies. I think a smaller single sex gathering is fine.

Original poster
Katastrofee · 02/09/2013 08:39

Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
Katastrofee · 02/09/2013 08:40

Any other comments anyone?

OP posts:
ashleysilver · 02/09/2013 10:53

My dd goes to a girls school too. She and her friends would like pizza and a scary movie. The other activity would be fussing over their costumes and make up, posing and taking lots of photos, which all end up on facebook.

Original poster
Katastrofee · 02/09/2013 15:35

Do I need to worry about alcohol?

OP posts:
CoolStoryBro · 02/09/2013 15:41

I would never allow alcohol at a 15 yo's birthday. But then, I live in the US and wouldn't fancy getting arrested!! I think all girls party with costumes and a scary movie sounds great.

Original poster
Katastrofee · 02/09/2013 15:52

I am certainly not minded to accept alcohol at the party. Are girls at this age likely to smuggle in their alcohol or not to come because they can't have it?

This is a leafy grammar school with iron discipline, but I have no idea what girls are like in their home lives...

OP posts:
dexter73 · 02/09/2013 17:06

I went to a girls school with iron discipline and we were a right bunch of shockers out of school! Surely for a disco you need lots of people or is it more dancing around in the living room kind of thing?

Original poster
Katastrofee · 02/09/2013 20:51

Dexter, so, how to attract a lot of people?

OP posts:
Original poster
Katastrofee · 02/09/2013 20:54

I am not being difficult, I really need some advice.

OP posts:
dexter73 · 02/09/2013 21:06

I just don't really see how you can have a disco with say 10 people. In my dd's year at school there are 330 students so attracting people isn't an issue. How many people was she thinking of inviting?

dexter73 · 02/09/2013 21:07

It is also mixed so there are always a mix of boys and girls at all parties.

whois · 02/09/2013 21:12

No to the disco, single sex disco sounds a bit lame.

Fancy dress, decoration, themed cupcakes and jelly sweets, pizza and a movie sounds more fun.

twentyten · 02/09/2013 22:06

Girls would play silly games- apple bobbing, and other Halloween games? More fun than a disco!

Original poster
Katastrofee · 02/09/2013 23:09

There are 120 girls in a year group and I doubt that more than 30 would come. The local hall feels quite full with 30 people. Could be even less. I would like to figure out how to attract bigger number, but I just don't see how to make it mixed.

OP posts:
dexter73 · 03/09/2013 06:38

That seems enough for a disco. Can you ask your daughter if she knows any boys she would like to invite? If she doesn't then just keep it as girls.

Original poster
Katastrofee · 03/09/2013 12:03

DD doesn't know any boys. If she knew zillions of them, I wouldn't need to consider an all girls party.

OP posts:
headlesslambrini · 03/09/2013 12:09

how about getting some tickets for your local scare-a-thon, we have a really good one near us, for a small number of friends - this could be part of her present, and then pizza and scary movies back at yours afterwards?