Teenager's "party"

[dontknowwhattodo80]

Hi all

Wanted to see how others deal with this ..

If your child ( 15) asks a group of friends to go out for something to eat for their birthday would you pay for everyone? Or everyone pay for themselves?

Thanks!

Dd is year 9. She went to quite a few parties in Y7 and 8. All paid for by the host's family. Some were at the family house but might have photo booth etc that cost quite a lot. Others at paid for venues. We had a party for her in Y7 where they went to a pottery place then came back to ours. We paid for it all but only had 6 guests. Last year dd organised her own party for about 10 at our house. She hasn't yet had to pay for someone else's party.

Older dd didn't go to a lot of parties. And didn't necessarily have her own but did sometimes go bowling or cinema & pizza with 2 or 3 friends. I can't recall now if we paid but I think we would have done. We would certainly have booked the bowling or cinema online.

But in your case the agreement was Dominosat home - that's what I'd stick to and see the cinema as an extra not included as part of the party.

I'd only pay if I was going to the cinema too and with a 15 year old ds that's unlikely. Of course pay for dominos.
When ds started arranging these kind of events with his friends, he worried about the who was paying question so, I got ds to make it clear that we weren't paying for his friends to go to the cinema - by asking them if one of them if he should pre-book the seats and everyone could pay him at the cinema, it sent out a clear message without being too confrontational about it.

I think if you can afford it and would like to treat them all then pay. Just don't see it as a quid pro quo and resent it if other parents don't pay. I was happy to pay, not least because one or two of the friends wouldn't have been able to go otherwise as their parents wouldn't / couldn't pay.