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Teenagers

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

18th birthday special day suggestions

18 replies

DermotOLearyssuit · 06/02/2021 01:06

DD turns 18 next week and I’m trying to think how to make her day special, despite being in lockdown! Any suggestions?

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NaePies · 06/02/2021 02:02

Mine too Cake we are doing a boozy brunch, have got decorations and will do nice pancakes etc other than that I honestly can’t think. She’s gutted

DermotOLearyssuit · 06/02/2021 10:55

It’s pants isn’t it! We might learn how to make a couple of cocktails...

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bendmeoverbackwards · 06/02/2021 18:11

Mine was 18 last week. This is what we did -

-Had the house decorated with fancy balloons, lights, table centre etc, I paid for someone to come in to do this.

-had a short film made comprising of messages from her friends as a surprise. She LOVED this.

-fancy cake professionally made

-nice dinner with food supplied from a caterer rather than a takeaway

-we all dressed up and had pre dinner cocktails.

She really enjoyed it all!

BigSandyBalls2015 · 06/02/2021 18:13

Escape room? A company called Panic rooms are good. Worked much better than I anticipated online. Even my stroppy teen got very involved.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 06/02/2021 18:14

£20 and kept us all amused for about 1.5 hours ...

Oopsticle · 06/02/2021 18:36

I did 18 presents (most small but personal items she’s not think to get herself) then did a treasure hunt around the house with clues to find each one.

DermotOLearyssuit · 07/02/2021 12:58

Thanks all, this has got me thinking!

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XelaM · 09/02/2021 02:31

My daughter turned 11 recently and I bought a projector off amazon (surprisingly cheap) and created a home cinema with lots of Cinema-style treats and decorations. It was quite cool and she didn't expect it. We now regularly use it to watch films on the "big screen" (wall). 🎥

I also stole a Mumsnetter's idea to put £10 and £20 notes into balloons that she had to pop to get the money.

XelaM · 09/02/2021 02:33

We used to love going to the cinema before lockdown, so it made sense to do a home cinema party

StealthRoast · 09/02/2021 02:37

Following with interest. Ds turns 18 in 3 weeks. He’s not one bit bothered but I am!

This time last year he was in NY with college and I remember saying to him about it being nearly a year to his 18th and talking about what we would be doing etc.
I never dreamed we would be in lockdown again Sad

Crunched · 09/02/2021 02:43

I did a balloon arch, had Krispy Kreme doughnuts delivered mid morning which you decorate yourselves.
We had a piñata with her favourite chocs inside.
Had a lovely cake made, can be lots more luxurious when it is for just a few of you!
In the evening, a local company delivered a box with cocktails and 'make your own' pizza.
I arranged for the boxes to be delivered to a few other households and we had cocktails and pizza together over Zoom which was a nice surprise for her.
DD was not looking forward to the day but has confirmed it was a great success in the end.

Laaaaa · 09/02/2021 03:29

Is the projector any good? Do you have a link?

DermotOLearyssuit · 11/02/2021 00:35

So I’ve booked a caterer for the meal; on the case with a messages video. I’m not very up on cocktails, any suggestions for what might go down well? Also how do you do a balloon arch? - I’ll need to get the room looking a bit special!

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Butcanyoujusttellme · 11/02/2021 01:04

Can her friends do a drive by birthday parade? Have seen lots of people just drive by, wave, honk their horn, have a procession basically of her friends and family all at once
So she can ‘see’ them but it’s all safe?

Video messages

Any themes she’d like? A friend did a Parisian theme for example, French themed breakfast with champagne and chocolates, playing petanque, watching moves set in France.

Cocktail making would be great
Any games you can play in the evening?

At home Spa day with some new fancy products

A balloon arch or any sort of backdrop - presuming she’s into SM and will want to take some nice photos. You can get flower walls or lots of balloon options on Amazon, string light walls etc

Would she like if you booked in some zooms with family members?

Could you do disposable cameras so she can find fun moments in the day to be put into an album later

What about any at home boxes - diy donuts, candles, chocolate truffle kits

I’d maybe spread activities, gifts and surprises through the day so it feels different from ever other day in lockdown
Start big and end big with a few nice little things throughout the day to keep her busy

Do you know what she drinks? You could do a little wine tasting for example
Or cocktails I would go with espresso martini, and then something like a pornstar martini or daiquiri, but it depends on dd tastes - she may be more of a gin girl, so you can tailor accordingly

FearlessSwiftie · 11/02/2021 10:10

I'll second a home cinema idea! My niece turned 18 in January and we did a birthday video for her, combining a ton of her childhood photos and videos with wishes and messages from her family and friends, and then projected it on the wall. Here are some birthday video ideas that you may find useful, too- smartshow-software.com/how-to-make-a-happy-birthday-video.php . Other than that, we did handmade decorations, a balloon arch in front of her door and cooked some of her favorite cheesecakes.
She is a crafty girl, so there were no trouble getting her a present, she got a bunch of DIY kits and she was eager to make chocolate drops right away, so that's what we all did. We were also going to play some games (mostly the ones from here- www.thespruce.com/free-birthday-party-games-1356524 if you are looking for some ideas) but then we went with a flow with cooking and it was forgotten

XelaM · 11/02/2021 16:43

@Laaaaa this is the projector I got off amazon, but I got it on sale for just over £50. It appears to be more expensive now www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B086LCZF21?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

It works well (I connected it yo a laptop via HDMI cable and it just works without issue), but do bear in mind that you will need to put it on something high-ish. I perched it on top of the TV initially and then ended up buying a stand for it.

Chelsea567 · 16/02/2021 23:05

My DD is 18 soon and my mind is a blank, but some great ideas on this thread!

DermotOLearyssuit · 19/02/2021 00:43

Just reporting that it all went well and she was surprised and happy with all the effort. I made her an invitation to come ‘Downstairs’ for 7pm, and to dress up for cocktails/nibbles/dinner. The video worked really well, made her laugh lots; we had mojitos and canapés and the delicious catered meal, and the downstairs was all sparkly and fancy looking. Even did a balloon arch (although be warned, it took longer than I had realised!). Also during the day several friends rang at the door with presents and chatted a while, which really cheered her up. Obviously I didn’t plan that, but I think asking for the video contributions kinda prompted people to get their butts in gear iyswim. So thanks everyone for your suggestions and i hope you all manage to pull off a successful 18th too!

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