Include your teen in his birthday party planning.
When your son or daughter turns 15, mark the occasion without embarrassing your teen with a lot of decorations and other "little kid" ideas. Ask your 15-year-old what he wants to do for his birthday. If he says, "I don't know," give him a few suggestions. Once you offer something like an "evening at an arcade with friends" instead of "dinner with the family," you might find he becomes more excited about the idea. Does this Spark an idea?
Home
If your teen wants to invite a lot of people over and you don't want to take them all out, you can have a lot of fun right at home. Talk with her about the type of party she'd like to have. Have a themed or costume party -- a lot of fun for teens and a good excuse to be silly. Make most of the party outside if the weather is nice, and grill out and have a bonfire -- a good way to keep the noise outside and get the teens to gather together instead of separating from the group in little mini groups. Play music, have a video game "station" and a movie on somewhere else, and even enlist some of the kids in helping make the food. Have plenty of food around, and don't hover. Teens like to do their own thing -- even in a group.
Arcade
A restaurant with an arcade is good place to take teens for a birthday party. Purchase tokens ahead of time, and give each kid a cup full of his own. Keep the sodas refilled, and let the guests loose. Find out ahead of time whether you can rent the place out for just yourselves if you plan to invite a lot of people to the party.
Bowling or Gym
Head to a bowling alley or your local YMCA gym to give the kids a chance to be active without wrecking your house. Most bowling alleys have a "cosmic" or "midnight" bowling session. The alley is dark, and strobe and laser lights go crazy, and the evening may also include glow-in-the-dark bowling balls and loud music. Buy some pizza and sodas, and let the teens have fun. Some YMCAs offer teen nights where the pool, gymnasium even gymnastics equipment is open for use -- a fun way for teens to run around and act a little crazy in a safe environment. At a gym, you will have to bring your own food and drinks, but the session will likely cost less than bowling.
Amusement or Water Park
An amusement or water park can usually provide you with a group rate and possibly a bus or shuttle to the park. This is the kind of party you want to have with only a few friends. While 15-year-olds can certainly go off on their own in an amusement park, when your teen is with friends, provide her with a cellphone or two-way radio so you can keep track of them. Check in often, and set times to meet up for food or cake. An amusement or water park provides an ideal venue for parties because you don't have to do a lot of work to keep the teens entertained, and entry to the park will cost money, you don't have to spend a dime on decorations.
Tags: your teen, ahead time, amusement water park, birthday party, invite people