happy life

Some birthdays are milestones in a young person’s life. Obviously reaching 10 or 13 or 16 or 20 are important achievements. But what about reaching 18?

In many ways reaching 18 means reaching adulthood. It signifies a true beginning to being a grown-up. So it would seem that a party to honor such an occasion should be fun, yet not seem too childish. Here are a few 18th birthday party ideas that you might consider.

One idea is to perhaps coincide the party with going to college. The birthday celebrant is probably starting college soon, and so a college theme for the birthday might be nice. Perhaps a visit to the college and a celebration at a nearby restaurant would be pleasant. Or maybe have the party at home with a frat/sorority theme and for food feature “mystery meat”.

An easier party to have at home can center around food. An all-pizza party would be great. With a build-it -yourself dessert bar with ice cream and all the fixings.

But perhaps your 18-year-old-to-be would find the above idea too childish, which it sort of is. So another idea is to take the teen and friends to a theme park for the day. Give them tickets and let them spend the whole day there, then come back to your house for the pizza or ice cream or whatever.

Another idea for a party is to hire a DJ and have music. The party can be at home or perhaps at a rec center rented for the day. You will have to find the right kind of DJ who has the best music though, and equipment. Another musical idea is to have each invited teen bring a CD they enjoy, and just play those at the party.

One more idea I’ll share is a boat ride party. Boats can be chartered for a day for fishing or sailing or just sightseeing. Of course this only works if the teen was born during a warmer month. If it is too cold for boating then perhaps a paintball party would be fun to have indoors.