Daughters 16th Birthday any ideas.................................New york on a budget ?

Are you close? I'd have never wanted to spend a weekend with my mum aged 16. I'd want to be as far away from her as possible - we weren't close though. Well close enough for me to ask for money and use the house as a hotel ?

For my 16th, 3 friends and I had a party. However we lied to the local Catholic Club (think working mens club for the Oirish) and told them we were all going to be 18. Therefore we had an open bar. We thought we were the mutts nutts. That was until far too many people got drunk on Archers & lemonade or other such teenage drinks and an almighty fight broke out and the DJ got stabbed ☹️

After that I've had pretty low key birthdays.

My brother is 16 in October and my eldest SD thinks we should throw him a MTV style Sweet Sixteen Party.

How about a spa weekend in the UK - no rushing round airports etc, just relaxing together and having a few treatments etc. I think that would be great for bonding.

I had to stop watching those sweet 16 programmes as they wound me up so much!

The children in it were so rude and ungrateful to their parents (and some of their friends!)!! - both in the UK and US versions. I kept shouting at the tv!!!!!!

It might help if you could give us an idea of your budget and the sort of things you and your daughter like, for example I took my two daughters, when they were aged 16 and 13, on a Nile cruise for a week and it was the best holiday we've ever had (their words) but that may not be possible on your budget or it may be the sort of thing that would bore your daughter to tears!

My daughter was 16 last year and she said there was not much to do when you are 16,as a lot of places here won't allow 16th birthday parties.So she went out to a chinese restaurant with all her friends.

She is 17 in october and has decided on a big barbecue for everyone,so we are putting a gazebo up,with patio heaters and doing that for her.

For my sister's 16th we all went to stay in London, had tea at the ritz and went to a show in the west end. For my 16th I asked for a tv instead ?

My daughter wants an ipod nano for her 16th [i think] don't think she would fancy a girly bonding trip with me.....

If the budget won't stretch to NY what about a long weekend in, say, London, with tickets to see a show, favourite band etc?

Or a weekend in Paris - plenty of good shopping there!

ETA - and a good opportunity to practise that GCSE French!?

When each of my daughters were 16 I played Neil Sedaka's 'Happy Birthday Sweet 16' to them when they came down to breakfast (traditional pressie time on birthdays in our house). They gurned and cringed and the more they did it the more I played it, singing along especially at the line 'you've turned into the prettiest gril I've ever seen' lol, I've got another daughter who will be 16 next year, so one more chance to do it!!!

You could even go for a day or two at eurodisney!