I know, it wasn’t the best parenting move. But we had been planning this birthday party for weeks, and then just a few days before the big day Logan went and broke his ankle. Badly. Like, so badly that we were back in the hospital because of this break for almost every day that week! He’s only going to turn 14 once, and last year his big 1-3 party turned out to be a total bust. There was no way I was going to let my child have 2 bummer birthdays in a row. So, yes. The night before his ankle surgery I threw a teen slumber party that had 9 big boys traipsing through my apartment.
If you’re going to throw a teen slumber party, there are a few things you can’t skimp on. Like food.
We had appetizers, candy, and chips all ready to go when the boys arrived. I let Logan pick his favorite junk food, which I usually try and limit. But I figured it was OK just this one night.
Pizza arrived about 2 hours after the guys did. Teenage boys eat a lot of pizza, so we ordered something crazy like 8 pizzas for the whole crowd, which included John and the little guys and I. It ended up being too much but we love leftover pizza so we were kinda happy about it. 🙂
Due to the upcoming surgery, Logan wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight. He was pretty responsible about making sure he got all his snacking in before then. For his “last hurrah” we had an ice cream sundae bar and Martinelli’s sparkling cider. The ice cream sundae bar included
- 2 kinds of ice cream
- Cherries
- Caramel sauce
- Chocolate sauce
- Ground up Oreos
- Ground up chocolate chip cookies
- Chopped up pieces of candy
- Whipped cream (which I forgot about until the next morning, so they used it on their pancakes)
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When your older brother has a slumber party, you get to have some of the treats!
Not all the boys were able to stay the night (a blessing, really 😉 so we had pancakes for those who were still around the next day.
At a teen slumber party, you’ve got to keep them busy.
My parents have a giant Jenga game with all the family members’ names on the blocks!
Or they’re going to think up their own activity and you better bet it’ll be something wild and crazy.
We played Giant Jenga and lots of video games. It was actually more of a gaming party than a birthday party. We had some crazy game planned but then Logan broke his ankle and we weren’t able to play them. We were going to play:
Hunger Games Balloon War (outdoor game):
Each player gets an inflated balloon and a crayon. The object of the game is to pop the other players’ balloons and be the last one with a full balloon. The only weapon you’re allowed to use is the crayon. You can hide (just like in Hunger Games) and use the crayon or any part of your body to pop the balloons.
Sock Wrestling (indoor game):
On their hands and knees, each player is wearing one sock. The object is to try and get the other player’s sock off.
Skittle Pie (indoor game):
This is a really gross game but kids love it. You put a handful of Skittles in the bottom of a pie tin and fill it with whipped cream. Players have to keep their hands behind their backs and use their mouth to hunt for Skittles, spitting the ones they find in a cu or another pie tin. The player who finds the most Skittles in a certain time wins. I debated on playing this game anyway but Logan wasn’t supposed to be on his feet very long so we had to pass on it after all.
At about 9:30 the guys (minus Logan and 1 or 2 others) decided to go out into the freezing night air and play a variation of Mafia. Only, because they are testosterone-powered teen boys, their game was full-contact and involved hiding and Nerf guns. And yelling. Lots of yelling.
I gave them a 10:00 time limit, and after that they had to be indoors and a whole lot quieter so we didn’t get a noise complaint from the neighbors. Thankfully they’re all really respectful and came inside without any issue.
The night involved way too many sugary snacks and not nearly enough sleep. However, I stand behind my decision to go ahead with the slumber party even though it was the night before Logan’s surgery. Maybe it’s mom guilt for how bummed he was over his broken ankle or because last year’s birthday was a total bust. At least the surgery wasn’t first thing in the morning. In the end, everything worked out fine, and I think this might have been better than the twins’ big first birthday.