Throwing A Surprise Party For A Teen Is Surprisingly Hard

Throwing a surprise party for anyone is risky business, but throwing a surprise party for your teenage kid is different ball game altogether. All kids catch a disease the moment they become teenagers, which means they become a little allergic to their parents and find everything they do super-cringy and embarrassing. Instead, they would rather just hang out with their friends and leave it at that.

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But I’m a dad, and I love trying to do the impossible, so I’ve never wanted to leave anything ‘at that’, and certainly not the chance to prove you can throw a surprise party for teenagers and class it a success. It’s about making memories, man.

So, without further ado, here some super-awesome tips to help you ail this tightrope walk and come out the other side with an unabashed cuddle and an “I love you, Dad. Thanks for doing this.”

1. The Two Kinds Of Help You’ll Need

When it comes to planning a surprise bash, you’re going to need help. But not just any help; very specific help. The first kind is professional help (you already knew that, though), by which we mean hiring a party planning – something you can learn more about here. The other kind of help you’ll want to enlist is your teen’s BFFs. They’ll know exactly who to invite, what sort of entertainment to get, what drinks are hot right now, what food your kid loves, the sort of music to play and what snacks to put out. They’ll also be clued up on decoration advice too.

2. Create A Great Keepsake

Us Dad’s may not be cool in principle, but we can do some pretty thoughtful things, such as buying a keepsake your kid will cherish for years to come. It could be a blank book that everyone can write in, such as a story they hare with your teen, or you could invest heavily in something that they’ll appreciate when they mature into fully-fledged adults, like a watch or jewellery (engraved with the date, of course).

3. Personal Touches Are Key

It doesn’t matter what sort of thing your kid is into, how much they loathe you in their teenage years, or how much angst they put out in the world, they’ll secretly love a personal touch or two. It could be that you hire a skateboard ramp knowing they’re into it, or you might print out some of their most-liked Instagram photos and hang them from the trees in your garden or anything you fancy really. Just make sure it leans on the cool side of the line and not the awkwardly embarrassing.

4. Hide The Party, Not The Day

As a golden rule of thumb, don’t plan the surprise party to be held on their birthday or any time afterwards, other wise they are just going to think you forget their birthday and be even more begrudged by your sight. Instead, plan the surprise to happen before their big day. That way you won’t have to act suspicious or anything. You can just blow their mind, which is cool.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Making The Most Of Quality Time With Your Kids

It’s no secret that life with kids is busy and hectic but full of fun and adventure too; you wouldn’t change them for the world. It’s crucial that you’re in a great routine with your little ones so that they feel happy and secure, and they know what to expect. However, sometimes the routine can overtake the fun stuff; and spontaneity can get pushed aside, and replaced with homework, dinner time, and bedtime. Therefore, when it comes to the weekends or holidays; it’s time to ensure that you step away from the rutt, and make an effort to enjoy more quality time with your children as they grow up (which will happen way too fast). Of course, rules, boundaries, and routine are vital to the health and well being of both child and parent, but there is definitely no harm in mixing things up a little and making some great memories together. The following are some ideas and inspiration for busy parents who want to focus more on spending quality free time with their kids.

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Making The Most Of Free Time

Free time with your little one is your chance to teach and educate them about all the stuff they don’t learn at school. Perhaps it’s about getting outside and appreciating the environment more, or visit a Genealogy Bank to learn about your ancestry and plan a trip to where you grew up so that they can learn more about their family history; whatever you choose to do, it will be time well spent. Therefore, it’s worth thinking about how best to spend your free time, writing a list of places you’d like to visit and things you want to do, and going over in your mind the values you want to instill in your kids. Sometimes, getting it all down on paper and writing a to-do list, or typing stuff out can help you implement things and make them happen.

Appreciating Special Moments

Kids might not remember the exact zoo, park, or funfair you took them to, but they’ll pick up on how they felt at the time, and specific things you’ve done or said to them. Therefore, make sure that you’re praising them for great behavior, noticing the little things they do and have to say, and, take loads of photos! Even on an average morning, when everyone’s trying to eat breakfast and get ready for school; make it a moment to remember and take a picture. If you’re sat together, try to help them learn something; whether you’re teaching them songs from musician authority on their ukulele, or helping with their reading, they’ll appreciate and remember these special moments where you bond. Your kids know how much you love them, so give them plenty more memories, skills, and quality time that they can take into their future and show and teach their kids.

Managing Times And Routines

It’s tough to juggle life and all the things that kids bring, but with a little planning; your time can be divided up successfully. You can utilize a large monthly calendar, and start popping down the things you’re going to do, how much it may (or may not) cost, and then begin working out a plan for each specific day. Whatever your parenting situation may be; you can still utilize a day plan, and break things up hour by hour, which will help you have fun, while you stick to the eating and sleeping routines.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

A Fun Family Break In Malaysia

If you fancy a summer trip to Asia this year, Malaysia should definitely be your first choice. It is a stunning county in the heart of Asia with a wealth of amazing places to see. Here is the top place to see on your trip to this wonderful country.

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1. Singapore

Singapore is a place full to the brim with a thriving atmosphere, English speaking folk and some amazing technologies. You can stay at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore or in a Condo in the middle of the city and enjoy making friends with the local people, enjoying some amazing fusion food, and seeing stunning views over the skyline.

2. Kuala Lumpur

Centered with the spires of Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful place to visit with your family which offers a great atmosphere packed with fresh markets and wonderful entertainment. The city of Bukit Bintang offers some amazing entertainment all year round and the sense of community you will feel as soon as you enter is amazing.

3. Malacca

If you enjoy looking at historical architecture and traveling back in time to simpler times, a trip to Malacca would be the best place to visit. It is full of bright red churches and stunning buildings which set this place up as a cultural hotspot. There are many places to learn about history in this part of the country, including a museum where you can learn about maritime.

4. Penang

If you love Penang curry, there is no better place to come so that you can taste the real thing first hand. In Penang, there is a city called George Town which is a UNESCO world heritage site and demonstrates all of its British histories. It also features a wealth of amazing food to try, as well as both Indian and Chinese fusion foods. It is a great place to visit to enjoy the historical nature of Malaysia.

5. Gunung Mulu National Park

If you love going on an adventure and fancy getting away from the cities and towns for a while during your stay, you can head on over to Gunung Mulu National Park and enjoy the fresh air as you climb through the ridges and forests. It is a stunning place filled with natural wonder and you will have plenty of Instagram opportunities to enjoy. Trek through rainforests and hike the mountains until you can reach the summit and stare out over the top of the world. It is a magical place to be and it is a place you should definitely visit during your trip.

6. Langkawi

For a relaxing retreat by the sea, you can take a visit to Langkawi and enjoy crisp white beaches, rippling waters and lots of fun seaside activities to keep you entertained throughout the day. You can try some fun watersports on the beach, go scuba diving in coral reefs, and finish of the day in one of the 5-Star hotels, eating amazing food as you look over the horizon and see the sunset.

This post is a collaborative effort by St. Louis Dad.

Top 5 Challenges for Students and Their Parents

When it comes to education there are some challenges that are simply unique across the world. Students in England and China and India and onwards around the globe can face the same challenges!

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Yes, there also some challenges which are broadly regional and there even many which are restricted to specific countries, even individual cities.

This list however has been put together in a spirit to togetherness, to recognize the common challenges, stresses and concerns that unite students all over the world – and their long suffering parents too!

Time

One thing that many students and their parents can certainly agree on is that often it can often seem as if there is just not enough time in the day! Between studying and chores, homework and often part time employment too it can sometimes seem like just too much to fit into one day.

This is why time management is so important – and it is a skill that is used by the majority of successful students and their parents all over the world. It is of course also important to schedule sufficient down time so students can step away from their studies every now and then to clear their heads – which can be important in combating out next challenge.

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Stress

Being a student, whether at school or college/university level can be some of the most stressful times our lives. Anyone of us who has passed through this stage of our lives can attest to this fact. The combination of all the things that make up this list can seem like a crushing pressure bearing down on students. Plus, this all comes at such a young age that the student is still often growing as a person, developing the skills that as adult help us deal better with stresses of everyday life.

It’s no wonder then that both parents and students around the world are acutely aware of the challenge of stress.

Achieving the Best

One of the key challenges facing students is to achieve the best in their education. At the same time parents can feel the same challenge to provide the background support required to nurture a stable and effective support network for their child.

Whilst this is of course understandable – the whole point of being a student is to receive the best education and so have the best start as they move onto their adult lives – there are of course lots of thing parents can do to help.

Everything from bringing in outside support – for example seeking Math tuition help from reputable tutors (click here) – for the student who may need a little extra help to just providing a warm, happy and well lit home that supports the student in their studies.

Staying Focussed

It can be hard for any of us to maintain complete focus all of the time. Yet this does seem to be something that is often demanded of students.

Whether it is guilt from parents that they are not studying enough to teachers and lecturers assigning too many projects and home assignments, it can seem as if a student must study 24 hours a day to cover everything.

Or at least, that is how it can feel! The truth is that if a student can remain focused for sufficient periods they will probably be ok – and maintaining that focus can often be a challenge both for students and for parents. With so many distractions in the world not to mention other commitments away from studying it’s not surprise that staying focused on their work is a challenge faced by many students the world over.

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Keeping Perspective & Balance

Finally, one of the biggest challenges that students and parents face is simply to try to keep a sense of perspective. As we have outlined above, there a range of universal challenges that face both students and their parents – and this list is by no means exhaustive!

It’s therefore important that we keep some perspective. Yes, education is of course extremely important. But so to is having a happy, healthy childhood and adolescence that, as much as possible, attempts to minimize stress. Keeping a healthy balance that maintains this can be the hardest challenge of them all – but also the most worthwhile.

Annabelle is part of the Content and Community team at SmileTutor, sharing valuable content to their own community and beyond.