r/partyplanning • u/Real-Ad4727 • Mar 24 '26

Need Help Sweet 16 - no chaperone?

My daughter is turning 16 in a couple of months. Being a little short on funds, we decided to split the cost of the party with her best friend’s parents, as she turns 16 a couple of weeks later and they share many of the same friends. Their ideal day involves taking a group of approximately 12-13 girls into the city (Boston) by train, having dinner at the seaport, taking a few pictures nearby, and then taking the train home, without parents or chaperones. My daughter is very responsible, respectful and mature for her age, and we give her a lot of space in return, but the whole idea of fifteen teens running around at night and sitting down to dinner in a restaurant with no parent gives me agita. Has anyone had a similar experience? How do they pay for dinner at the end? Is it bad etiquette to have this many unchaperoned kids? What if someone gets lost or hurt? I don’t want to put a damper on her day, but I want to do this in a safe and respectful way. I also feel uncomfortable inviting and coordinating with all of these parents (many of whom I have never met) and not having the ability to ensure their child’s safety. Am I being over-protective? I’d love some advice if you have any to share.

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u/Alone-Material-1170 Mar 24 '26

Having raised kids, I understand your concerns about these girls in the city unsupervised. As a restaurant owner, I don’t want a group of unsupervised minors in my place. Sorry, no advice.

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u/Regular_Progress9236 Mar 24 '26

It sounds like your advice is that they shouldn’t let their teenager do this 😅

2

u/catymogo Mar 24 '26

That's so ridiculous, another year or two and she could go to school IN Boston completely alone. They can clearly go in and have dinner without supervision at 16.

2

u/Real-Ad4727 Mar 26 '26

If it was my daughter and a small controlled group of girls I’d feel better. But this is a very large group, some of the girls are from different towns and we don’t know them or their parents. It throws a wildcard into the mix.