The sweet sixteen party craze has now exploded into mini weddings. Who could be responsible for this? Could it be the producers of MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen or could these soon to be sixteen year old's be keeping up with the Jonses' on who will throw the tightest party? Or, could it be parents who can't say 'no' or 'this is enough' to their kids? One thing's certain, these teenie boppers have got parents shoving out dollars that are comparable and even super exceed many weddings, thus, grooming a generation of spoiled bratty kids.
Many kids from households of modest means no nothing about a sweet sixteen bash. I mean, I never even got a birthday party until I was 21 and I threw that one for myself! Come on, is it necessary to spend lavishly on invitations, food, entertainment and even hundreds of sweet sixteen party favors to appease the masses of high strung teens? I think not! What ever happended to the handmade cake and a day at the mall. These kids are getting custom Range Rovers and $10,000 a night bands to perform. Have we gone mad as parents?
It appears that the excessive lavishness of modern day living knows no bounds. Of course, this doesn't appeal to all. The thing is, if you have the money to spend lavishly...great! At the same time, teach your children to be appreciative and have some boundaries. Maybe the Ford Fusion instead of the Range Rover. Or, hire a good dj in place of a band. Set limits and boundaries and it won't cost so much. This way, your teen can still be happy with a great gifts, a wonderful party and still can be the light of the year. Sometimes too much is just, well, too much.