Ds turning 18-need ideas for special birthday party

[momofboys2]

My son turns 18 in a month and I wish we could do something special for him, rather than the same old, same old.  Every birthday since he's been 13 or so he and his friends have gone to the laserquest near here to celebrate it, which is fun, but for turning 18 it sure would be meaningful to do something unique and special.  I can't figure out what to do at all.

He suggested--I could make him 18 cakes!  Each with its' own candle! His face lit up when he said it & he was all excited about the thought.  That's too much for me to do, though.  I did look up mini cake pans on e-bay and couldn't find any, but he meant 18 of the big sized cake.  (I make their cakes from scratch & it's way too much.)  I can't see how in reality it would be that special, unless they were brought in and then set up in a special way.  But that's too much baking/or else too expensive if I bought that many!

Any ideas are appreciated.

Beth

[34me]

My dd's 18th birthday was at the beginning of the month.  I hate to say it but I'm not sure how "special " we made it.  We went out to eat at a restaurant of her choosing on a night her next youngest brother who makes her nuts wouldn't be there.  I got her tickets to the broadway touring company of "Wicked" which did elicit a squeal. 

[momofboys2]

My son wants to do something with his friends, like always, but I so would like to do something which acknowledged his turning 18.  I know he would like it, too, if I could come up with something, but I can't figure out anything unique to do with friends. 

It's the last time he'll be home for his birthday, at least for the next four years, becasue he'll be off at college after this year.

[mtiger]

My son's friends threw him a surprise party for his 18th.

You could change it up from laser tag with paintball, maybe? Keeps it to something he and his friends enjoy, but is still different for his 18th.Then you could make multiple cakes (not 18!), cut them and arrange them into an "18" ... Maybe decorate it with "splatters" to go with the theme.

My daughter turns 18 in March. She's always wanted to try skydiving, so am considering that. Otherwise, I may rent a limo for her and a couple of friends and send them to The Melting Pot.

[TiredX2]

I don't have a real suggestion, but would really encourage you to further investigate the 18 cakes idea.  It sounds like something he would really enjoy, it was his idea and specifically--- what he asked for.  Maybe even 17 smaller cakes around the big cake?

[mtiger]

What about inviting 18 friends, and asking each to make/bring a cake for him?

[momofboys2]

My youngest son would love to go skydiving for his 18th birthday!  The one problem with that is that your friends have to be 18, too.  To skydive you have to be 18 my son has informed me.  That's a good idea.

[momofboys2]

I've been thinking about the cake idea as you suggested in your post.  I would like to do something with cakes, too, since he was the one to come up with it and so happy about the fun it would be to do that.  (And also I don't have any other special ideas yet that would work for him)  17 is just so many cakes, though! (I mentioned it to my husband and he said no--not seventeen more cakes)  I was wondering, if I put the big cake in the middle and then seven (small cakes), instead of seventeen surrounding them.  How could I make seven of them represent seventeen?   I don't want to represent the number 8, I want to somehow represent the number 18, but with less cakes somehow (but still a large enough amt., that it would be unique)  I could probably buy seven small sized ones, like small pound cakes or something and then frost them and still make the big homemade one for him.  Each boy (if there are only seven) could bring one of them home, since I don't want all that cake at home. 

If anyone has an idea how I can represent the number 18 with more cakes (a group of mini-cakes, just not SO many as he suggested, and also arranged well in a way that would represent the number 18 I'm stuck, so would appreciate any ideas you have...

By the way, my son loves drama/ he acts in his high school plays, plus he makes films.  And he has a good sense of humor, loves something that's clever as well as fun.  Thought I'd mention this--his suggestion seems a little on the drama/creative side of his brain.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts.

[Katielady]

What about either a huge 1 and 8, or small cakes making up the numerals 1 and 8?

OR, maybe a few cakes that each have 18 things on them? Like one would have 18 gumdrops, and one would have 18 oreos.

[momofboys2]

What would be nice is to have one candle on 18 separate things, so that he has to go over to it to blow out one candle 18 different times.  I can't figure out what I could put one individual candle on (18 times).  Then on the big cake I could have the number 18 in the wax candle that they sell at stores and he could blow out.  The fun, I think, would be going over to each separate thing and blowing out that candle the 18 different times.  Maybe once on the last cake we could have a candle that plays the song happy birthday, for when he's finished.  But since this party isn't going to be at home, but will be at a table at laserquest, I can't do home-type candles, and even if I did, I don't think he'd see it as special.  The 18 different items is a very good idea, if he was younger it could be a certain number of toys that he liked to match his age, but I think he'd enjoy the drama of blowing out one candle from each "place"  the 18 different times (somehow arranged on the table, I don't know with what or how)  His friends would probably enjoy watching him do it, too.

[momofboys2]

I can't use cupcakes or anything like that because those are seen as for little kids birthdays.

[34me]

One big cake for the 10's column and 8 smaller cakes (like cut a square pan in fourths x 2) for the ones column?  Then send the smaller ones home with friends?

[MariaMadly]

Maybe cakes that would come to 18 in binary?  So if 18 were 10010 in binary, do five cakes.  Then distinguish the "1" cakes from the "0" cakes.  Maybe they each have only one candle, and the "1" cakes are lit while the "0" cakes aren't.  Or different icing for one or the other.

My kids are math geeks.  This is how we roll.

Happy Birthday!

[Katielady]

May I just add that this thread makes me really happy? You hear so much about teens, esp. boys, being distant from their mothers. I love the idea of a possible future where my son is 18 and wants me to make a cake for him, and cares about what I do for him, and stuff. :D

[momofboys2]

Thanks so much for saying that.  I am very fortunate.  My boys are friends with each other, and my oldest, especially, will tell me all about his day (I have to know what to ask, but I know and keep up).  I miss when they were little sometimes, although it seems very far away now., but they are wonderful kids.  Thank you for all the cake ideas. 

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by MariaMadly 

Maybe cakes that would come to 18 in binary?  So if 18 were 10010 in binary, do five cakes.  Then distinguish the "1" cakes from the "0" cakes.  Maybe they each have only one candle, and the "1" cakes are lit while the "0" cakes aren't.  Or different icing for one or the other.

My kids are math geeks.  This is how we roll.

Happy Birthday!

What an awesome idea.  I might do something like that for DP's birthday sometime.  When DD was 3 we were at a party and she had had three small candies (the amount DP had told her was okay).  She desperately wanted more, so thought and thought and then said, "Well, I'm 11, base 2 so I should get 8 more candies."  Uhhhh, yeah he let her have some more, lol.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katielady 

May I just add that this thread makes me really happy? You hear so much about teens, esp. boys, being distant from their mothers. I love the idea of a possible future where my son is 18 and wants me to make a cake for him, and cares about what I do for him, and stuff. :D

  Yes, what a sweet request and obviously a very meaningful tradition. 

[momofboys2]

Right now it looks like we're going to video tape his friends, asking them to say things they like and enjoy about my ds and share memories of times they've experienced then say happy 18th birthday.  Dh will put it together into a film format and then show it between the pizza and the cake.  Hopefully, that will be meaningful and special for his turning 18.  It could be great and then it could fall flat, depending on what the kids say and how dh puts it together ( my son is the film person, but of course he can't do this--it will be a surprise).

The cakes are still a good idea, but too hard for me to figure out a way to make it work, and too much, so it looks like we're going with this idea right now.

[ollyoxenfree]

Hmm, has anyone suggested 18 cakes over the course of 6 months or a year? Even if he received 18 cakes on his birthday, he wouldn't truly be able to enjoy all of them. This way, he would get to spread out the celebration. 

When DS turned 18, I really wanted to book a venue for his band and let them play a show for all of his friends and for family. His band plays mostly punk - very loud and very raucous - so it isn't really family-friendly stuff. He declined my offer for a party, although he did a show that night and it turns out his friends presented him with a cake and candles on stage when it was over. For a family celebration, we spent a week in Manhattan and I bought him tickets for a concert he really wanted to see. I kind of regret not having a big party for him, but maybe for grad.....

[mtiger]

I still like the idea of having his friends each bring a cake, decorated in some meaningful way... <shrug>

[Katielady]

OMG. I'm punchy because I'm tired and hungry (dieting) but all this talk of various forms of 18 cakes is making me loopy. How about 18 cakes a day for the next 18 years? WOO!

Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree 

Hmm, has anyone suggested 18 cakes over the course of 6 months or a year? Even if he received 18 cakes on his birthday, he wouldn't truly be able to enjoy all of them. This way, he would get to spread out the celebration. 

When DS turned 18, I really wanted to book a venue for his band and let them play a show for all of his friends and for family. His band plays mostly punk - very loud and very raucous - so it isn't really family-friendly stuff. He declined my offer for a party, although he did a show that night and it turns out his friends presented him with a cake and candles on stage when it was over. For a family celebration, we spent a week in Manhattan and I bought him tickets for a concert he really wanted to see. I kind of regret not having a big party for him, but maybe for grad.....