These days birthday party planning can be extremely stressful. What used to be a relatively easy affair of cupcakes, a few games and opening presents has turned into the event of the century. Instead of looking forward to the day, moms find themselves wondering how in the world they are going to survive the day, let alone enjoy it.



Teenagers to the rescue! Hiring the older siblings and/or cousins of the birthday child or teens from your local church or neighborhood is a great way to take the stress off you if you're planning a large involved party. And although it seems like an added expense, it's relatively inexpensive and can be a life saver for the party and for you!

Why hire teens as birthday party assistants? Let's look at five good reasons why you consider this for your next bash:

1. Teenagers are motivated. Teens need money. That's just a fact. Working a short term gig with young kids is easier than babysitting and a great way to make some extra needed cash. Most parties last only about two to three hours so they can still work and have the rest of the day to spend the cash they earn at the mall or at the movies that evening.

2. Young kids love it. Little ones love teenagers and will respond to them, often better than they will to adults. Put a teenager in charge of games and even the shyest of the kids on your guest list will likely come out of her shell and join the fun.

3. It's great experience for the teens. Chances are pretty good that the teenagers will be future parents some day and experience with working alongside parents of young children and directly with the children will help tremendously as they prepare for that. Since most teenagers are often only around their peers for a majority of their waking hours, helping them to really socialize with little ones is a great way to expand their horizons as well.

4. It's relatively inexpensive. If you are doing a birthday party at home, hiring an entertainment professional like a clown, magician or comedian can get pretty pricey. Instead, hire some teenagers to plan the activities, games and crafts for a fraction of the cost and the kids will enjoy it just as much, or even more!

5. It will help you to stay sane. This is the most important reason of all. Hiring help for your party will allow you to enjoy the day with your child. You will also have the time and energy to entertain and serve the parents of the kids who might stay behind. Hiring a teen to be in charge of cleanup alone will save you the “ugh” factor after everyone walks out the door. And when the party is all over, you might actually look forward to the next one coming up for another child or in future years.

Think about it and start to talk about the teens in your neighborhood. You never know! You might start a young adult on her way to a profitable home based business too!