For moms like me who are teetering on the edge of denial as our kids sprint toward their teen years, let me share with you a sanity-saving move that delivers on all fronts, including earning "cool mom" points.
If your growing kiddos are anything like my youngest, who just turned 13 years old, I'm sure he or she dramatically resisted having a party organized by mommy.
While my son thought his 7th birthday party was "so awesome" when he had it, he now finds the enthusiastic party host, themed decor and cake, parlor games and so on and so forth that I lovingly and painstakingly organized "all very cheesy."
Even though I promised him I'd have none of those things when I told him his dad, and I simply wanted to throw him a party to celebrate a milestone year, my very articulate son still worried that I wouldn't be able to control myself and get carried away putting together a birthday bash at the clubhouse. It's where he had his mighty Rara the Noisy Lion first and seventh "The House with a Clock in Its Walls"-inspired birthday parties before, you see. And I had all the halls looking like a jungle, then the movie, and I had us all in costumes both times and... Ehm, let's move on.
Thankfully, a lovely little birdie (with more than my share of teenagers in her life) suggested I check out the spanking brand new Timezone branch of Greenhills Mall and find out if they held events over there.
"Isn't Timezone where our lovable teenagers always want to go when they ask to hang with friends?" she asked.
She had a point, even if she said lovable in a questionable way.
So off I went as advised and joyfully discovered that Timezone has an extensive menu of event packages and delivers on all fronts indeed. Their birthday parties, whether on paper or more so in actuality, hit the sweet spot for families in transition like mine, bullseye. It's the party zone that's not too "kiddie" but also thrilling enough to make a freshly-minted teen declare it their best party ever, along with a party-organizing loving mom.
Ultimate fun zone
Timezone has found the magic formula to keep both parents and teenagers entertained, offering that elusive middle ground where your kid can celebrate like a teen but still bask in the energy and joy of a birthday bash. My 13-year-old immediately gave his Timezone celebration a raving seal of approval, and it's easy to see why.
With packages that cover every detail, the place makes it a breeze to put together a party (read: stress-free). We opted for the basic birthday party package, priced at P600 per person, which, believe it or not, has a minimum guest count of just 10 pax.
My son's guests went up to about 20, and for that, we got a private party room; invitations we were able to send out (I'm old-school); party hats (you never know); festive balloon decor (what's a party without 'em?); 1,200 Powertickets as a gift to the birthday boy (these are the tickets that the machines generally churn out as earnings for players and exchanged for snacks, toys, gadgets and other fun stuff at the gifts counter); 400 Powertickets for guests (which the host can use as giveaways or prizes for winners of say the bowling match); a one-hour unlimited play card for each guest; one or two dedicated party hosts (minus the sing-song voice of kiddie party hosts, read: cool) depending on the party size who will guide guests around the arcade and back and forth the party venue; a photo session with a custom frame to commemorate the day; and even discount vouchers for next-visit use.
But, of course, to give you an honest picture of what ensued, the real fun lay in the arcade games and activities beyond the party room.
Nonstop arcade adventure
What made the Timezone party package the real winner was its hour-long unlimited play package (that one-hour card jobbie given to every guest), which unlocked every classic arcade game to enjoy, plus one VR experience per person and a mini bowling competition gathering everyone together.
For 60 glorious minutes (the VR and mini-bowling round isn't counted within this hour, FYI), my son and his friends raced from one game to the next, high on adrenaline and pure joy. They were in gamer paradise, bouncing from basketball machines to speeding on racing cars without a care in the world. Watching them, I appreciated being free from the anxiety and physical exhaustion that usually comes with planning a children's party like before.
Even then, the energy of my son and his friends when they returned to the party room was something else — flushed from excitement, they were eager to dive into cake time and willingly donned those party hats before singing "Happy Birthday" to the top of their lungs. They were even game for the x number of times I had their group photo taken to my journalist's eye's satisfaction. Best of all, my forever baby, aged 13, had the time of his brand new big boy life.
But wait! There's more. The ultimate reason why I'm sharing this story today is that after the party, I got the most thrilling bonus of all. My son gratefully gave me those tight hugs and sloppy kisses that he's now 'too old' to give — and plenty.
While Timezone guarantees all the package details I laid out, I personally guarantee this part. Cross my happy heart and all that.
So, if your precious babies are swiftly going into the double digits, whether the rest of this year or the next, don't be afraid to suggest a celebration in their honor.
Imagine the memories you'll get to keep, moms and dads. These are memories he or she will get to keep, too. They just don't know they want them yet.
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P.S. For full, full disclosure: It's not just your birthday teener and friends who are bound to enjoy the 60-minute free play. That Whac-a-Mole is the most effective stress-buster ever, one hundred percent assured. Shrinks ought to prescribe it to their patients.
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P.P.S. Kids and teens' birthday parties aren't the only events Timezone caters to, by the way. With Christmas faster than the super speed race car games, they are only too happy to customize bigger parties as needed.
Whether it's an the office yuletide bash, a team building session or networking night in the future, they promise to make any event as stress-free and thrill-filled as my cool — I mean my son's — cool party. Available across all Timezone branches, check out these links if you please: www.timezonegames.com/en-ph/parties/birthdays and www.timezonegames.com/en-ph/parties/work-parties-other-events/.
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