My youngest daughter just made 14. Unlike thirteen, this milestone fills me with emotion. She is a teenager, making the leap to high school. And I am one step closer to another bird leaving the nest.

This one is different from the others. She is smart, sassy, and can learn how to do almost anything from a YouTube video. She is moody and proves that "hangry" is real. She also naps a lot and I think she and her legs grow tall in her sleep! On top of all of this, she is full of personality and she loves hanging with her friends.

The night before her birthday she had a tantrum ( I have learned that they are for show.). First, I had to work on her birthday. This day is all about her and I should be home watching her sleep. Second, she really didn't want to be home anyway. She wanted to spend her b-day with her friends.

Selfishly, I wanted her to stay home with me. But since we'd already established my absence, I agreed to let her hang with her friends. And they had a blast. Her sweet friends and their sweet parents got her cupcakes and had a mini celebration in her honor.

Fast forward to the day after and the celebration continues. Luckily another great friend and awesome parent invited us to join them in a joint 14th birthday celebration.. Since I'm party intolerant, this worked out well.

My friend was in charge of everything since as I said earlier, this one being thirteen plus one is killing me and I am not really a party person. She also reached out to my oldest daughter and sister because I was being non-compliant. She pulled everything together and left the invites to the kiddos.

So what goes into party planning for today's teens? Mostly the same as when I was 14 on the adult side. Making sure that everyone will have a good time--pending social interaction. On the kids side, however, the planning requires a few digital tweaks.

Invitations--Apparently all invitations go through SnapChat. I didn't get a good count but 50+ teenagers attended the party.

Thank you Kayla for designing the invite!

Food--The new age of teens don't seem to fancy hot dogs. They go straight for the food trays. Add some chips and dip and you are good to go. Word of advice... don't let them cut the cake

Music--All hail the DJ... equipped with disco lights. I would have expected the children to hook up their cell phones to a bluetooth speaker. Definitely get the DJ. He did all of his spinning from a MacBook.

Venue--My friend made her family property available. We were outside of the city limits, down a 1/8 of a mile driveway surrounded by family homes and a few family horses. Even then... be sure that you follow noise ordinances.

Decorations--Well... the kids didn't care much so neither did we. My friend got an awesome cake that proved to be the talk of the night. It sat below massive "14" balloons and was adorned with candles that looked like sparklers.

Supervision--Wear your sneakers! There were plenty of places to sit and ample space to roam around. Be wary of groups, stragglers, and MIA kids. We didn't need any couples sneaking off to steal a kiss (per Nanna) or a sip of anything beyond cola.

Guests--It was more like a big family get together. There was actual family gathered of course. However, the kids all knew each other and they were happy just to have the party going. There was tons of hugs, giggling and dancing.

Memories--Forget the disposable camera. No one is developing 240 films. That requires dropping them to the shop and waiting another 24 hours or so for the developed film. Then, you have to bring the pics to school for everyone to review and then go back for requested duplicate copies.

When it is all said and done, there are just a few things to remember. Set an end time and tell the parent whom you should greet outdoors before they drive away. Be flexible with your party timeline. The only thing that kids care about is the cake. And remember, the children will do anything for the SnapChat including challenging the bonfire (no injuries reported).

Special thanks to Angie, Lance & Nanna!

Happy 14th to Alana & Ali!