This sounds like a great opportunity to show them how to celebrate a birthday without a party at all. "Get a second job"...🤣. The audacity.

My bestie is a twin. She's just had a first birthday without her sister, who died last year. She would give everything just to have had her sister there. This story just *hurts*

When I was twelve and my brother fifteen, Dad got laid off. He didn't work for about three months. Come fall, Mom took us aside and let us know Christmas was going to be pretty low-key: they couldn't afford what they normally spent on us. We were disappointed, of course, but we were capable of understanding and dealing with the situation.

WTF?? She can't be serious? She's the AH for raising such entitled daughters and even considering getting another job. I'd have gotten NOTHING if I had demanded my mom get a 2nd job to pay for something I wanted - because I was too lazy to work and wanted to spend time with friends. I'd also have been grounded for being disrespectful. Mom needs to sit those brats down and explain how the world works. Sadly I think that at 16 they're probably already a lost cause. :(

Entitled brats who have been handed everything. They would get nothing and be taught a very valuable lesson

Lots of people turn 16 without a coronation. My mom was widowed at age 25 and had two daughters, one an infant. But we lived in reality, so...

The girls are 16 years old: that's old enough to understand that when less money comes in, less money can be spend.They are also old enough to bear at least part of the responsibility for their own parties. So, if they don't want to get a job, they chose not to have individual parties. End of. It's downright shameful for 3 16-year olds to ask their mother to get another job so she can pay for their party. That's just not on. Sure, they are use to individual parties, but things have changed and now they have to change with it.

Congratulations! You just raised 3 identical Karens! Well done!

I would be stoked if my folks threw a Microwave pizza and let me have like 4 or 5 friends over.

I can tell you one path I have used with moderate success. Daughter, about 12 - was getting "teenager vibes" and being more of a pain than necessary - so: "Ok, kid - look. As of now; on your next birthday, you will NOT be 13; you will be 11. I'm taking it back." Astonishment. Um. "Mom can he do that??" Mom "I'm just staying out of this." "I'm your father- you EXIST because of me, of COURSE I can do it. You wanna keep acting like a silly child? We can do that." It's like Santa Claus - they know it's not real... but.... and DOES cause some thinking to go on.

I have the feeling the girls would be disappointed in the private parties because there is no way all of their family members would attend that many parties. It would either be them taking up three weekends in a row, or there would be a party a day, three days in a row, and both of those arrangements are too much to ask. One kid would have all the attendance and the others would have the stragglers. By all means, have three separate cakes and give each girl a designated corner of the venue, but three separate blow out parties would be a disaster.

Maybe their parents should have raised them to not be entitled brats.

I am going to be optimistic here, and say that this is an ugly phase that will ultimately pass, with them stabilizing into adjusted, kind, empathetic adults. When this happens, they will shake their heads at their own teenage narcissism, seeing your side with complete understanding. If they look back and reflect on having to share a party or have their own, smaller, individual celebration, they will assure you that this did not damage them, and you were right to not capitulate to their unreasonable demands. But if they are looking back on you getting a second job to indulge them, they will shake their heads and ask you what the hell was wrong with you, and tell you that was absolutely ridiculous, and risked sanctioning their entitlement and unreasonable expectations, and leading them to becoming vile, insufferable human beings. No matter what kind of people they become, be it lovely or vile, you'll never be appreciated for giving in.

Completely understand the girls wanting their own parties, but the budget is the budget. The mom did the right thing by telling them the budget and leaving it up to them to decide how to spend it-- they are old enough to understand the situation and make a decision. If they decide to stop being bratty about it and put in some effort, maybe they can come up with something clever, like one party with three distinct zones or focal points.

These teens sound horrible - entitled, spoiled, and selfish.

This one is actually easy if Mom has a brain. All she hasta do is to offer the kids their options and then walk away: 1. She hands them the $1200 and tells ‘em to plan and put together the party they can afford. 2. She tells ‘em to get jobs so they can pay for the party(s) they want. 3. She tells ‘em to funk off, that their obscene demands and stupid wants aren’t her problem. She has GOT to nip this atrocious behavior in the bud. It may already be too late, but it’s worth a shot making a serious effort to straighten those selfish little twats before they enter the real world and everyone points and laughs at ‘em while calling ‘em “Karens.”

You raised selfish, entitled a******s!!!