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You have heard the advice a million times – enjoy your kids while they’re young. Before you know it, they will grow into teenagers almost overnight.
For the first time, it dawns on you that planning their birthday parties will never be the same again. Gone are the clowns, elaborate birthday cakes, and children’s party games.
Or is it?
For a teen group party, music bands, adult food, and serious games like VR and escape room, will be replacing the kids’ activities.
So what’s the problem?
Teens are not yet adults. They still need supervision and protection, especially if they are below eighteen years old.
Here’s a closer look at how you can plan for a safe party while giving your teen some private space.
Have a guest list
If it is a large party at home, keep gate-crashers out by checking for an ID or paper invitation upon entry.
Even so, teens usually invite friends through Facebook or other social media channels. Is that safe?
Yes, if they set the event to “Private” and “Invite only.”
Get enough adults to supervise
There should be adults around to handle emergencies. A good ratio is one adult for every seven to ten guests.
If the party is too large, however, it may be a wise idea to invest in security.
Similarly, if your teen is holding his or her teen group party in Escape Room or Laser Tag venues, they will require participants 13 and under to be accompanied by an adult.
Register the party with the local police
Is this necessary?
For everyone’s protection, yes. The police can inform you about local laws governing underage drinking and noise disturbance.
Wait, there’s more.
If your party is registered, the police will arrive quicker in case something goes wrong and you need help.
Register the teen group party at least three to four weeks in advance.
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Set ground rules on appropriate behaviour
Let your teen and guests know the ground rules regarding drinking alcohol, smoking, and recreational drugs.
Also, agree with your teen about who is responsible for clean-up after the party. If your teen (and his or her guests) will be cleaning up after themselves, they will tend to enforce cleanliness.
One more thing. If you are worried about drunk driving, here’s what you can do.
Allow overnight guests
If the party is going late or there are drunken guests, allow guests to stay overnight.
Young people on their P-plates need to comply with their midnight curfew.
Collect keys from guests before the party to ensure that nobody drives after drinking. Sobering up can take up to 18 hours.
Assign roles
To keep the party going smoothly, assign the following tasks:
- Gatekeepers – to check party-goers against a guest list, thereby ensuring that uninvited guests do not enter
- Patrollers – to roam around and check if everybody is safe
- Food and Drink checkers – to enforce responsible serving of alcohol and sufficient food served
Avoid serving salty food
Have you wondered why this is a safety concern?
Salty food will make the guest thirstier, making them drink more alcohol. Make sure that there are enough non-alcoholic drinks and water to keep everyone hydrated.
Also, provide sufficient restroom facilities. Alcohol, being a diuretic, will make people use the bathroom more frequently.
Author:
Sarah Williams
