to be horrified by parents taking illegal drugs at family parties?

[BillieBonkers]

Parents disappearing upstairs and taking Coke, or smoking / inhaling cannabis while their kids are playing in other rooms, seems to be getting more and more 'usual' at parties or get togethers round here. And I feel like my other half and I are the only ones to find this upsetting and very worrying. There is one particuar couple with kids at the same school as ours who do this more than others, but they are cerainly not the only ones. And the attitude seems to be that this is quite acceptable, and if you don't agree then you are somehow abit 'square' or uptight (like being back at college...)
These parents are all in their 30s and 40s.
The worst time was when this couple had a party for their 8 year old, where about 20 other children were invited (without parents). A few other parents did stay (including me because I was concerned about leaving mine there unsupervised). During this party, while responsible for other children, this couple and a few others smoked dope, drank and took cocaine and were all completely 'under the influence'.
Their kids seem happy and well looked after, but do I have some responsibility to do anything about this, before something bad happens to one of those children :(

at 'well cut hem'

I have never taken it, so wouldn't have a clue. Or pot (for family reasons). I have enough trouble with rose wine

I remember Jonathan Ross talking about a fascination that he and his friends had with his wife's hat after a few bifters.

It's an odd combo of drugs to take together IMHO. In my heady days of substance sampling, we might have some coke before going out and then a smoke much, much later, but the two don't really complement each other. Sounds vair strange. Doesn't happen round these parts anyway!!

yes, it was a perfectly ordinary shift dress from Kookai. Nowt special about the hem, or anything else at all, actually,

might have had of course - not still living it large, sadly

Do you socialise with celebrities?

I agree avon

YANBU. Find new friends.

Crikey I thought I was being the hostess with the mostess offering coffee, Tetleys or Earl Grey - if I'd known I should be offering Class A's I'd have made more of an effort.

Not Really

One of my friends who I met through NCT offered to host our DC's joint (pardon the pun) first birthday party at her house. She obviously felt stressed by the burden of hosting and resorted to getting absolutely stoned off her face. She was stoned when we arrived and carried on nipping outside throughout the party. She was the only person doing it though!!

I thought it was WEIRD and completely innappropriate.

Maybe not serving alcohol at a kids party does constitute having a poker up my arse but I don't think so. All the grandparents and aunts and uncles will be coming over to give my DD her presents and celebrate with her. It seems a bit unfair to me that we would all celebrate her birthday in an adult manner which she can't partake of. Seems to me that she may feel a little excluded on her own birthday

Why on earth would a child feel excluded because they were not given alcohol on their birthday?

If I went to a kids party, I would NEED alcohol!

Odd, I don't know anyone who would waste good coke or spliff on a children's party

I think that you need new friends. (ones that act like adults)

Last kids party I went to I was offered, and took a beer by the dad.

I think showing children how to drink in moderation and responsibly is actually quite important. My parents usually drank wine at diner.

Where's "round here"?

V. imp. this.

Absence of nannies to do the hard graft indicates it's not Notting Hill/Hollywood.

Vocab. suggests not Jeremy Kye-land.

Am genuinely curious. Is it a new trendy thing or just an unfortunate blip?

people who smoke weed are far more likely to be negligent and completely incompetent than coke or alcohol users.

What a ridiculous statement.

I live in a less repressive society than UK and know people who hold down jobs/have their own business, bring up wonderful kids and are also partial to a spliff to chill out in the evening.

Seeing as - I read - 75% of people in Jamaica partake, would you say the same about 3/4 of that country? I don't see the evidence. (Been several times).

I do think it's ridiculous to have an adults drugs fest at a children's party tho, and agree with the poster who said it's not something you exactly advertise.

I'd much rather see some chilled-out hippies than venture into any British town centre at closing time at the weekend!!

Unless there is obvious neglect or abuse, don't report it. Do you really want it on your conscience that the family has the sh*t hit their fan/somebody's parent(s) go to jail, ms goody-two-shoes?

Do you want to move to a society that encourages children to tell at school if their parents are partaking? (USA).

There's loads of countries now who have decriminalised marijuana, portugal, switzerland, parts of spain, netherlands.

I think it's high time Britain did it too. Think of the money that would be saved on prosecution, imprisonment, etc. Hardly irrelevant in these cash-strapped times.

I know a few people who have done this. Usually when the children are in bed, but sometimes earlier on. I've seen much worse on alcohol, which seems to be more acceptable.

I also know a couple who came to my house for Sunday lunch, and had a plate of coke in the other room, just at toddler height.
I had a toddler. I went ballistic.

I went to a kids party last week and was very relieved to see wine on the tables!
Nice little afternoon bonus, especially as the party was 200 yds away from my house!

supurb before you go around slinging 'ridiculous statement' around, I think you will find that there is a HUGE problem in the UK with the type of very strong psychosis inducing skunk which is readily available nowadays, compared to the mild stuff which was more common in my youth. There are terrible issues with people young and old having their lives utterly ruined by it. Imo cannabis of this type is the most pernicious of drugs, up there with crack and heroin.

Presumably you haven't 'lost' family members due to cannabis addiction? You carry on living in your 'less repressive society'. That's fine - you may think it is fine to have a doobie, and if it doesn't affect you and x amount of people. that's fine. You would be short sighted to close your mind to the fact that it is actually incredibly damaging.

Incredibly damaging to some is what I wanted to say.

I think also decriminalise it, btw. Control thr production of the stuff - drugs are going nowhere, so take the manufacture and distribution out of criminal hands. It will never happen though.

surburbophobe IMO the drugs aren't so much the problem here, as the fact the parents can't seem to go without for an afternoon so as it give a child's party in a drug free enviroment. Surely needing it that much is addiction? And addiction to any substance is extremely likely to be bad for DC's, and those are the ones are far more likely to be negligent and completely incompetent

I do think addiction to cannabis is a much bigger problem thou, as we all know the evils of "hard drugs" and alcohol, but addiction to thinks like weed amd e are a sort of non-event in many peoples minds.

never say never

You are taking your Dc to a part where adults are taking drugs?

(rather than a journo casting bread upon the waters)

There's some wot do

And some wot don't

Twas ever thus

Probs always will be

Parents taking MY illegal drugs is just not on.

[Getorf, your new friend was trying to get you out of your dress.]