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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

15 year old party, 50 teenagers attending - tips please!!

162 replies

pasanda · 13/05/2016 21:54

So tomorrow night my DS is having a joint party between four of them. They are turning 15.

We are lucky enough to live in an old farmhouse which has a kind of 'games room' at one end, with a bathroom and kitchen area, separate from the main house. The party will be in there.

We are removing almost everything from the room Grin and I am providing my ds with his own couple of bottles of pear cider, but am not providing any other alcohol than that. It is then up to the other parents what drinks they will allow their dc to bring.

I am aware that they may sneak in more alcohol. I am prepared for it I think

Any tips, words of wisdom, experience of such things gratefully received!

OP posts:
VimFuego101 · 13/05/2016 21:57

Wow you're brave. Will you be providing lots of carb heavy food to soak up the alcohol?

Salmiak · 13/05/2016 22:00

On the door get each child to write down their parents contact number, that way if any of them get paralytic are a bit tipsy you can ring their parents and get them collected. Hopefully they'll also realise if they start trashing your house then you can evict them without too much fuss.

Doinmummy · 13/05/2016 22:04

Don't do it ! I thought I'd planned my DD15 th party really well- no alcohol, all furniture and breakables removed, parts of the house cordoned off.

It was hell, booze smuggled in and gatecrashers .

stayathomegardener · 13/05/2016 22:06

Top tip, source a smoke machine and a strobe.
None of them will be able to see much and any dancing looks AMAZING! Consequently they will not need to drink as much to hide potential embarrassment.

Loads of soft drinks in a big industrial bin of iced water, unobserved drop in two cans of low alcohol beverages about half an hour in, this creates HUGE excitement and with the smoke, strobes and subsequent gossip it will magnify to volumes of illicit alcohol whilst all attendees get giddy on the sugar in the soft drinks.

Oh and don't provide any food cos that's not cool, just "hide" about 20 bags of sliced bread in a cupboard for them to "find" and toast.

Have a lovely time. You only regret the things you don't do Wink

VimFuego101 · 13/05/2016 22:07

Good idea Salmiak

Doinmummy · 13/05/2016 22:07

One girl lost her shoes and I had her mother round screaming at me for compensation- I chucked £20 at her and told her to go away.

Another mum ranting at me because I'd 'allowed' her daughter to get horribly drunk. Turned out she'd actually given the girl 2 bottles of Malibu ! I did get an apology from her later.

stayathomegardener · 13/05/2016 22:07

P.S Qualified.130 16 year olds GCSE results night last year. Survived. DD says we nailed it.

timelytess · 13/05/2016 22:08

Get a security team and have medics on hand? Good luck!

ToomuchChocolatemeansBootcamp · 13/05/2016 22:10

Run, run away and never look back?

luckiestgirl · 13/05/2016 22:11

Bloody hell, you're brave. Have you decided what you are willing to turn a blind eye to? I would be very surprised if there wasn't drinking of spirits, throwing up, smoking and smoking drugs. And depending on your teenagers, class A drugs, but maybe not if they are sensible types.

derektheladyhamster · 13/05/2016 22:13

Wow, I guess some of the kids will still be 14. I'm not sure I'd be happy with my son being allowed alcohol at that age. locks up sons

ajandjjmum · 13/05/2016 22:18

Provide a fruit punch - tiny amounts of alcohol, but lots of comments about how strong it is when testing!

We had some great parties when our DC were that age, but the fact that I can be a scary Mum was always an advantage. Grin

BastardGoDarkly · 13/05/2016 22:18

What if they bring a bottle of vodka and say that's what their parents gave them?

Fuck that kind of responsibility, you must be mad!

claraschu · 13/05/2016 22:19

Lots of cans and bottles of soft drinks. Bottled water is surprisingly popular. Lots of food- maybe it wasn't cool (who knew?) but it got gobbled up in huge quantities. Make your presence known to the kids, and make sure there are no gate crashers. Have a guest list, if necessary.

cdtaylornats · 13/05/2016 22:21

Hire a couple of professional doormen.

MayhemandMadness · 13/05/2016 22:23

Hire bouncers, dj, st johns ambulance.

Smoke and / or foam machine, bubbles and pizza. Non alco punch!

Wrist bands with their names and list of parents numbers.

Plenty of 'containers' to hand and cleaning equipment. Be prepared for the wandering off into the gardens so possible floodlights as well

Gin for you afterwards, you'll need it Grin

BirthdayBetty · 13/05/2016 22:23

Sick buckets, lots of them Grin

BirthdayBetty · 13/05/2016 22:24

Good luck Smile

VimFuego101 · 13/05/2016 22:27

I would be concerned that if anyone does get really drunk and locks themself in the only toilet, there will be nowhere else to go to the loo...

Original poster
pasanda · 13/05/2016 22:29

wow, thanks for all those tips!

I plan to provide lots of cans of soft drinks ( I thought pouring from big bottles might mean lots and lots of sticky spillages!), bottles of water and cartons of juice. Two black recycling boxes for empties. We are doing frankfurter sausages in a roll, crips and cakes. We have loud music (live on a farm in the middle of nowhere luckily) and a friend of a friend is a DJ and has lent us some lights, including strobe lights that change to the beat of the music Grin

DS has form for dabbling with weed ( only once or twice that I know of ) and we have told him very sternly that if there is any HINT of weed, the lights go on, the music stops and everyone will have to go home. And I really mean this. I don't think class A drugs will be a problem.

Salmi aka - good tip, thank you.

It amazes me that only two parents have called me to ask about it/check it's all above board. If it was my ds going to such a mad event, I think I would at least want to talk to the adult who is in charge.

Toomuchchocolate - Grin - that mad me laugh!!

OP posts:
NicknameUsed · 13/05/2016 22:29

"I am aware that they may sneak in more alcohol. I am prepared for it I think"

There is no "may" about this. They will. My mum always said that I could have alcohol at parties, but no spirits. I will enforce the no spirits rule at DD's party this summer.

"Any tips, words of wisdom, experience of such things gratefully received!"

Basically what everyone else has said - lots of food, soft drinks, buckets.

Original poster
pasanda · 13/05/2016 22:32

Birthday Betty - Yes!! I am going to put a couple of buckets strategically placed around the room.

I'm actually quite looking forward to it must be bloody mad

It's just that a year and two days ago ds took an overdose and I look at him now and how much happier he is and how many friends he has coming and I do a massive smile inside Smile

OP posts:
CinderellaFant · 13/05/2016 22:35

Do let us know how it goes! Good luck Grin

NicknameUsed · 13/05/2016 22:36

I hope he enjoys his party pasanda. I have almost walked in your shoes, and we are in a similar position to you now.

icandothis64 · 13/05/2016 22:39

Fro my experience of same thing last year, this age are the sneakiest. I was gobsmacked. Hopefully your experience will be much better but top tips are:

  1. A big dad on the door. And he will need to be tough. There will be gatecrashers and the infamous plus ones. No inhale never heard it before either! It's teenage speak for I am not invited!
  2. There will be hard liquor. For some reason they go for vodka and decant into water bottles. So watch out for that. In the end I bought the fosters radler. They do it in 2% and 0%. It is cut with lemonade. Again. Modern speak for shandy but far better than vodka which they drink like shandy! You can also buy 4.5% rose wine.
  3. Lock away all valuables including those update and away from the party area. It hasn't happened to me but lots of parents have reported petty thefts from other parts of the house. Cordon off areas you don't enact them to go but don't just assume they will respect that.

Sounds awful doesn't it? And only speaking from experience of middle class kids from lovely homes who are bright and articulate. And this is what happened
Good luck. Can't wait for the Sunday morning update.