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Teenagers

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

Original poster

16 year olds meeting in parks and drinking

75 replies

lu9months · 04/06/2021 17:40

groups of friends of my 16 year old are meeting regularly in the park of an evening and drinking. my ds wants to join them. says theres 20 or so of them, they cant meet in peoples homes, they are safe and keeping an eye on each other. hes determined to join them and not miss out. ive told him its not legal. ive offered to have friends at ours. hes really desperate to go along. they dont stay out crazy late- home by 11. do your teens do this? im not happy about it but theyve had a really crap year with covid and i do want him to have some fun. what are your thoughts?

OP posts:
Moonshine11 · 04/06/2021 19:40

@IHaveBrilloHair that was my drink 😂🤢 if I was feeling fancy I’d put some juice in it. Crying

yellowspot · 04/06/2021 19:41

I did the same when I was his age (and a bit younger 😬).

It'a a good sign he feels he can be honest about it! He sounds sensible and trustworthy to me ☺️

Bovrilly · 04/06/2021 19:42

I have so wanted my Y12 DS to be able to do this instead of moping around at home, now that he finally can, I shove some Stella at him and send him on his way.
(He knows though that he has to respond to my 'are you ok or have you been arrested' texts.)
Last night about 30 of them camped out in a field nearby and he came home at about 7am. Scary but a normal part of growing up.

HelpMeh · 04/06/2021 19:44

It's not ideal but it's definitely normal.

ISolemnlySwearIAmUpToNoGood · 04/06/2021 19:44

I'm 32 now and also did this at his age. My father even used to buy me a bottle of alcopop now and then if I asked him to and if anything that made me be more responsible as I felt he trusted me and that I needed to live up to that level of trust and responsibility. I never once got into half the shape that some of my friends did having to be dropped home and left with a sick bucket etc.

IHaveBrilloHair · 04/06/2021 19:45

@alloalloallo
Malibu is Dd's never again.
I wind her up all the time about it.

She got shoved in my bed with a bucket, her BF stayed in her room and I slept on the tiny 2 seater couch, and when I say slept I mean watched crap telly all night so I was awake incase she choked!

ApolloandDaphne · 04/06/2021 19:48

Gosh I am almost 60 and I remember with such fondness the nights drinking cheap cider and lager in the park at age 16. I am now an upstanding citizen. It is a rite of passage and if your DC is being honest with you this is a good thing.

IHaveBrilloHair · 04/06/2021 20:06

Once we could get into pubs age16 we used to drink pints of diesel with a straw in.
Diesel= half lager, half cider and blackcurrant.
My Mum had to buy carpet cleaner to get the stains out of my white jeans.
Oh to be young again.

I'm umming and ahhing over having a takeaway tomorrow ffs!Grin

alloalloallo · 04/06/2021 20:11

We used to have a dodgy pub in the town where I grew up. The landlord knew we were underage but would serve us as long as we behaved. I earned my drinking legs in there

Plus the nightclub with the sticky floors - as long as you didn’t act like a dick, they’d let you in.

I miss being 16 and trying to buy a bottle of Pink Lady from the corner shop with my National Insurance card 😂

Nohomemadecandles · 04/06/2021 20:19

I wasn't allowed to do anything like that until I left home at 19.

Consequently, I lied a lot and did things that were arguably more dangerous as no adult actually knew where I was!

Blondiney · 04/06/2021 20:23

I didn't do all that, skipped the whole cider in the park thing and went straight to bars and clubs. People talk so fondly about their experiences though that it makes me feel I missed out a crucial step in life.

MarcelineMissouri · 04/06/2021 20:29

I’m pretty sure those were some of the best nights of my life - just a shame I can’t remember a lot of them though Grin

Totally normal. As pp’s have said the most unusual thing about it is him telling you there’s alcohol involved!

Doggitydog · 04/06/2021 20:33

Ahhh good times, White lightening, diamond white and Mad Dog 20/20 bought with the worst fake i.d ordered via a magazine advert. Honestly OP, it’s a rite of passage and unless the 16yo is totally steaming and it’s causing problems, I’d give them a little freedom x

IHaveBrilloHair · 04/06/2021 20:34

They were fun nights.
I'm not sure if my parents didn't know, or didn't care which is bizarre as my Mum was a senior SW.
I was running round town getting up to all sorts Confused

Nohomemadecandles · 04/06/2021 21:00

@Doggitydog

Ahhh good times, White lightening, diamond white and Mad Dog 20/20 bought with the worst fake i.d ordered via a magazine advert. Honestly OP, it’s a rite of passage and unless the 16yo is totally steaming and it’s causing problems, I’d give them a little freedom x
Ooh 20/20! The green one. Kiwi? Good Times!
IHaveBrilloHair · 04/06/2021 21:02

Ice Dragon.
Yummy Envy not envy.

fizzycokezero · 04/06/2021 21:04

@lanbro

I think it's normal, and I'd rather know where mine were and what they were doing, and that they could call me in an emergency. If you don't allow it he'll likely find a way to do it
This!
IHaveBrilloHair · 04/06/2021 21:20

Classy.

16 year olds meeting in parks and drinking
16 year olds meeting in parks and drinking
CorianderBee · 04/06/2021 23:22

Who didn't do this at 16 tbh? Make sure he knows when to be home and to call if he needs you

blahblahblah321 · 04/06/2021 23:34

[quote IHaveBrilloHair]@alloalloallo
Malibu is Dd's never again.
I wind her up all the time about it.

She got shoved in my bed with a bucket, her BF stayed in her room and I slept on the tiny 2 seater couch, and when I say slept I mean watched crap telly all night so I was awake incase she choked![/quote]
@IHaveBrilloHair , DS had an incident with alcohol last summer and was due to have a friend staying that night.
Friend still stayed, and he stayed awake all night looking after DS - a good lesson to them both Grin

Safe to say neither of them will be touching Jäger again in the near future..

IHaveBrilloHair · 05/06/2021 01:01

Bloody kids!
Its a rite of passage.
Anyway it's about time I send Dd a coconut curry recipe...Grin

UserAtRandom · 05/06/2021 12:27

It's partly age, but also partly caused by Covid restrictions. The DC have literally got out of the habit of having friends over the house any more. All their socialising now involves hanging round parks or in underpasses when it rains I was so pleased they were getting out of the house that I've positively been encouraging this over the last year.

HemanOrSheRa · 05/06/2021 12:38

@IHaveBrilloHair

Once we could get into pubs age16 we used to drink pints of diesel with a straw in. Diesel= half lager, half cider and blackcurrant. My Mum had to buy carpet cleaner to get the stains out of my white jeans. Oh to be young again.

I'm umming and ahhing over having a takeaway tomorrow ffs!Grin

Ah! My DS is 16 and went to the pub with his mate, for the first time, last night (with fake ID). He had a great time! They had a meal and a few pints. Oh to be that age again Smile.
IHaveBrilloHair · 05/06/2021 13:01

I miss those carefree days.

M0rT · 05/06/2021 13:13

At least it's probably cans of beer and not the naggin of vodka with a packet of jelly tots we used for flavouring 🤣
Like pp I think it's great he told you and you know where he is if something was to go wrong.