So, how to allow teen party environments and the freedom they want while assuring they will exercise the responsibility they need to? Simple! Supervised parties. This might sound like a real drag, parents at a party? Whatever. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Wise parents know their children’s friends and their family members. It is safe to say that probably half of all kids agree that their parents have no idea with whom they are friends. Having everyone over to your house to spend time together once in a while instead of always hearing your child yell,” I’m going over to so-and-so’s house!” as the back door slams is one way to keep in-tune with your child. Just being there is a “safety net” whether your child realizes it or not. Letting them know by subtle messages that “I care about you” allows them to trust you. Once you learn who your kids are and what they do when they are unsupervised, you can learn to trust them, too.
Supervised or chaperoned dances at school are an effort at sustaining some fun without allowing students to break rules, but the teen party doesn’t have to be. Parents typically don’t allow their underage children to drink or smoke. You’ve eliminated that risk. Yes, teens do a lot of things their parents are unaware of, and we usually like it that way, but there are things that kids do at parties that you CAN have control over. Keeping the teen party all in a confined space, like the back yard on a summer night or in the lower portion of the house where there are no bedrooms, for example. You’d be amazed at how many kids have had sex before high school! Just being there will keep kids from sneaking off in different directions and, as long as you keep a low profile, they can still have fun.
Maybe your child would like to throw a birthday party and invite everyone he knows in the world. You can just imagine it; cake throwing, drink spilling and out right madness! Setting some limits is ok; after all, it is your home! It is not easy to be the parent, especially in these situations. It IS important however, even more so to your child than to you. But don’t get too restrictive; think of this as a front row seat to your child’s life when you are not around. Think of all the times you’ve wished to be a fly on the wall at different time in his or her life. Here’s your chance. While parties teen parents want to throw are not on the same level of entertaining for both you and your child…, you can also be given some “insider” information that parents usually aren’t privy to.
Offering great food and allowing them to “turn the music up” just a little louder than you would prefer will keep the party in the “kid zone”. Staying close, but not too close will make both you and your child a great host!