How To Host A Fun And Safe Party For Teens
Parties play a large role in the social lives of teenagers. There might be occasions where your teen gets invited to a party or wants to host a party. The latter can be overwhelming as a parent because, along with worrying about giving your teen a cool party, you would also have to worry about any damages, loud music, and gatecrashing. However, planning a fun and safe party for teens is possible.
It also presents the perfect opportunity for you to bond with your child. Plus, they learn important life skills like planning, decision-making, and being responsible for themselves and others. It can be a win-win situation when done right.
Ensure You Are On the Same Page With Your Child
As a parent with a teen hosting a party at home, you are legally responsible for taking care of the guests. Before beginning the party planning process, talk to your child about your expectations to ensure that you are both on the same page. Be clear on what you expect during the party regarding various activities, such as alcohol drinking, smoking, and drug use.
Send Out Invitations and Create Guest Lists
When teens plan a party, it’s very easy for that news to spread quickly through social media. As a parent, you have to be wary about how news spreads, especially if you are concerned about eventually having a guest list that you cannot control.
One of the best things you can do to limit the number of guests is by creating a guest list with your teen. The number of guests depends on several factors, but the most important ones often include your budget and the type of relationship your teen has with each guest.
Encourage your teen to be more conscious of who they will invite and call people they truly want to see and hang out with. You should also do so with a limited number in mind to ensure you do not have an enormous crowd.
Another great way to have a more organized party is by sending out invitation cards. Invitation cards give important information such as the party’s location, time, dress code, and point of contact. Ensure that your contact information is included on the invitation card. Other parents can RSVP on their kids’ behalf and reach out to you for any important information.
For these measures to effectively control the crowd, make the party strictly by invitation and have guests show their invites at the door.
Choose a Suitable Venue
It would be best if you choose a suitable venue for your teen’s party. One that can accommodate the number of people they intend to invite. You must also make sure that the venue is safe and satisfies the concerns of other parents. Suppose you are concerned about alcohol consumption, for example. You can opt to have a party at licensed premises where staff will serve alcohol to guests over 21 years.
Activities
It’s no secret that teenagers like to drink alcohol at parties. However, as a parent, you would land yourself in trouble if caught serving alcohol to underage people. To discourage such illegal and unsafe activities, you should have a line-up of fun things to do at the party. For example, you can consider creating a themed party which would be great fun, help your children bond with their friends, and create a safe, memorable night.
You can also consider including age-appropriate games and activities like karaoke, dancing, and other fun, competitive games. Why not give your teen center stage when planning activities for better results, especially since they know what their friends like? Plus, they would feel more involved.
Transportation
As a parent, you will be the party’s host, and part of your duties is to ensure that your child’s guests get home safely after a party. Make it a point to ask their parents how their kids plan on getting home and who is driving. You can create a list to help you know who is doing what.
You must also encourage parents with younger teens to pick them up directly after the party. If a designated driver is attending, ensure that you watch them and make sure they are sober when leaving.
Sign Agreements
As a host, you must do your best to limit the occurrence of injuries and damages to guests. Your protection is important; therefore, you must think of ways to limit your liability. You can ask parents to sign waivers that grant you little to no responsibility for any harm.
Oral agreements are good, but written agreements or contracts are more binding and can be used as evidence if a problem arises. Agreements or waivers are especially good for parties that celebrate milestones like high school graduation. Your waivers must also include rules that restrict the use of alcohol, smoking, off-limits rooms, and start and end times.
Final Thoughts
If your teen is planning a party at home or an event center, you must recognize yourself as the host. You are legally bound to ensure the safety of all guests. You could be held responsible if anything goes wrong during or after the party.
To protect yourself further, make sure your homeowners insurance plan covers property damage to your home and injuries to guests during parties. Remember that the more people you have in your home, the more liable you are. In such an instance, why not look into other policy extensions that cover what a typical homeowners insurance policy cannot? You can also look into customizing your homeowners insurance for more comprehensive coverage.
It’s your teen’s day. While you must keep an eye over the guests, ensure that you pick a spot where you can observe without getting in the way.