The festive season is upon us and with the season comes lots of parties and lots of fun!
However, many parents fret about their teenagers and how they will behave at such parties with alcohol readily available. If parents are attending parties with their teenagers, they will find it easier to watch them, but some teenagers will go to other parties with their friends. How do you ensure they are safe and responsible at these occasions?
Here is everything you need to know about Christmas parties and teenagers:
Where, what and who?
These are the vital questions you need to know before you let your teenager go to a party alone at Christmas. You may want to give your teen a bit of freedom, but you need to be careful too. You'll want to know who he/she is attending the party with and where and what it is for.
If it is a celebration for the end of exams, fair enough but you need to know what is happening. Also, don’t forget to get the party address.
Chats
No one likes to have the chat, but responsible parents need to ask the hard questions and talk about things that make them uncomfortable.
If your teenager is nearing adulthood you may need to ask them about drink at the party or if they plan to have a drink. They may refuse to admit it, or they may not be interested but it is best to talk about it.
Another chat would be about drinking too much or trying drugs and minding themselves if they are under the influence.
Again, topics no parent wants to go into, but you must. Often these parties can get out of hand so you need to tell your teenager that you will be there if they need you and make it a rule that you drop them off and collect them – no matter how late it is.
Boundaries
Teenagers naturally feel a lot older than they are so they can go to these parties and make mistakes, but they need to know they can come to you regardless.
Christmas parties for teenagers are not always messy or full of drunken teenagers, in fact, many are relatively fine affairs but there is the worry for parents.
Christmas is also a time when people do drink more, so again, you need your teenager to understand the boundaries. Parties are not all bad and they can be a good way for your teen to socialise.
Before your teenager goes to the party don’t forget these key things:
- Phone numbers of the party hosts (parents and teen).
- Details of who they are going with.
- Your teenager should have money for an emergency.
- They should know they can call you anytime to collect them if there are any problems.
- Make sure your teenager’s phone is charged and that they have credit and your phone numbers at hand.
- Make sure your teenager knows how to say no to anything if they feel uncomfortable.
