Juliecabs

I need your pearls of wisdom please.
My 3 kids have decided they want parties to say goodbye to their mates before we leave in August.
My youngest daughter (14) is quite happy to go to Nando's (or similar) with a few friends so no real problem there.
But the fun starts with the other two kids.
My eldest daughter who'll be 17 by then would like to invite around 30 people and my son who'll be 16 wants around 75
The parties would have to be seperate as all these kids are in the same school and not all of them get on.
The trouble is, I don't know all these kids and am worried about the fact that they'd want to drink (They'll be aged between 15 and 18). I'm no prude and occasionally let my kids have a couple of drinks at parties, but consider myself a responsible adult (Debatable ).
I've said that we would provide enough drink for 1 or 2 each, but they'll probably sneak more in themselves.
So what do I do?
Obviously the parties would be supervised by us, but we're no match for 100+ teenagers who've had too many beers.
Also, hopefully we'll have sold our house by then so can't have the parties here. I'm worried that if we have them in a hall, that any damage would be up to me.
So any ideas please.
Have any of you with teenage kids gone through this and can give me a few tips.
I don't want to spoil their fun, but I'm starting to worry about it.
Thanks.
Julie.

Juliecabs

Whoops! Just realised I should have stuck this in the Oz forum. Never mind!

DebraH

Oh dear poor you - just as well it will be in a hall - that way you've got a time limit to when the party finishes. couldn't you ask some of their parents to help out in anyway - way too many kids for you to handle by yourself. You could be a real stick in the mud and not allow any booze at all, not having teenagers not sure how well this would go down

The thing is they may even surprise you (the teenagers) with decent behaviour :scared: thank goodness mine are only 7 and 10

hilary6

OMG Julie rather you than me I think for starters I would scale your sons number of guests down

Juliecabs

Do you want to tell him?

Juliecabs

Hi Debra,
I did suggest no booze, but the look they gave me told me to shut up
Thing is, that out of the kids that I do know, they are great - very friendly and polite. It's the many others I'm worried about.
It's actually my son's mates I'm more concerned with. His closest friends spend more time at my house than their own, and I've sort of adopted them, and again they are great fun and we have a real laugh. I suggested only having them, but unfortunately for me, Mark is pretty popular with loads of lads as well as many girls (Fun times ahead!).
Oh why can't we just disappear quietly

DebraH

work out how much the party would cost -food, dj, hall and drink - them give them half the money and tell them to go and have a good time :scared:

Juliecabs

Might do that - it'd be far easier

DebraH

then you can sit back, have a drink and some chocolate and worry about them when they get back

Juliecabs

Any excuse for chocolate

Cheetah7

Thats a good idea.

And if some pick up transport is organised for the end of the evening, then that would save you worrying about how they get back.

Minibus I suppose, although pray none of them vomit in it.

Juliecabs

Oh, this is sounding more and more like it.
Will put it to them and see what they say.
Thanks guys.

CathnPaul

The kids today can be too grown up for the liking, remember that. Our eldest was 18yr old in august, we had a party at home, about 50 people came, the gazebo outside, got them all to bring their own tents and they all camped out in the back garden. The party started at 1pm - at 10pm the 'grown ups' (us and our friends) were ready to get the party started,they had been drinking that long they wanted to go to bed at 10pm. It was really funny being kicked out of the garden by a mob of teenagers wanted to rest. But we ignored them as ya do and partied around them to make sure there was no ''tent sharing''.

still proved we could party harder than the kids. Bujt at the end of the day its something the kids remember and can take with them.

Fireman Al

Nightmare !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All i can offer is my services as a fellow Oz bound lifer and a 'doorman' with 12 years experience to stop these scallywags (great word eh!) getting out of hand !!

Ali

232Bar

I'd go for the "there's some cash - go and do what you like" method, but keep a few quid back to get a few in for yourself so when they come home p****d you're too far gone to notice