Letting your teenager have a party
When your teen asks to have friends to sleep over – maybe after a party – or asks to sleep over at a friend’s with a group of other teens, your first response may be a downright NO. Visions of out-of-control drinking, drug taking or unprotected sex probably flash through your mind.
But the fact is, at some point you are going to have to take a risk and leave your teenager on their own with others
It is worth spending time discussing and planning with your child on how a party could work out successfully. Although teenagers may want to be left on their own, it is reasonable for you to be at the party venue, but maybe not in the same room. Knowing that a parent or responsible adult are around and available may stop their friends overstepping the mark. You could also use older siblings to monitor the party to keep events under control.