by DomesticJailBreaker » Mon Oct 10, 2016 9:07 am
I had a very similar experience to LastMumStanding a while ago with my then (just) 15yo son's party. We had contacted all the parents to check that they were happy for us to offer a very small amount of alcohol and complied with the wishes of those parents who did not want their child to have any... Apparently as a result of our strictly 'rationing' the booze offered, there was lots of pre-loading (especially by girls who couldn't take it because they didn't eat all evening) and all sorts of shenanigans resulted. More recent parties show a huge improvement - they've all grown up a bit more and the novelty factor of partying has reduced, so they are happy to take a more sensible approach - I think the 14-16 year old period is the worst.
Ideally, we would all do as Petal suggests, but I'm afraid it wouldn't work, in my experience, as there will always be some who will pre-load and/or smuggle booze in (teenagers are VERY skilled in this respect!), and that is worse because they will usually bring in spirits rather than the lower alcohol drinks they would be offered by their hosts - twas ever thus, I seem to remember from my own teen years!
OJDavies, I am pretty sure that there is a licensing law which says that 16 yos are allowed to drink beer, cider or wine, provided they are eating a meal with it. If and when you find a suitable venue which has a licence, the manager will know about this. The golf centre on Burntwood Lane, suggested by LastMumStanding, could be a good bet.
I had a very similar experience to LastMumStanding a while ago with my then (just) 15yo son's party. We had contacted all the parents to check that they were happy for us to offer a very small amount of alcohol and complied with the wishes of those parents who did not want their child to have any... Apparently as a result of our strictly 'rationing' the booze offered, there was lots of pre-loading (especially by girls who couldn't take it because they didn't eat all evening) and all sorts of shenanigans resulted. More recent parties show a huge improvement - they've all grown up a bit more and the novelty factor of partying has reduced, so they are happy to take a more sensible approach - I think the 14-16 year old period is the worst.
Ideally, we would all do as Petal suggests, but I'm afraid it wouldn't work, in my experience, as there will always be some who will pre-load and/or smuggle booze in (teenagers are VERY skilled in this respect!), and that is worse because they will usually bring in spirits rather than the lower alcohol drinks they would be offered by their hosts - twas ever thus, I seem to remember from my own teen years!
OJDavies, I am pretty sure that there is a licensing law which says that 16 yos are allowed to drink beer, cider or wine, provided they are eating a meal with it. If and when you find a suitable venue which has a licence, the manager will know about this. The golf centre on Burntwood Lane, suggested by LastMumStanding, could be a good bet.