How To Ensure Your Teenager Hasn't Thrown A Party In Your Absence

House parties! The bane of any homeowner with any older teenagers or young adults in the house, and the love of any teenager or young adult invited to one. We all have memories of attending parties that our friends threw in an impromptu manner, with seemingly more people than were invited showing up. It’s a fun time for them, but never good for the household, never really that healthy, and of course, not something you wish to deal with when you return. Add alcohol and teenage/young adult bravado into the mix, and a lack of adult supervision can be a bad thing.

You may have a lax or strict attitude towards this based on your own experiences and parenting style, but one thing is sure - it’s your right to decide what happens in your household. If your child is old enough to stay at home and continue studying or working while you head off for the weekend for other responsibilities, then you’re entrusting one of your most important assets to them. Of course, this is a good way to gauge their trustworthiness and to make it clear how you expect them to behave.

We’re sure your teen is wonderful and can be trusted. Just in case you want to make sure, though, here’s how to check if they’ve thrown a party when you return - despite their protestations to the contrary:

Check For Moved, Oddly Clean Items

If you come home and your house seems a little too perfect, with everything in its right place, not a spot of dust on any of the surfaces, and the smell of odour-defeating fragrance sprays, well, it could be that there’s been a party - unless your teen is just responsible. This isn’t evidence in itself though, so look for moved items, hidden possessions, or differences you can’t explain - like a rug drying on your washing line after being cleaned. This might not give you 100% proof, but it can help you ask them the question.

Add Trippable Items, Take Photographs

This is a little James Bond of you, but you can add certain easy-to-trip items in places your teen shouldn’t have access to - your liquor cabinet, for example. A small cocktail stick that breaks in the hinge when the cupboard door is open could be a good place to start. You can also take photographs of the rooms in your house to make sure nothing has changed when you come back, outside of basic living necessities.

Smell The Upholstery

Your teen or young adult child may have asked Google just how to get weed smell out of room, or have vacuumed and polished well, but leftover smoke and partying smell can be harder to get out of the upholstery. That’s why it’s smart to give that a smell just in case. This way, you can at least recognize any odors that you might not be immediately familiar with, and ask them about it.

With this advice, you might not be able to prove against all doubt that your house has been a party-zone, but combined, you may get a better idea. This way, you can talk to your teen or young adult son or daughter about boundaries and respect. It’s the job of any parent to put your foot down sometimes, after all.

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