Teenage Dinner Parties

When my kids were teens it seemed the house was always full of their friends. Most of the time it was informal gatherings but occasionally they wanted to do something more structured. Hosting a dinner party gave them the opportunity to practice their social skills and build confidence for attending more formal events.

Before the party, discuss rules and expectation for the guests. This is an excellent time to practice grown up social skills. Encourage your teen to set the example and set the tone for his/her guests to follow. Provide a role model for them to emulate; perhaps this is a family member or friend.

The most important element on the agenda is food. Keep it simple, select menu items that are filling and fun. Teens enjoy pasta, tacos and pizza. Once an entree has been selected choose an appetizer and, accompaniments and dessert. Plan for each teen to consume 3-4 beverages and at least half of them will consume seconds on the main entree. If the guest list consists of mostly boys, estimate food consumption higher.

The second detail to focus on is entertainment. Providing structure for the evening will help contain the group and insure everyone has a good time. Below are two options my kids enjoyed:

• Murder Mystery. This is a live take off from the Clue Board game. Each guest is assigned a character to play during dinner. The goal of the game is to figure out "who dunnit." Not only does an interactive activity provide entertainment, it also helps contain the energy level of the group.
• Progressive Dinner. Once my teens could drive, they loved to get out of the house, but there weren't many suitable options for teens to hang out in the evenings. Several parents banded together to provide other options and shared the costs of hosting the kids for dinner by planning a progressive dinner. A progressive dinner consists of several courses served at different locations. To make the event more interesting, clues were provided to get the teens to their next destination. The goals was to get the clues in order, however, it was even more comical to eat the meal out of the intended sequence.

The key to success is to provide a safe environment with good food and entertainment. Teens naturally like to congregate together and they appreciate structure and boundaries. Include your teen in the planning and help them take responsibility for the execution of the event.