With the end of term approaching, festivities are well underway. Dear Daughter has been invited to back-to-back parties over a 48-hour period. I’ve agreed to her going because isn’t it nice for her to hang out with her friends in other people’s gardens while enjoying a can of coke or lemonade?
Hold it there! These days that soft drink is more likely to be a mixer because some bright spark has snuck in an Evian bottle full of – who knows, but it’s not melted snow from the French alps, that’s for sure. And even Dear Daughter, who used to look down on this kind of thing, asked if I could slip her a few cans of lager to oil the forthcoming social wheels. Naturally, she would buy it herself but there was just this problem about being underage …
Much as I was grateful for her raising the issue, I said no. Firstly because I couldn’t immediately figure out who should pay for it. Dear Daughter has a monthly allowance but it’s supposed to be for clothes (although much of it goes on make-up and lunch at Costa). Would I have to up her allowance with bevvy money or stick a six-pick on the weekly shop? I’m not sure the Aperol fund wants to stretch to that. Especially as, at that point, DD had five friends with her, all looking puppy-eyed.
Secondly, there’s the point of view of the receiving parent/carer. I know I wouldn’t be thrilled to see most of the U14 netball team bearing down on my lovely house with a slab of Carlsberg. The answer of course is to consult the host’s responsible adult in advance. But apparently, I was warned, this results in social death. So advice please! Have I been too harsh or should I hide the Smirnoff Ice in the bottom of the gym bag? I would love to know your thoughts. Let me know in the comments below or on our Facebook page here.
Putting aside that it's illegal and bad for them, you can't win either way. Our child isn't fussed about drinking but asked to take some beer to a party. We let them take a few cans. However, once at the party they were told that apparently, it wasn't the right beer and wasn't strong enough!
Having said that, I think it was a reasonable compromise. Let them take just a couple of cans of the weakest beer you can buy maybe with a bottle of lemonade to make a shandy!
