Did you "party" as a teen? Does your teen party?

[oldcrunchymom]

This is sort of a spinoff of the "Would you leave your teen alone overnight" thread. I saw a few people in that thread say they would have thrown a huge party if their parents had left them alone and it made me curious how many people did that sort of hard partying as teens. The only "parties" I went to as a teen were birthday parties and D&D sessions, but I was a non-conformist geek. My brother was more conformist than I was but he didn't go to tons of parties either. In my town, the big crazy parties with alcohol and such were really for the popular crowd and the "wild" kids. I doubt I was ever invited to one, but even if I was I wouldn't have gone because I've never liked the drinking scene.

Sooo... who partied like that as teens? Did you go to parties often? Do your teens do the same thing? What is the attraction? Please enlighten the geek.

[peilover010202]

Well, I'm not a parent of a teen yet, so take this for what it's worth.

I partied as a teen and I pray that my boys won't be as irresponsible as I was. i was a very good student and part of the "in" crowd at school - but avoided the drug scene (just alcohol for me, thanks. : ) I went to a party just about every weekend.

My parents also left me overnight (2 nights I think) when I was 16 and I had a party. It was *very* lowkey because we had nosey neighbors.

For me, the attraction was feeling more....hmmmm....what's the word I'm thinking of? confident?, powerful? outgoing? (I was a little introverted). I can't really put just one word on why. But the bottom line is I felt more at ease and less bothered by day to day stuff when I was out drinking/partying.

[snowyowl]

Former "wild" kid here. I partied most weekends. What was the attraction? Freedom. Freedom from parental control; freedom from the oppressive atmosphere of highschool where if you listened to a certain kind of music or dressed a certain way you were labelled a freak; freedom to speak my mind; freedom to bond with my own little family/community of people who liked me for who I was; freedom to dance until my legs felt like jelly and my throat hurt from screaming. Sure, there was some drinking/drugs/sex but it wasn't mandatory and I never felt pressured. There were also wild, exciting conversations about life and ideas that would go on for hours. (I think I learned more at parties than I did in the classroom.) Did I always make the best choices when I was partying? Nope. Would I go back and change anything? Not a chance.

Of course, I have a slightly different perspective now that I have a child. I have a feeling that once our daughter hits her teen years, my husband, who had a pretty sedate adolescence, is going to be sleeping blissfully through the night while I'm up pacing the floors because I'll be imagining her being like me at that age. I don't know that she will be like me, though, because we encourage a lot of things that I felt were discouraged in my life. Maybe she won't be as motivated to party.

[RiverSky]

I was a non-confirmist punk-rock'ing, sport playing, academic who partied almost every night. (FYI, when I was young, "party" did not equate drugs, but in my case, it often included it).

I would finish school, do my sports (softball, basketball, squash, etc.), rush to finish my homework (often at my much older friends/boyfriends houses), sometimes go to a part time job, then party all night long, whether it was going to bars (fake ID or just people assuming I was older since all the guys I was with were in their 20s), parties, gigs, after hours bars, etc. Sleep was not that important to me, though I did try to catch up on the weekends.

It was a good life....

Of course, I stopped drinking and drugs at 21, easily and happily, as I'd experienced enough by then, I thought.

[Eli's_mommy]

I partied as a teen and loved it. I would never take it back for anything- they are some of the best memories I have.

[canadianchick]

I partied a lot as a teen. And my friends and I were terrible about sneaking out after our parents went to sleep and then driving around and drinking all night. It's a wonder that we never got into trouble or got in an accident. We also went to lots of parties where there were lots of drugs and alcohol. I have no problem with dd going out with friends but I would be watchful that she does not get into some of the things that I was into. She's a good responsible kid but she's only 10 and could turn out to be the partying teen from h--l!!!!

[Nanners]

It's a miracle I'm still alive. I had a good time, but : I hope my kids take it easier than I did.

[Storm Bride]

You could say that I "partied", but I didn't go to parties. It wasn't unheard of for me to raid my parent's booze cupboard (full of stuff they almost never drank and wouldn't miss), pour a mixture into a pop bottle and ride the buses around my area by myself. Sometimes, I'd hook up with one or two friends and we'd get drunk or smoke pot.

When I was a bit older, I got drunk, smoked pot, etc. every weekend with my ex and three or four friends. I avoided big parties like the plague - never cared for the environment.

DS1 isn't quite 14. He doesn't party, although he's very social. His dad is a crack addict, and I think he's really nervous about drugs. We'll see what happens in the next few years, but he has lots of interests, which I think will help. When I was a teen, my only real interest was reading. I was also self-medicating for depression, and didn't realize that until years later. So far at least, ds1 doesn't have that problem.

[UUMom]

As a teen, no. As a college student, somewhat. We did our crazy stuff when we were in grad school, so after 21.

My teens don't party (at this point).

[UnschoolnMa]

I wasn't much of a partier really. I occasionally would end up at someone's house where a small gathering would be happening or just somehow would "materialize" spontaniously. It would usually happen when I'd gone somewhere with a friend (that my mom knew well) and we'd run into someone they knew, etc. I drank some, but not in excess. Never did any drugs.

My kids are not partiers at all. They are home with us mostly. Dd has attended her best friend's parents' New Years party a time or two though.

[Jessy1019]

I didn't really party at all. By the time I was 15, I was heavily involved with a community theater group and there were a lot of cast parties but minimal drinking, more crying that the show was over, joking around, etc. I was mostly in the company of adults, which is how I preferred to be.

My kids are little still, but I'm not worried about them partying as a teen. We aren't and don't plan to be very strict about things, and I think that alleviates the "need" to party and behave recklessly.

[JenniferH]

Not as a teen. I was a wallflower/bookworm. I did all my heavy partying in college.

[love2all]

Originally Posted by Nanners

It's a miracle I'm still alive. I had a good time, but : I hope my kids take it easier than I did.

I second that!!!!!!

[maxsmum]

Originally Posted by love2all

I second that!!!!!!

Oh yes, please please take it easier than I did. I was a party queen well into my 20's. Don't miss it now, and man I had a good time but I sure don't want my kids doing what I did. I worry about this all of the time, my son is only 6 months! The title of this post drew my attention.

[BathrobeGoddess]

I wasn't really much...I spent the night at my friends house and we smoked a lot of cigarettes.. sometimes drank but not often. I was never interested in drugs because I hate being out of control.

Now, my dh...he really did it all...and he started young, in jr high. One of things he often says to me when I say something like "But I like it" when talking about something not good for me (like store bought cake...thats my drug) is "I like cocaine, but I'm still not going to use it." He was a huge coke head in his 20's but acid was his drug of choice as a teen. And alcohol...he drank a ton from 14-29. His sperm donor father was a heroine junkie though he never knew him and his dad (adopted him when he was 8) was a huge pot smoker and alcoholic. Dad is clean now and has been since dh was 19 so I do wonder about the whole genetic link thing...though both his siblings weren't real partiers as teens!

[hottmama]

I was a punk and I went to shows all the time, and sometimes to parties afterwards. I drank and smoked pot as a teen, about the same amount in high school as at 16 when I dropped out and got my own apartment ("my own" with 3 other people). I used ecstasy once, but no really hard drugs. I think I made it out okay. I still drink and smoke pot some but I have never done so on a daily basis. I still practice the moderation I learned at 15.
My kids are little, but I wouldn't be too concerned if they drank or experimented with drugs as teenagers (as long as they are 15-16).
I liked parties because my friends were there, we had fun drinking, playing music, talking, joking and flirting. I still like to go to parties and do go to a party or out to the bar once or twice a month with my friends.

[enkmom]

I partied moderately in high school. My children don't at all. My son would, I think, if he let his guard down. My daughter has no interest.

The consequences are so much more severe now than they were then. Now, a DUI takes away your drivers license until at least age 18. Now, being present at a party where alcohol is served can get you kicked out of National Honor Society. Now, friendly police officers don't just "look the other way" at alcohol violations. Rightly so, underage drinking is being taken much more seriously, and my kids aren't willing to take the chance.

[mshollyk]

i don't have teens yet, lol, but...i didn't party through high school or college. i drank maybe twice from the age of 15-25. in fact, i didn't start partying till i was a couple weeks shy of my 27th birthday. i'm really glad i waited, because i did it responsibly, i had my own money and my own apartment, and i had older, experienced people who taught me well about the dangers of various things. i practiced moderation and harm reduction, and i was able to explore altering my consciousness with an appreciation and respect that i wouldn't have had when i was younger.

[angelpie545]

I think the punishments for underage drinking are ridiculously severe and unnecessary. I "partied" quite a lot as a teen. I didn't do any hardcore drugs, but I did smoke a lot of pot and got pretty drunk. I hung out with friends who did cocaine, ecstasy and crank though. The thing is, all teens do some amount of rebelling, everything from just simply not doing what you parents tell you to partying all night with friends. For most teens, it's a normal part of adolscence(didn't spell that right... ) and doesn't become an issue at all. For me, I ended up dropping out of high school but then I got my GED and went to college, where I was much happier with the environment. My kiddos are still little, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about them doing the things I did as a teen.. I guess we'll see when we get there.

[dorothybaez]

I think the punishments for underage drinking are ridiculously severe and unnecessary.

Same here. I'm of the opinion that my children can do what WE as parents say that they can do. Not that I want to encourage wild, puking parties..... : but I think there is too much interference in private family matters.

I remember once in high school, the day ended early due to snow and ice, which in Georgia happens with less than an inch of snow. A friend drove me home, and after "sledding" repeatedly down an icy hill on cardboard boxes, we went inside to ask my mother if we could try hot buttered rum. My mother called my friend's mother and got the okay to give her child a drink. Sadly, we both hated it.

I "partied" quite a lot as a teen. I didn't do any hardcore drugs, but I did smoke a lot of pot and got pretty drunk. <snip>

I didn't do that as a teen, but once I hit college, whew boy!

Probably enough said, in case one of my children ever decide to get into politics.

Dorothy