I have enormous respect for police. I used to be one. But it’s increasingly obvious they just don’t have the resources to cope with exploding demands on their services. Here’s the latest case in point. Road rage A Saturday night ‘after-party’ in Melbourne’s outer east proved very difficult. The party home had no front fence and was…
Ever keen to improve teen party safety, my team and I have been trying innovative solutions to the gatecrasher plague. And boy, are we onto a winner! Fixed cameras are proving to be a cheap, easy yet amazingly effective deterrent for unwanted guests. Just take a look … Holding the line Here we have a…
If you thought bad acid went out with Woodstock, think again. Today’s LSD is called ‘Psy acid’ and your teenager may be on it. This news story backs up what my staff and I are dealing with at the coal face: hard drugs are filtering into teen events. I’m very concerned, and I want parents…
Swimming at my local outdoor pool, I heard two lifeguards discussing the previous day’s events (when the temperature topped 35 degrees Celsius). I thought a lifeguard’s role was to watch the water and keep people safe. Alas, it now seems the job description has changed. New breed As a teenager, few things beat hanging with…
It’s that time of year again. Exams finish in a few weeks. Schoolies and end-of-year parties are just around the corner. Parents are really stressing. How do I know? Because I’ve planned and worked at more than 500 teen events. And because I have an 18-year-old daughter of my own. Freak-out season Parents are extremely…
While Western Australia is in election mode, teen parties continue to cause havoc in the community – creating nights more terrifying than any Halloween. Yet this horror is well within our power to control. An ounce of prevention … I’ve always believed a proactive, preventative solution is far better than a passive reaction. To this…
There are some things you just don’t want to spend money on. Insurance, dental work and red-light camera fines spring to mind. These expenses sure ain’t fun, but failing to cover them can cost you a whole lot more down the track. Unfortunately, these days, security for your party is another ‘unfun-but-necessary’ purchase. I know…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMe8OYi0c_4] Young. Strong. Spiteful. Vicious. Terrifying. When it comes to gatecrashers, I’ve seen it all. But now I’m witnessing a new level of violence – fuelled by a blind, searing hatred of everyone and everything. This disturbing shift is so pronounced, I’m calling these intruders ‘hatecrashers’. This word isn’t in any dictionary. But if…
As teen parties get bigger, riskier and more elaborate, host parents are finding there’s extra help at hand: other parents and responsible (i.e. mature, sober) adults. This is good news, as parents planning teen events need all the help they can get. They also need to realise some really important points. Key among these is…
As our communities struggle to cope with the rise of teen parties, we now have a popularity contest: 100 guests (or more) is the new way to be cool and hip! Yes, teen parties are getting bigger. I’m now regularly speaking to parents planning 150+ guest events for kids as young as 14! Yesterday I…