There was a time when kids from tots to teens looked forward to a party to celebrate their birthday. Today, that is becoming " mission impossible " for most parents !
The problem is " gate crashers ". No matter how well planned the party there is always the chance that a horde of hundreds of juveniles will descend on the venue and create chaos.
There are two problems. The first is the ubiquitous mobile phone. Once the location of the party is known messages flash back and forth between mobile phones and assemble the raiders.
The second is the mentality of those raiders. They do not come to help the party host celebrate. They come to get drunk, steal anything not nailed down - and usually assault anyone who objects to their presence.
Few people these days are silly enough to hold birthday parties in their own homes. Those that do are usually the rich who can afford to hire off duty police as security guards - at $ 40 an hour.
Favourite past venues - Scout halls and local Council halls are no longer available for hire for parties due to past experience of damage caused and mess left behind.
Even the option of holding such parties in registered clubs creates problems. The club management has to ensure that no drinkers are under age - or risk their license - and for most venues that is just too much trouble - so requests are refused.
Teenagers whose parents refuse to host such parties are often the instigator of wild scenes in parks or on public beaches. They organise a meeting with a few friends which is nothing better than a drinking session and when this gets out of hand with invaders there is no damage to parent's homes and the wreckage left behind is someone else's problem.
It seems that the day of the well organised - and well conducted - birthday party is a thing of the past. These days - a request from a family member for a birthday party is a thing of dread for parents. Perhaps a sign of this ever changing world we live in !
No comments:
Post a Comment