I will say, there’s a lot of social occasions we’ve declined to go to or have had one of us stay home because we didn’t even want to ask about bringing our son - we’d have been the only ones with a toddler. I was happy to stay home and simply enjoy being with the little family we’ve created.

Shit man, I had to deal with that shit when we didn’t allow children at our wedding. We shelled out a ton of cash and didn’t want little kids running around and ruining it...especially because my friends like to get shit faced.

There were two couples who threw a big stink about it. One was my bro and his wife.

After the wedding was over, they “got” why I said no kids.

Some of these responses just make me laugh. we were all kids once, Someone had to put up with your shit no matter how good you thought you were.

it's a freakin football game, what your not going to yell at the t.v. when your team scores a touch down?

I wouldn’t worry about bringing a 16 year old if I were hosting a party especially if they have driver’s license and can be the parent’s designated driver.

As someone without kids, my main beef is that my home isn’t kid proofed for younger kids and I’m not going to spend time or money kid proofing it either. I’m not talking about spills and breaking things either. I’m talking about no covers over electrical outlets, dangerous chemicals (eg bleach in kitchen and laundry room) in convenient and accessible locations and there aren’t any infernal cabinet locks, knives laying around in 4 or 5 rooms, etc.

A lesser beef with young kids coming to a party is it’s practically impossible to have a conversation with the parent because they’re either half listening while watching the kid or the kid is interrupting constantly. Not an issue with a teen who is glued to their phone.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

As someone without kids, my main beef is that my home isn’t kid proofed for younger kids and I’m not going to spend time or money kid proofing it either.

My wife and I went through that with a group of couples we used to gather with. They were younger so had single digit kids. The problem is decades ago parents would be embarrassed by their child's behavior and control it. Today a lot of parents let their kids run around like wild animals and expect everyone to tolerate it.

You don't let a 16 year old girl out of your sight.

Good parents.

I always felt as though it was on me as the invited guest to ask (if the invitation was not clear) if I could bring my children.

Super Bowl party? 16 year old? If she wants to come along I would not care.

(I do think it is odd that her parents wouldn't give her the option to stay home or do her own thing. What 16 yo girl wants to hang out and watch football?)

Hey I could be wrong, maybe she's a huge fan. I know My 16 year old daughter wouldn't be interested.

Then again I don't feel the need to keep my 16yo in my sight every second of the day. So far she's proven herself to be pretty responsible and trustworthy.

quote:

Originally posted by rsbolo:
So far she's proven herself to be pretty responsible and trustworthy.

And clever!

To the OP's point beyond just the game and a 16 YO, I do see it as an increasing trend where many parents wear their never-gone-anywhere-without-kiddo history as some badge of honor. I'm all for family time and involving kids as much as possible. I'm also a huge fan of couples staying close for the long term (well beyond the 18 years a kid's with you) and think that warrants some care and feeding along the lines of doing some stuff, taking some trips, etc. alone, just the two of them.

We have friends who think that is absurd and disrespectful to their children and their family.

Not sure if you're serving alcohol, but maybe they want a designated driver without having to pay for Uber. Could be way off, I'm just a cheapskate. Have some friends with kids that age, and they are generally happy if their kids want to spend any time with them.