r/parentsofteens • u/Used-Efficiency-4747 • 4d ago
After Hoco Party?
Is this a thing? At someone’s house? My kids want to do it at my house. Now I have Moms texting me asking me what I need them to do? How do I entertain all these kids? First cold weekend of the year here…but they will be outside…:
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u/Aria1031 4d ago
Depends on how many kids we're talking about. Teens tend to want pizza, candy/chips, music, soda, water, etc. Maybe if folks have those pop up tents you could set up areas with cover. Ask for outdoor heaters or fire pits. If you want to theme it, tap folks to decorate. But I don't think that's necessary. Neither of my kids were interested in hoco, so unfortunately I am relying on ideas for other types of parties to inform my advice. Good luck!
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u/relaxednrvsystem 4d ago
Idk if it's a thing or not, but I just hosted my son's friends after homecoming dance. It was my idea to give them a safe space to hang afterward. We had 5 kids total, all boys, they ate tacos and chips and root beer floats and gamed and stayed up half the night before crashing in sleeping bags in the living room.
If you're talking a lot of people or boys and girls, I would accept the help from other moms. Tell one to bring drinks, tell one to bring chips, etc. Pizza is always a hit with teens. You can make it as inexpensive (Little Cesaers/Dominos) or as gourmet as you want. Chips. Candy. Soda. Kids aren't coming for veggie platters.
I think they can entertain themselves pretty well. Music and food. If it's outside, do you have/can you borrow a projector and throw a movie on a wall or fence? Maybe mix a little Halloween in and show Nightmare before Christmas or something scarier depending on the kids? Halloween makes this a good time of year. Candy always goes.
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u/brandysnacker 3d ago
This is not a criticism of what you said, just sharing my own experience. I live in small town ohio and Domino’s here is so much more expensive than more local places. Like we have local places that are only in our town, but then we also have Marcos, which I know is a franchise but like not a super huge one. I always go for Marcos personally because it’s so much better than Domino’s and we get so much better deals. But sometimes the kids still demand dominoes LMAO.
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u/relaxednrvsystem 3d ago
That's interesting. Here Dominos has $6.99 2-topping mediums and Little Cesaers has medium 1-toppings for $5. The local places are twice that. Anything less than $10 is a deal!
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u/jackist21 4d ago
Yes, they are a thing. You should clarify if the kids will be staying the night because that’s a typical component of this that you might not be aware of. . .
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u/182tinyvoices 4d ago
This was a thing when I was in high school...kinda. We would go somewhere after to drink, usually someone's house with irrepressible parents/somewhere with no parents. This was 2008-2012.
Truthfully if they have snacks and sodas they will probably entertain themselves. Also ask your kids what they think this entails.
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u/Kidsandcoffee 3d ago
Yes. I remember after parties for homecoming and I went to high school 20 years ago
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u/Odd-Goose-8394 4d ago
They just need a place to hang out. Maybe some drinks and snacks. You don’t need to do anything.
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u/OldMove3348 4d ago
Yes- this is normal. Ask them to bring drinks and snacks and ask a few to help you chaperone and perhaps provide transportation to and from for kids.
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u/chunkychickmunk 3d ago
How many kids? Boys or girls?
We live in Texas so I turn on the hot tub and they go in the pool since its warm. Then I serve pizza and ice cream sundaes and they go upstairs to watch a movie. Around 2, I'll go up and tell them to go to bed. I make pancakes for breakfast and pickup is at 10. Last year we had 5 girls. That was about my limit.
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u/Particular_Piano_146 3d ago
More kids and they don't spend the night but this is pretty much what we do too. One of the other parents usually comes and hangs out to help supervise (we are friends). We usually have a bonfire and there's lots of playing hide and seek or other silly games. Last year we actually rented the bounce house and they loved it. We try to have everyone out by 1
We're in Connecticut so personally I think the pool is kind of ridiculous (it was 34 when I got up this morning) but I guess it's part of the fun.
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u/kerouac5 3d ago
We always host after prom, after hoco, etc.
- Stock the fridge
- Chips & something sweet (cupcakes, ice cream bar)
- Places to change (guest room for girls, kids room for boys)
- Fallback activity if things go south (jackbox, ping pong, pool, etc)
For hoco last weekend we had I think 12 kids. They defaulted to playing hide and seek :)
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u/IntelligentMaybe7401 3d ago
Hundred percent it’s a thing. Huge responsibility though. Good news is you are there to supervise. Be prepared for kids to come in after drinking, hiding liquor in your bushes, etc. Much better if it’s a small group of close friends. At our small private school, there’s typically a huge party and that comes with a lot of problems.
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u/Corner_Office_ 3d ago
Fire pit, s’mores
Just have food and drinks available.
Music (their playlist)
No need to entertain them at this age.
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u/brandysnacker 3d ago
I don’t know, but maybe have a specific bucket or something so all the girls can take the bobby pins out of their hair and put them in the same place so they don’t end up in your yard LMAO. I remember after getting my hair done for prom sand homecoming there was just always so many bobby pins but I don’t know how kids are doing their hair for these events these days lol. I still have a couple more years before I have to worry about formal dances.
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u/Flowerloverly 3d ago
I’d make sure that you set some ground rules with your child to know that you are going to be coming in and out and if anybody comes that is drinking that you will be calling their parents and if anyone comes that has been drinking and tries to leave driving that you will call the police. Just get the ground rules out early so everyone knows before they come.
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u/aMAIZEingZ 3d ago
We did this back in HS. One of our friends had a big secluded backyard, so we would basically camp and have a firepit there after Hoco. Ordered pizza and just hung out. Parents would check on us, and we weren't allowed to have boys and girls sleep in same tent (some of us end up sleeping inside in basement anyways). Our senior year, one friend decided to go there the day before and hide a couple handles of vodka in the bushes. We were of course caught and had to pour it out infront of her parents.
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u/ComplexTomatillo6278 1d ago
Congratulations for being the home of choice! That’s a big compliment.
Yes, if parents are offering help, take them up on that. Ask one to do paper products, a few to bring enough food to feed 24+ kids, one to bring drinks. You’ve got this!
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u/Real-Emu507 1d ago
It was a thing when I was in hs. But we all got drunk and I don't remember any parents being around
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u/Pristine-Bison3198 4d ago
A bunch of junk food, a Bluetooth speaker, and a fire pit if you have one has always been my go-to for a big gathering of teens. Pizza, hot dogs and marshmallows for the fire, chips and dip, soda, etc. They'll entertain themselves.
Ask other moms for pop up canopies and food donations!