How to throw a party and hide it from your parents

You just got word that your parents are going away for the weekend. It's every teenager's dream to throw an awesome party and keep their parents from finding out, but often simple mistakes can lead to trouble (and more importantly, no more unsupervised weekends). Follow these steps to throw a bash and successfully hide it from your parents.

Things You'll Need

• Empty house
• Friends
• Cleaning supplies

Instructions

1. Keep the party small. You may be tempted to tell the whole school, but remember that someone who doesn't know your name isn't going to care about smashing your mom's favorite vase. Make sure that word doesn't leak out by only inviting trusted friends and keeping any Internet invitations private.

2. Party-proof your parents' house by going through every room the day of the party and removing any valuables, rugs and anything else that could potentially be damaged. Remember where things were placed so you can put them back when the party's over.

3. Lock or somehow block the doors of any rooms you don't want people to enter. Most people at a party will just ignore a sign on the door.

4. Ask your friends to park down the street, and keep the shades drawn in the house to avoid suspicion from your neighbors. Remember, they're all potential spies.

5. At the party, keep the noise level to a minimum. If the police show up at your door, you're a dead man.

6. Don't serve alcohol, if you can help it. The party will be much more manageable. If there is alcohol present, make sure drinking doesn't get out of hand. You don't want to have to call an ambulance because someone drank too much and make sure that no one drinks and drives. If something happens to them, you and your parents could be liable.

7. When the party is over, make sure you dispose of all trash far away from your house to avoid the dreaded, "Hon? What are all these beer cans doing in the recycling? We never drink Bud Light!" Then clean up extremely carefully, replace all valuables and act casual (but not too casual) when your parents come home.

Tips & Warnings

• Serve food that isn't too messy (avoid Cheetos) and drinks that won't stain (i.e., not fruit punch). This will greatly increase your chances of getting off scot-free.

• Don't ask too many pointed questions about when your parents are leaving and returning. This sets off all sorts of parental alarms. They've seen those teen party movies too, you know.

• Make sure your parents haven't asked a relative or a neighbor to check up on you. If you are busted by them, throw yourself on their mercy. They were young once and they might keep your secret if your party isn't out of control.