Mom's 4 Tips Make Her Home the Teen Hangout Spot

Amy White's dining room is packed with college students playing cards and laughing on Christmas break. The best part? They chose to be there instead of anywhere else in town.

White cracked the code on becoming "the house" where teenagers actually want to hang out. Her Instagram video showing her son's friends gathered at home racked up 8.5 million views as parents everywhere asked: How do you make this happen?

The answer starts earlier than you think. White says you need to become the hangout spot during middle or high school to have any hope of keeping that status through college. Waiting until they're older means you've already missed the window.

Her second rule is simple but costly: stock snacks and never complain about what gets eaten. White told her kids' friends they could raid the pantry and fridge without asking. No guilt trips about the grocery bill allowed.

Here's where many parents get it wrong. Being "the house" doesn't mean being the "cool house" that bends rules or serves alcohol. White kept her home completely dry for underage kids, and guess what? They still showed up every weekend.

"We were not the house that served alcohol or even allowed the kids to bring alcohol to our house," she writes. "And Guess What?? The kids still came and wanted to hang at our house!" Research from the University of Buffalo backs her up, finding that teens allowed to drink at home face higher risks of alcohol addiction later in life.

White's fourth tip might be the hardest: say yes almost every time your kid asks to have friends over. Her answer is yes 99% of the time, even when it's inconvenient. Kids learn quickly which homes welcome them and which ones don't.

The mess is worth it, White insists. She loves a clean house but would "much rather have a crazy messy house for the kids where memories are made than a quiet house with nothing going on."

Sunny's Take

Parents in the comments shared their own stories of hosting teenage hordes. One mom wrote about waking up to demolished kitchens every weekend and loving every minute. Another remembered her kids' high school friends visiting for weeks during college summers.

The payoff goes beyond keeping tabs on your own kids. Some of those teenagers showing up at your door might just need an adult who cares. A safe place to land. A house that feels like home even when it isn't theirs.

White's college-aged son and his friends playing cards at her dining room table prove the investment paid off. They grew up, moved away, and still chose to come back.