Question for parents of teens

[EAM Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close EAM]

Call the parents

Our son's school requests that all parents agree that they will call to be sure there will be adult supervision of teen parties.

Also, it is not enough to ask the parents "Will you be home during the party?"

You must also ask, "Will you be supervising the young people? Will you permit them to use alcoholic beverages or drugs."

I know of some situations in which the teens were in the basement drinking beer while the parents were on the second floor, blissfully unaware of what was going on literally under their feet.

[happymum Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close happymum]

Our son's school requests that all parents agree that they will call to be sure there will be adult supervision of teen parties.

Also, it is not enough to ask the parents "Will you be home during the party?"

You must also ask, "Will you be supervising the young people? Will you permit them to use alcoholic beverages or drugs."

I know of some situations in which the teens were in the basement drinking beer while the parents were on the second floor, blissfully unaware of what was going on literally under their feet.

Even more distressing is when the parents are home and actively supplying the booze. One family in our neighborhood hosted a Grade 8 farewell with liquor.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

These anecdotes of booze can't be that common surely. Isn't the legal drinking age in the U.S. 21? It's 18yrs in Australia.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I trust my son very much, If you trust them then don't worry. My son has a close friend who lost his dad last year. His dad was younger than me. My son told me that from the moment the father died the son started taking drugs. My son stopped hanging out with him. After a year the kid started to straighten out and my son now hangs out with him again. This kid came around because his friends did not follow. He got the hint and changed back for the good. My son knew what to do and did the right thing. He never abandoned the kid. He kept in contact by phone only to see how he was doing.

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

These anecdotes of booze can't be that common surely. Isn't the legal drinking age in the U.S. 21? It's 18yrs in Australia.

Unfortunately some parents are not very grown-up themselves.

At that Catholic girls' school I mentioned, ALL of the parents have to sign an agreement saying that they will not allow any of the girls to drink in their presence, and they, the parents, will not drink in the presence of the girls. Supposedly that is grounds for expulsion for the girls, with no refund of tuition. Yet my friends' DD was constantly seeing parents who let their DDs drink right in front of them (and I mean drink to excess, not a glass of wine with dinner) and who got drunk and then wanted to drive. Crazy.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

These anecdotes of booze can't be that common surely. Isn't the legal drinking age in the U.S. 21? It's 18yrs in Australia.

I wish they weren't, but it is a reality that so many of us with teens have to deal with here. Perhaps it's different in other parts of the country, but here in the suburbs it is really a problem. And yes the drinking age was raised to 21 many years ago, chiefly in an effort to cut down on teen drunk driving tragedies.