Some parents are more lenient when it comes to their children experimenting and even using drugs or alcohol. Some parents allow their teens to have a drink at the dinner table or even allow their child to go to social gatherings where they have a pretty good idea that drugs and alcohol may be involved.
Still other parents actually serve alcohol to their teens and their friends. The thought process is a rational one – they would keep the children in their home so that they don’t do something stupid like do drugs or drink and drive.
Illegal Stupidity
Despite it sounding rational to many people, providing alcohol to your children and their friends in your own home is not only morally wrong, but illegal. Growing up one of my classmates had a party, without parental consent. One of the kids crashed into a tree after leaving the party. Guess who got sued? Yep – the parents. They are responsible for the alcohol in their home. Be smart don’t supply it.
Irish Tragedy
Perhaps you saw the story out of the United Kingdom last weekend where a 15-year-old Irish girl died at a party after taking drugs. The parents, one of whom is a lecturer at a British university, allowed his 14-year-old daughter to host a party while he and his girlfriend went out.
Of course it was poor common sense to leave these teenagers alone to have a party. The underlying issue here is that middle-class parents are in denial that their children and/or their friends are using drugs.
The key here is to show some common sense. Understand that all teens are exposed to drugs and alcohol. Never assume your kids are different. This tragedy easily could have been avoided had parents had more common sense. Maybe if the children had taken a minor in possession or alcohol awareness class it could have been avoided