Parents Who Host, Lose The Most

As it is graduation season it seems like a good time for me to hop up on my soapbox and discuss graduation parties, graduates drinking and parents condoning the behavior.  Please do keep in mind before jumping all over my case that the legal limit to drink in the US is 21, which by correlation means high school seniors drinking is illegal–and yes, still illegal for parents to provide them with alcohol, or a place to drink it.  I know many simply see this as a rite of passage, however, it is wrong, dead wrong as so many teens and their families have found out over the last few years in car accidents involving drunk teenagers.

The primary motivation behind this post is from an article I read on the CBS Minnesota website–School: Breathalyzer Or No Graduation.  Most of the reactionary comments, from what I can tell have been based upon the title itself (as is common), as opposed to actually reading the story.  There was reasonable suspicion there were a number of students that had been drinking and, in my opinion, it was very responsible of the school to decide to test everyone present.  What would have happened if after the practice one student, or even a group of them, were in a fatal car accident and it was later determined the school had suspicion of alcohol use?  You guessed it, the school would be in deep shit.  You cannot have it both ways folks, you cannot on one hand blame the school for an accident but compare them to Nazis if they are proactive about teen alcohol use.

Parents providing alcohol, or a place for graduates to drink, only contribute to the problem.  They create an environment where the teens perceive it as all right, if not acceptable, for them to drink.  I remember my own teens and a friend’s parent who allowed us to drink on their property, under the guise as long as they were watching us it was all right.  Parents really do need to step up to the plate and be parents instead of friends for their children in an attempt to garner them popularity among their peers.

With the rise of teen deaths due to alcohol, as well as problems for college students when it comes to drinking, we need to get back into the habit of villianizing alcohol use by teens–seems only logical as we do the same thing for cigarettes and other forms of tobacco.  Granted, teens are going to find a way to drink if they want too, however, parents, and other adults, do not need to be providing alcohol or a place to consume it to graduates or other teens.

Our kids have just made it out of high school, give them a chance to have a go at life and not risk it all over a few drinks.  Even if your teen does not die in a car accident, if they are the driver in a fatal accident their life is just as ruined as if they were the one to have died.  That is something very important to keep in mind folks, learn to say no to your children and understand the full consequences of your own actions.

Related articles

• Students Given Breathalyzer Tests at Graduation Rehearsal (kstp.com)
• Letter to the editor: Be safe this spring, never drink and drive (norwichbulletin.com)
• Schools trying to get parents up-to-speed on social hosting laws (pri.org)
• Students Given Breathalyzer Tests (personalliberty.com)