Underage drinking under adult supervision.

Chris wrote:How would you feel about kids being legally permitted to drink under the supervision of adults?

Nystyle709 wrote:

Chris wrote:How would you feel about kids being legally permitted to drink under the supervision of adults?

So you mean a sober adult should be in the room to watch kids get drunk? Nah. I'm not feeling that. And if adults are getting drunk with children, that damn sure isn't a good idea and would defeat the purpose anyway. Let the age limit stay where it is.

Shale wrote:

Nystyle709 wrote:

So you mean a sober adult should be in the room to watch kids get drunk? Nah. I'm not feeling that. And if adults are getting drunk with children, that damn sure isn't a good idea and would defeat the purpose anyway. Let the age limit stay where it is.

I think by the "supervision of adults" is meant that no one is getting drunk. You've extrapolated something out of context of the original post. I believe the question is asking if it should be legal for adults, likely parents to give their kids alcoholic beverages - with limits (supervision).


My answer is still the same. Give them alcohol so they can like it and ask for more? No.

Shale wrote:This is my grandson and I celebrating his 16th Birthday.



(in Mexico)

He's 20 now and still not an alcoholic.

Nystyle709 wrote: ...how many drinks would be considered acceptable 'under adult supervision'? Give 'em one drink just so that can get a taste of alcohol. What if they ask for more? Give them more? ...

Shale wrote:

Nystyle709 wrote: ...how many drinks would be considered acceptable 'under adult supervision'? Give 'em one drink just so that can get a taste of alcohol. What if they ask for more? Give them more? ...

Again, extrapolating things that did not happen. In this case we each had one Dos Equis apiece. He didn't ask for another, possibly knowing I would not allow it. That is what is meant by "adult supervision" and adult example. Beer and wine are ancient beverages that families have enjoyed for millenia including young ppl under our arbitrary age of 21.

. We are not talking about wine. We are not talking about beer. There were no specifics. The question didn't ask should they drink vodka or wine or beer or whatever. The question asked should kids be allowed to legally DRINK under adult supervision. You had limits with your grandson with regards to drinking, and that's good, but what's good for the goose may not be good for the gander. I didn't 'extrapolate' a damn thing. It's a perfectly reasonable scenario. If kids are allowed to DRINK under adult supervision, then where IS the line drawn in regards to other alcoholic drinks that will get them fucked up or potentially kill them? Ever heard of alcohol poisoning? That's all I'm saying. If you allow your kid to have a glass of wine or beer in your house every now and then, okay. That's cool for you. That's in your house. That's what YOU allow. That doesn't mean it should be allowed across the board because if it was, there would be no limitations. And it's something that you can't put limitations on. Alcohol is alcohol. YOU might be a responsible adult, but the next adult might not be. So just leave it alone. THAT is my point. Let them sneak and do it. At least you won't be held responsible if they would somehow get alcohol poisoning......or worse.

Supernova wrote:Yeah, I am failing to see how parents being able to teach their kids how to drink responsibly and being able to monitor what they drink and the kids knowing they can do this in front of their parents without automatically being grounded for life is worse than the current situation of don't allow it at all and the kids will all just sneak around and binge drink in private since they're breaking the law anyway, and there're no adults around to try and supervise so why not go all the way on it?

Would you supervise you teenager having sex? You can't teach someone to drink responsibly. There is only ONE rule to 'drinking responsibly' and that's don't drink and drive. Or don't drink and operate heavy machinery. Kids don't need to be drinking at an early age to learn that.

In Europe it's perfectly legal for kids to drink wine, but you don't hear about European's teenagers fatally drinking and driving in numbers far surpassing America's, why is that?

Nystyle709 wrote:
Would you supervise you teenager having sex? You can't teach someone to drink responsibly. There is only ONE rule to 'drinking responsibly' and that's don't drink and drive. Or don't drink and operate heavy machinery. Kids don't need to be drinking at an early age to learn that.

Nystyle709 wrote: ... So just leave it alone. THAT is my point. Let them sneak and do it. At least you won't be held responsible if they would somehow get alcohol poisoning......or worse.

Supernova wrote:So the solution is to give parents less responsibility, therefore being less involved in their kids' lives and less involved in pressing issues for confused young people?

Nystyle709 wrote:

Supernova wrote:So the solution is to give parents less responsibility, therefore being less involved in their kids' lives and less involved in pressing issues for confused young people?

Okay, you just totally 'extrapolated' (LOL) my entire point. Let your teenager drink in your house Supernova. My teenager is not going to drink in mine. At least, I'm not going to GIVE it them. First of all, quit acting like alcohol is some kind a freakin' necessity or something. They don't need the shit to live. Alcohol shouldn't and doesn't need to be in their life period so I don't understand how this would be considered a 'pressing issue'. They have far more. However, that being said, it's still your house. I do believe in parents being able to raise their children any way they see fit so if that's what you want to allow, by all means, rock out. But since there ARE irresponsible parents in the world, I don't think this should be made a law. Is that good enough for you?

Shale wrote:

Nystyle709 wrote: ... So just leave it alone. THAT is my point. Let them sneak and do it. At least you won't be held responsible if they would somehow get alcohol poisoning......or worse.

And my point is that as a parent or grandparent it is good to demonstrate responsible drinking. If they sneak around, like at a frat party where they have drinking contests, that is where kids die from alcohol poisoning. If they have experience with responsible drinking with responsible adults, it might prevent such foolishness.

I agree. So now answer this, what if they are drinking and brought up in a house with other irresponsible adults who don't drink responsibly? Who do have drinking contests? Where there are NO limits to alcohol and kids can drink like a damn fish because there are 'adults' in the room? What do they learn? You're assuming that all adults are like you. That is not and will not be the case. At least if it's not legal, by the time they are old enough to drink....they will know better. At least they should. By the time you're old enough to drive, you know better than to run a red light. Same thing.

I first got drunk as a teenager. Went to a party where older kids had lots of booze and I had to try it all. Got embarrassingly drunk, running down the street screaming and being a fool. But it was new to me. This is why it should be legal (just as with a driver permit) for kids to drink under supervision of adults - instead of being cut loose all of a sudden with other irresponsible ppl.

Chris wrote:How would you feel about kids being legally permitted to drink under the supervision of adults?

Shale wrote:

Nystyle709 wrote: ... So just leave it alone. THAT is my point. Let them sneak and do it. At least you won't be held responsible if they would somehow get alcohol poisoning......or worse.

And my point is that as a parent or grandparent it is good to demonstrate responsible drinking. If they sneak around, like at a frat party where they have drinking contests, that is where kids die from alcohol poisoning. If they have experience with responsible drinking with responsible adults, it might prevent such foolishness.

Nystyle709 wrote:I agree. So now answer this, what if they are drinking and brought up in a house with other irresponsible adults who don't drink responsibly? Who do have drinking contests? Where there are NO limits to alcohol and kids can drink like a damn fish because there are 'adults' in the room? What do they learn? You're assuming that all adults are like you. That is not and will not be the case. At least if it's not legal, by the time they are old enough to drink....they will know better. At least they should. By the time you're old enough to drive, you know better than to run a red light. Same thing.

I first got drunk as a teenager. Went to a party where older kids had lots of booze and I had to try it all. Got embarrassingly drunk, running down the street screaming and being a fool. But it was new to me. This is why it should be legal (just as with a driver permit) for kids to drink under supervision of adults - instead of being cut loose all of a sudden with other irresponsible ppl.

Shale wrote:

Shale wrote:
And my point is that as a parent or grandparent it is good to demonstrate responsible drinking. If they sneak around, like at a frat party where they have drinking contests, that is where kids die from alcohol poisoning. If they have experience with responsible drinking with responsible adults, it might prevent such foolishness.



I first got drunk as a teenager. Went to a party where older kids had lots of booze and I had to try it all. Got embarrassingly drunk, running down the street screaming and being a fool. But it was new to me. This is why it should be legal (just as with a driver permit) for kids to drink under supervision of adults - instead of being cut loose all of a sudden with other irresponsible ppl.

I wish you would learn how to handle quotes.

I can handle quotes just fine thank you. Unless you're going to dispute what I said since this is a discussion, I'll take your non-response as a concession retort. Tis all good. You be easy.

Supernova wrote:

Nystyle709 wrote:


Okay, you just totally 'extrapolated' (LOL) my entire point. Let your teenager drink in your house Supernova. My teenager is not going to drink in mine. At least, I'm not going to GIVE it them. First of all, quit acting like alcohol is some kind a freakin' necessity or something. They don't need the shit to live. Alcohol shouldn't and doesn't need to be in their life period so I don't understand how this would be considered a 'pressing issue'. They have far more. However, that being said, it's still your house. I do believe in parents being able to raise their children any way they see fit so if that's what you want to allow, by all means, rock out. But since there ARE irresponsible parents in the world, I don't think this should be made a law. Is that good enough for you?

Well nobody is saying the law should FORCE parents who don't want their kids to drink to let them drink, if you don't want your kids drinking at home, that's fine, but if the parents ARE up for being responsible and teaching their kids the right way to handle alcohol, that should be their right.

*I'ma try this again*


I am not concerned with parents who are responsible enough to 'teach' their children how to drink responsibly. I am concerned for the kids with parents who ARE NOT. An 18 yr old in this country is considered an adult. So it would be okay to have an 18 yr old supervise a 15 yr old drinking? Like I said before, you cannot ASSUME that all adults are the SAME. If adult supervision is required for kids to drink is legal....then you are making a blanket statement that every adult is capable of 'teaching' them how to drink. That is not a good idea. So many kids are going to get hurt because of that.

Like Shale said, this shouldn't be something that at a certain age you can just cut the kids loose and let them learn the hard way how to do it, because YES, THAT is how a lot of people are dying by alcohol poisoning, they reach 21 and decide to go wild and down 21 drinks, and drop dead before the night's over. Believe it or not there ARE parents who do drink and are responsible about it and are capable of training their kids to be the same way.

I'ma say this again: YOU CANNOT ASSUME THAT ALL ADULTS ARE THE SAME WAY. Listen, if you make it YOUR perogative to want to teach your child how to drink, then by all means go ahead. But you are going to have children who do not have that. It's not a good idea to have any damn adult supervise any damn child drinking because you can't put limits on it.

And considering that the average teenager who DOES drink starts at 14, and others start at 12, and get it from their friends, and when surveyed on the subject said they did it to keep up with their friends, I think we CAN call it a pressing issue because how many alcoholics are there in this country with physical damage done by drinking? And are you willing to bet that the vast majority of those that exist waited until they were 21 to start drinking or do you think they started in school with their friends and it stuck?

The latter. But that doesn't meant that if they were allowed to drink at home, that they wouldn't have ended up an alcoholics. It depends on the person. Again, stop making the blanket statements. Solely being an adult doesn't guarantee you that you'll drink responsibly. So why make it legal for them to do so in the presence of kids?

And all a parent is legally supposed to be able to do is say to them 'don't drink?' Would you call it effective if a parent's solution for their kid who is at the age where they're curious about sex is just 'don't do it until you're married' instead of informing them about all the risks and precautions that need to be taken and where they can obtain the appropriate protection?

So informing them about alcohol means they gotta drink it? LOL. This is a completely different situation. You're trying to equate something that just doesn't work. Of course I would give my child pertinent information about sex. But I'm not going to bring the damn boy or girl to the house so they can try it out and experience it on their own.

Why does everybody laugh at Nancy Reagan's 'just say no to drugs' campaign? Because it didn't work. Just telling the kids to say no isn't going to solve much except with the few kids who do everything their parents tell them to, but most kids are not like that and are going to venture out and experiment with things, whether or not their parents are okay with it, and whether or not their parents have taught them what to do, but the ones who are taught up front may prove better off than the ones who are just unleashed on temptation with no strings attached.

TSJFan4Ever wrote:I guess it depends on the context. My first thought was in the family home, with the parents supervising, as in having a class of wine at a special family dinner. I'm fine with that, as it's the way I was raised I would hesitant if it meant a house party with open alcohol but if it was a small group and I really trusted the parents and knew that they'd be there in the room the whole time, I might be more lenient. ITA that it's a parents' responsibility to teach a child about responsible drinking. A parent should model responsible drinking. I think we could learn a lot from European laws in this matter and how children are raised around alcohol.