UADs...the controversy
by Opinion Question of the Day:
I was pointed to this by a friend with the interesting question that you see below. It's from a Q & A site with legal questions regarding minors:
Question #19: Is it legal to drink in your own home if your parents condone it?A: It is not legal for your parents to give it to you. As with most things, if you behave sensibly, no one will know. Many people think that no child should ever be given liquor. Many people think that children should be taught to drink at home. The law hesitates to invade a home and to tell people how to raise their children. However, when things go to beans, there can be all sorts of trouble from things which would not ordinarily give trouble. For example, a father gives a sip of beer to his children occasionally. The mother files for divorce, and tells the court and the local child protective authority about this in order to get custody of the children or to 'get even' with the Father.
I wanted more information about this topic, so I interviewed one of my under "under 21" friends as to why kids would want to drink. Here's what he said.
Me:How old are you?
Kid X: I'm 19 at the moment turning 20 later this year.
Me: So why do some people under 21 drink?
Kid X: Because they enjoy it and although nobody wants to admit it, drinking kind of makes you feel like an adult. It's the feeling something all the adults do- enjoying some alchohol. But I know that you start to get really dumb when you've had too much, and you just look like an immature high school kid.
Me: when you have kids, would you let your underage son or daughter drink at home? what would you do if you found out they were drinking?
Kid X:I would think that they could enjoy alchohol in the home. That law you mentioned isn't strictly enforced. But if i heard that they were drinking at parties and what-not I'd talk to them about it and put a stop to it.
Me:because they want to be older? like you said?
Kid X:yeah. but its very odd, because drinking underage is just wrong. There is no way to justify it. But yet people still do it, and find ways to make it ok.
So what would you all say when your son or daughter asks you if they can try some alcohol at home when they are 16?
AI Summary
23 Comments
ahh let them drink, euro's do it fine without problems, if it wasnt for that pesky law we wouldnt have as much problems
I've given a lot of thought to this. My mother has let me have alcohol in small amounts occasionaly at a party at my house for a few years now. Also, when we go to weddings I'm allowed to drink as well, in moderation. I have no desire to drink more then that and even when I'm at weddings I chose not to drink even though I'm allowed to. As was pointed out, Europe doesn't have the same problems the US does with drinking. That's because their drinking age is lower or non-existant in some countries. That makes drinking not so cool. It's not some big thing you have to wait for but don't want to. It's always available to you so it's no big deal. It's like, if you had to wait until you were 10 to eat, wouldn't you want to sneak bits of food before that? Ok maybe that was a dumb way to put it.
who says that europe doesn't have any problems, that they are fine, etc.? I"m trying to find something online to prove that the US has more problems only because it has WAAAAY more people...and that proportianlly, europe has more problems...
I totally agree with thatdarngirl.
My Italian side of the family always promoted drinking in very small amounts to children, it's a cultural thing. I always had a little sweet vermouth, brandy or wine just since it was the family thing to do. At home, with my predominatly German/Dutch grandmother, I would have a small glass of beer on pizza nights, if I chose to. Yeah, it did remove the stigma of drinking, so I guess it all depends on the motive behind UAD more than anything else...
social underage drinking, or drinking just to get drunk really bothers me. every day at school i hear people bragging about how wasted they got over the weekend, you wanna tell people to get a life
that is their life, sad eh?
i dont mind a little drink here or there..
haha, mike your mom said you couldnt drink in public at our wedding. LOL, now it looks like it's illegal even in private. (shhh, I wont tell....)
That's so funny... but yeah, we had the same problem ay my wedding... the bride was underage... we had soft drinks and everyone had one glass of champagne. We had a few bottles left over, so we took one or two on the honeymoon.
ill sneak some liquor in for u mike, dont worry PARTY UP IN THERE!
hahaha, see it doesnt really bother me.. i dont drink, and if i DO... which is pretty much never.. although, i did have some at jackie and larrys wedding, i had a sip of whatever katie got and some champagne... But it bothers me when people are underage and DRINK alot, i guess its just something that my family has always taught. Ive seen people drunk, and i just dont respect that or even people overdrinking, i dont care if its at home or out... it doesnt matter... but.. hey whatever floats your boat....
personally, Id let them have a drink at home if everyone else was (in moderation of course)...that way drinking doesnt have that forbidden temptation to it, but Id be like "its cool here, but only here til you're old enough and responsible enough to be under the influence when out of my control" One drink or ten, you're still influenced, especially at 1st. Better to gradually get their systems used to it to an extent rather than waiting for one uncontrollable binge on their 18th....or 21st if you live in the US. You have to learn your limit and respect what can happen when you exceed that limit. I think its better for that to be done in the safety of your own home.
Next time Matt..or anyone hear's someone at school or work talk about how cool they think drinking is..sing this little diddy to them:
Jimmy Fallon-Drinking In the Woods
I would have posted the lyrics but my inability to use html was giving me lots of trouble.
here u dum dum html lady!
Drinking In The Woods
I don't wanna
Do we have to
I don't wanna
Do we have to
Don't wanna go down and drink in the woods
We could get some Mad Dog and hang out in my garage
I got a ping pong table
I don't wanna
Do we have to
I don't wanna
Do we have to
Don't wanna drink in the woods, it sucks
Sit with 20 dudes in a pickup truck and we're gone
I got my thermals on
Gatorade bottles filled with Smirnoff
Got too close to the fire burn my eyebrows off
I puked by the tree
I peed in the grass
And you get pushed right onto your a$$
In the woods
Don't wanna drink in the woods tonight
The Last time I did I got into a fight
with some guy, who graduated 3 years ago
Paid 5 bucks for a plastic cup
Foam is spillin' out and it won't fill up
I pumped that tap, with my best friend
And he flipped me over for a keg stand (keg stand)
I'm drinkin' in the woods
I'm drunk
Tree trunk
I'm drunk
Tree trunk
(Edited to make font bigger, next time use the pre tags lil lady to paste lyrics!)
Thank you! And I'll have you know I tried for almost a half hour to get it right. The spaces wouldn't work and the bold wouldn't show up in the right spots and I just got so angry!
its called copy paste, then insert < pre > < h3 > and then after lyrics < /pre > < /h3 >
IM SO SMART GO ME! DOWN WITH MIKE!
I dont think drinking is that bad those bored kids need something to keep em busy!
cerrato..i think you say that cause you live in the middle of the woods in the official capital of the middle of nowhere!! like, if you lived in the city you might feel differently!
FYI In some states, it is legal for a child to enter a bar and drink with his or her parents. I beleive Texas is one of them but don't quote me on that. On the whole subject, I don't think there's anything wrong with letting your kid try some alcohol at home. My parents always let me and i think it was a good idea because it never made me want to try it behind their back. As witnesses there's a lot of things we don't do (ie smoking) that everyone else does. Drinking isn't something condemmed in the Bible therefore I think kids are more likely to sneak around and try it. Why not try it undre the supervision of your parents?
yea, haha, me and my family went to unassigned territory in north dakota a few years back, and there is no drinking age if your with your parents. it was quite exciting, cuz i was 12. haha
also, i agree completely with what you said. i have always been allowed to drink a little since i was like born, come on, i'm italian, they prolly put it in my baby bottle. haha but because of that, even though i'm only 19 now, i've never had the desire to try stuff or sneak, cuz i know i could just have it at home. whats the point?