Mommy said it was OK -- Promt 13

I think that social host laws will not totally eliminate the problem of underage drinking because, even though these laws do encourage parents to be more responsible, it is not possible to punish every violation of the law. Also there are some parents who do not care enough to make sure their children stay out of the bottle even if there is a law prohibiting underage drinking.

I do not believe that stricter parental liability, can reverse society's tacit acceptance of underage drinking, but it will help. When parents are held responsibly for their children's actions they will pay more attention to what their kids are doing and moms and dads will also have an extra reason to stay involved in their kids lives. If kids realized that their parents actually cared about them they would also have a bonus encouragement to behave. If the responsible adults suffered the consequences of their child's drinking habits there would be a lot less parent who didn't really care if their kids sampled the "fruit of the vine."

If parent were held responsible for all their children's actions then us kids would never need to grow. We as young adults need to learn that our actions have consequences that effect us and others, not just our parents. Parents are the ones who taught us, but we are the ones who chose the actions that we will do.

Parents who let their kids drink at home are playing with fire. Yes, this tactic does give exposure in moderation, but why do we need to be exposed. Our parents didn't stick our hands in the fire to let us know it was hot, why should they tempt us with alchol when we could do without. This habit of drinking at home blurs the line between what is socially acceptable and just plain overuse.

Actions speak louder than words. If the example that teens see in the home was one that didn't encourage drinking, then kids would be less likely to feel the need to try it for themselves. Kids seek outside the home what they cannot find inside the home, give them love at home and they will not seek it out in booze.