Parents how would you respond to your underage child being served alcohol ?

[MAJOR METAL]

Parents how would you respond to your underage child being served alcohol ?

[wazzel]

Depends on the actual age of the child and who is serving them what. With our family and the people we hang with I am not concerned about anyone giving my kids something with out me or my wife giving the OK first.

[warnergt]

The stuff would hit the fan. I would read the riot act to whoever provided the booze. Depending on the circumstance, I might even contact the police. If it happened a second time, I would absolutely, positively bring law enforcement or legal action into the situation. You have to make it crystal clear that there will not be a repeat of the incident with your child or anybody else's. Period.

[Johnny Crab]

A good friend's daughter(underage, minor) lost her virginity to a stranger after being loaded up with booze.
FUBAR

[eleonn]

Cant say much about this. My first time at a bar the whole night was when I was 16 with some friends.

[MakiSupaStar]

I guess it really depends on how old. Right now my son is five. I give him sips of beer here and there now and again (he doesn't like it), but if someone was to get him sick or drunk at this age, I would rip their heads off. However, if he's a teenager, (15+), most likely I would rip his head off, and then the people that served him.

[standupright]

you can serve your country......but can't be served a beer....

[René_Julien]

Under 14, I'd have a serious chat with the one serving the alcohol and with my child.

[Mark Latimour]

It would depend on the context.

[Rusty Chainsaw]

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

It would depend on the context.

+1. I was given wine with dinner from the age of 12, and my grandmother used to dip my dummy (pacifier) in sherry when I was a baby to make me go to sleep more quickly!

I first got drunk (and had my first hangover) at 15 with my parents' consent (I lived in a pub) - they wanted me to learn to drink responsibly and know my limits. It worked!

[Snakeman1066]

+1 dad did the same thing with me.....he and i sat down with a bottle and he let me go until i puked and i didn't move from the couch for thee days afterwards....yep it worked

after that i don't think i drank again until i was out on my own and over 21

if somebody served alcohol to my underage children i'm afraid i would have to get the police involved.

[Rusty Chainsaw]

Originally Posted by Snakeman1066

if somebody served alcohol to my underage children i'm afraid i would have to get the police involved.

I wouldn't care if it was a situation where, say, the kid was going round to dinner with another kid's parents, and they were served wine with dinner, as long as the parents weren't alcoholics or anything. If it was a kid going into a pub/bar and getting served alcohol when they're under 18 (or 21 in the US), then there's an issue. There's responsible drinking and irresponsible drinking, and I encourage responsible drinking.

[fishtx]

I would be furious....

[Demian]

Maybe I should not answer that question since I'm neither a father of children nor living in the US, but the issue is just to interesting and I've been discussing it with different people so I could not deny myself responding to this question.

At first I have to say that to someone who was born and is still living in Europe (and btw. has never been to the USA), it is really hard to understand why there are so strict laws against alcohol in most states of the US and why one reads and hears quite militant opinions about booze from time to time. No offense, it's just a cultural difference I'd say.
Laws here in Germany are not as strict as in the US, but way stricter than in some other European countries. To cut a long story short, the facts are: Nobody under the age of 16 maybe served alcohol and nobody under the age of 18 maybe served drinks containing brandy, hard liquor or spirits. Which means basically: When you turned 16, you're allowed to drink beer, wine, cider and all that stuff, and when turned 18, you're allowed to have the hard stuff like Jägermeister, Vodka, Whiskey whatsoever as well. As far as I know there's some idea behind it, it's somehow concerning education. Rusty Chainsaw already had that idea in his comment:

Originally Posted by Rusty Chainsaw

I first got drunk (and had my first hangover) at 15 with my parents' consent (I lived in a pub) - they wanted me to learn to drink responsibly and know my limits. It worked!

Of course, German laws do not want you do get drunk, but it seems logical so me that you should get to know alcoholic drinks as they are part of western culture and it's better to start with the less hard ones. So you can learn how alcohol will affect you. And let me tell you something: I only got drunk really badly once. And since that happened to me, I've been quite respectful and cagey when it comes to drinking more than one or two beers. I'd say it worked out well. I belive it's better to learn how to cope with alcohol step by step instead of being kept away from it until one is full of age and then there is nothing that's keeping one away from doing whatever one wants to.
Unfortunately, it does not work out in every case. Especially then, if owners of bars, restaurants, beverage stops or fueling stations don't respect the laws. The brother of a good friend of mine got drunk on vodka at the age of fourteen (don't know where he got that from). Of course, this is something that may not pass and surely, if I'd done that at that age, my parents would have reacted like C'thulhu put it.

In the end I'd like to underline that alcohol and underaged adolescents is (besides whatever law there is probably) a delicate issue. But just because it is like that, one should not put it like it's all black and white and somehow demonize it. I strongly believe that this is not the way one learns how to deal with alcohol in responsible way. It's better to have teenagers learning their lessons under the supervising of their relatives and the society than turning it into something that's sort of evil so they do it because it is said to be like that (mind that: things which are prohibited appear quite attractive to many teenagers) and somewhere were nobody can keep an eye on it.

[hbarcat]

I've let my daughter have small amounts of beer and wine from time to time since she was about age 12 but only an ounce or two. I don't want her to think of alcohol as some kind of mystical, forbidden substance. She sees me drink beer in moderation and I hope that she will follow that example and respect it the same way.

BTW, Wisconsin law permits children to drink beer and wine in the presence of a parent.


If somone else gave my child alcohol without my permission I would either get the police involved or take care of it some other way.

[EricF]

I'm not to that point yet (my kids are 10 and 4), but I would say that a lot will depend on my kids and the context of the situation.

[deggial]

I live in Greece. We offer our children alcohol from the age of 10, so it's pretty much a non-issue. Most people in Greece have their first alcoholic drink (wine or beer) around 10 years old under adult supervision, usually in a family dinner or other such occasion with adults around.

I think this portrays the usage of alcoholic drinks in a much better fashion, as a normal activity most adults do for entertainment, rather than state restrictions that make the whole topic a taboo and fail to teach responsibility.

[jrthebassguy]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

I've let my daughter have small amounts of beer and wine from time to time since she was about age 12 but only an ounce or two. I don't want her to think of alcohol as some kind of mystical, forbidden substance. She sees me drink beer in moderation and I hope that she will follow that example and respect it the same way.

BTW, Wisconsin law permits children to drink beer and wine in the presence of a parent.


If somone else gave my child alcohol without my permission I would either get the police involved or take care of it some other way.

Texas law is somewhat similar - some restaurants here will serve to people 18+, as long as you are with your parents. Same law applies to the home too. You still can't buy it though.


My parents raised me in a way you are doing with your daughter, and I turned out just fine.

[buzzbass]

I'd be kickin' someone's arse, that's for sure.

[MatticusMania]

When I was 16 we had our friends Mom buy us booze all the time! She was the coolest! She always made sure we had rides home and that no one was drinking and driving! Best times!