what is with parents serving alcohol at parties for kids who are 15 and 16?

[Anonymous]

It's a Catholic school thing, in my experience. Lots of country club types who can't imagine having fun without alcohol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a Catholic school thing, in my experience. Lots of country club types who can't imagine having fun without alcohol.

As a catholic myself you went entirely wrong but this applies to the cathedral schools as well.

[Anonymous]

I actually appreciated my friend's parents who did this for us when we were in high school, since I learned to drink in a safe single sex environment (we would usually spend the night) and learned what my limits were before going to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious how others react if they find out a parent does this. I found out one of my teen’s friends’ parents let them drink alcohol and use weed products several times at their house (they weren’t sneaking it-parent was fully aware) during when they were just turned 16. I’ve had the rule my child can’t spend time in that house. Reasonable?

You are not only being reasonable, you are also being a responsible parent. I would also speak clearly and directly with my teen about why they are no longer allowed to visit that home, under any circumstances—it’s unsafe there because the parents lack proper judgment.

[Anonymous]

This has been going on for years. Some parents feel that they will do it anyway and they prefer the kids to be supervised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What’s a Kavanaugh situation?

A completely made-up event?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:European who went to private here in the US.

I’ve been drinking wine since 13 and many of my friends were drinking in high school. I can extrapolate that to all private kids, but it tracks.

Why do so many (most?) people on this board say European? Are you ashamed of your country? Afraid you'll be outed in an areas with thousands of others? I'm really curious. Back to the topic.

I'm German, and grew up drinking wine/beer at family events. When I moved here with my parents as an early teen, they never served alcohol to my friends or at my parties, because it was illegal and not the cultural norm here. They might have at much smaller parties/dinners where they knew the parents, but I really don't remember that party very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:European who went to private here in the US.

I’ve been drinking wine since 13 and many of my friends were drinking in high school. I can extrapolate that to all private kids, but it tracks.

Be careful to avoid the trope about European attitudes about alcohol. It’s not like Europeans are more sophisticated about it or something. Binge drinking and problem drinking are huge problems in many places in Europe.

I've never seen someone from my country funneling beer flavored water through a hose. We also don't rape women after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:European who went to private here in the US.

I’ve been drinking wine since 13 and many of my friends were drinking in high school. I can extrapolate that to all private kids, but it tracks.

Why do so many (most?) people on this board say European? Are you ashamed of your country? Afraid you'll be outed in an areas with thousands of others? I'm really curious. Back to the topic.

I'm German, and grew up drinking wine/beer at family events. When I moved here with my parents as an early teen, they never served alcohol to my friends or at my parties, because it was illegal and not the cultural norm here. They might have at much smaller parties/dinners where they knew the parents, but I really don't remember that party very well.

Because I don't want to be recognized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:European who went to private here in the US.

I’ve been drinking wine since 13 and many of my friends were drinking in high school. I can extrapolate that to all private kids, but it tracks.

Why do so many (most?) people on this board say European? Are you ashamed of your country? Afraid you'll be outed in an areas with thousands of others? I'm really curious. Back to the topic.

I'm German, and grew up drinking wine/beer at family events. When I moved here with my parents as an early teen, they never served alcohol to my friends or at my parties, because it was illegal and not the cultural norm here. They might have at much smaller parties/dinners where they knew the parents, but I really don't remember that party very well.

Because I don't want to be recognized.

It's DC...there are thousands of Europeans from England, France, Germany, etc. Somehow if you say you are French...Oh, I know exactly who it is!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a Catholic school thing, in my experience. Lots of country club types who can't imagine having fun without alcohol.

try to avoid bigotry! sure some Catholics like parties with alcohol, just like some African Americans routinely engage in ___, and gay people are constantly ___ing, and Jews are always worried about ___, but why are Catholics the one group where it is politically correct to come onto DCUM and make generalizations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools tend to draw a more cosmopolitan, international crowd that understands there’s nothing wrong with teenagers drinking like they do abroad.

Except that the earlier kids tend to start drinking the more likely they are to develop alcohol use disorder later. It's not clear if it's correlation or causation, but it does matter. If a kid is going to drink, it's much better for a kid to start drinking in college than in high school, and better in high school than middle school. Those couple years of brain development really matter.

[Anonymous]

Let me guess...does this school start with a M?

[Anonymous]

It's definitely a thing at the private my kids attend. It was also a thing in this area when I was in a private years ago.

My teens went to one party where the parents confiscated the keys and then breathalyzed anyone who wanted to leave on camera so they had proof they were sober when they left their house. That seems like so much work to me just to provide underage kids with alcohol.

There was a "challenge" going around my oldest son's private where kids would sneak in alcoholic seltzers and drink them in class. Apparently, no one was ever caught. Teachers and admin never realized they were anything more than cans of actual seltzer. Probably because the school offers free seltzers to students.

[Anonymous]

This is not just a private school thing. Same thing at public high school graduation parties. Adults and teens co-mingling and alcohol served to all. Very typical.

I was also pretty surprised.