How to parent is not as clearly defined as it used to be.
Often times the right and the wrong way to teach your children mesh together leaving parents to try alternative methods to get their point across.
In the end, all parents want is for their children to be safe and happy.
One of the latest controversies in parenting regards underage drinking.
Is it better for the parent to openly accept underage drinking, as in providing their house for such activity, or to close their eyes, unable to accept what they can’t see?
The legal drinking age might be 21, but children as young as 10 are drinking heavily without parental knowledge.
Whether it be through older siblings, the liquor cabinet without a lock, or friends, this is not uncommon.
More and more adolescents are finding alcohol a common thread from parties to hanging out in someone’s basement.
Should parents acknowledge this trend and provide a safe atmosphere?
“If parents teach children about laws, and then go ahead and break them, what kind of example is that? It shows that some laws are okay and some are not. At the end, you are still the parent,” said Scott Alessandro, assistant director of University Honors.
Many think that adults have to move with the times, parenting changes.
If drinking is going to happen, why not have some control by taking away the keys and providing a basement.
“This is the biggest problem; trying to put an objective standard on maturity. A 21-year-old is not necessarily mature. There is room for discretion,” said theater and economics major, Brandon Koenig.
This theory opens up new questions, such as, who buys the alcohol? By purchasing the alcohol, parents are illegally providing minors with alcohol, a punishable offence.
Last year, parents provided a keg for their son’s high school graduation party.
A few hours later, five drunk teenagers decided to move a stick-shift car.
Rather than turning it on, they attempted to push it slightly uphill.
A girl, pushing from behind, got caught under the wheel and died as it slipped from their grasp. Who is responsible?
“Buying alcohol is definitely crossing the line. Children are underage; you are breaking the law. Laws are there for a reason,” said junior Joe Gettler.
However, there’s always the other side.
“Laws are made to be broken,” said senior Beth Wasilweski.
“It depends on the maturity of the parents and the kids. They should be able to openly talk about it. There is also a difference between alcohol consumption on a daily basis opposed to at a graduation party.”
Each situation is different and with each individual comes a different way to handle a situation.
After all, there are some mature 13-year-olds and some immature 20-year-olds. What age is an acceptable age?
And does this lead to the bigger question: what should the drinking age be?
Pooja Shah can be reached at Pshah@temple.edu
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