I would never throw a kegger for my child and her friends, nor would I buy her undrage friends alcohol or let them drink at my house. i would , however, let my teenage child have a small amount of wine at a family dinner if she wants to. I agree, teaching moderation is the key.

Its hard to keep your teenage from drinking. I'm only 20 yrs old and will be officially legal at the end of this month. Personally its hard to keep a teenager from drinking.i was a teenager myself...i know. I always went to parties. But maybe its b/c I live in a small town and nobody really gives a crap. My b/f is a year younger than me and he can get served in a bar. There are many teenagers that I know of that can get served in a bar. If my teenager wants to drink they can either just drink with me and the family (nothing to the extreme like gettin drunk off their butts) or go to a party. And if they get caught cops they would have to pay for the consquences.

**There are some ppl who I kow who are in the Navy, Army and Marines who feel that the drinking age should be back to 18 b/c if you are able to serve in the military, drive, and smoke cigs by age 18 you should be able to drink. Some states the drinking age used to 18. Canada is still 18 so teenagers could go up there and drink. Its not hard to get a fake ID.

I wouldn't serve my teenager alcohol. I will try to teach them that you can have a great time without it. My husband and I don't drink (well, rarely in social occasions, but I haven't had any alcohol since 2005) and alcoholism runs in our family.

What my parents did with me with drinking, drugs, and alcohol is they explained to me exactly what these things do to your body and organs. They explained how stupid you look and act when you're high and drunk. When the news would report a fatal accident from drinking, they would calmly explain "...and that's why we want you to be smart about alcohol".

They didn't make it something to rebel towards. They calmly and rationally gave me the facts. And when I went on to high school and everyone around me smoked and drank, I did see how stupid they looked, and how their clothes stank, and how miserable they were when they were hung over and vomiting. It never held any appeal for me, and .I'm going to do my best to arm my children with the same information.

Some parents use it to show kids what alcohol does. The reaction they get may vary with each child though. Personally, I don't like alcohol. When I was turned 16, my mother let me drink and I eventually got drunk because I was inexperienced and didn't know how to handle the alcohol. After spending the night throwing up and crying (depressed drunk), I pretty much swore off of the stuff. I've had a sip ever now and then, but even that little sip makes me nauseous and reminds me of that time where I got drunk. I'm not exactly a fan of living that again.

The majority drinking age in Canada is 19. Quebec, Manitoba, and Alberta are all 18.

I agree that's it's completely ridiculous that you're allowed to get killed (not kill other people mind you) in the military at age 18, vote for a leader who controls a very powerful nation, and destroy your own lungs at the age of 18... yet you're not allowed to destroy your liver, too??

The issue is that when men register to vote, they must also register for the draft. Stupidly, we don't even use that anymore, plus it's incredibly sexist that only men have to sign up. But, since you can be drafted at 18, that means voluntary service starts at 18. It comes from the idea of "to have the right to vote, you should be willing to defend your country!"

Honestly, all of those things should be moved up to age 21, or 20, or what ever arbitrary age they want. (Why 21 now that I think about it? That's a silly age!).

It's never going to happen, because "Oh, you can't take away the right of democracy from young adults! They need to learn how democracy works!" And so, attached to that is, "if you want to vote, then you want to serve your country, so join the draft!". It's a vicious, dumb cycle; it's outdated and it needs to be changed.

For one thing, either get rid of the draft, make it start at an older age, and include women in it if you're going to keep it. Voting can still start at 18 if people get their panties in a bunch, but raise the age of the draft to say... 20. That's a nice round number. Secondly, lower the drinking age by one year. Now it's 20, too. Finally, cigarettes are going to be illegal soon by my thoughts, but make that age 20, too. Just because.

Now kids can "learn democracy" without worrying that they're going to be pulled into a war. I really don't like the draft...

My brothers didn't do the SS thing. None of them. They don't feel they should have to and I agree with them, it's caca. Recruiters call the house too, all the time. They always pretend to be gay. lol

The first time i tried alchole was when i was 15, i came home flat ass drunk and spent the night and the day after puking into the toilet. My parents, obviously, knew that i had been drinking, and obviously disapproved, but they let me make my own mistakes and didn't yell at me. But as a kid, your more afriad of dissappointing your parents then them yelling at you. After that time, i had the occasional drink, i'd sip beer at a party, but i would never lose my inhibitions. I think it was the morning after getting drunk that make it lose it's 'glamour'. puking was NOT fun. And i respect my parents because they told me that i SHOULDN"T be doing it, but they knew that i'd do it anyways at a party, so they told me to always call them to pick me up if i was at a drinking party. And i always did call them. I think they brought me closer to my parents, expecially if they trusted my judgement. :] and since then, i'd always call them to pick me up at a party. But my parents never allowed me to drink under their roof. So i guess its a matter of balance.

Haven't had to cross this bridge with my own children, but I plan to go the way it was done in my family.

We're irish, but we emigrated to australia when I was almost 9. We have some extended family here in australia- either way the legal drinking age is the same in both countries, and both sides of my extended family seem to have followed the same approach to those "first drinks"

In short-hosting or allowing a "drinking party" for kids uderage-absolutely not.
Around the home, (family parties etc) You might be allowed a "shandy" (pretty much 50/50 beer and lemonade) to yourself around the age of 16 or 17, to drink at your own pace, but while surrounded by family.
By the age of 18 you've probably been allowed a few "shandy's" and if you've handled that ok, maybe even a full strength drink from time to time, in a family situation.

So far, none of my siblings cousins has turned 18 and gone crazy drinking.
They've learned responsible drinking and the drinking "rules" already and alcohol is not a foreign substance to be experimented with now that they can legally enter a pub.

I've never heard of a shandy! Are they good?

against it there have been to many deaths of teenagers drinking at home at a party that the parents have supplied the booze for it is wrong and i am glad that in my state the parents get charged and fined just like there kids would you like it you child went to a friends house and the parents offered your child a drink i dont think so.