Parents, alcohol and kids...

[Larry Gude]

...read this;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/11/AR2007061101300.html

A Virginia mother and stepfather began serving 27-month sentences yesterday for serving alcohol to minors at a 16th birthday party for their son nearly five years ago.

Then vote.

 

[aps45819]

That seems like a lot of jail time for being stupid.

... but spending $340 on booze for some teenagers is mighty stupid.

 

[virgovictoria]

I can't decide what I feel is the most retarded thing about this whole situation...

- wanting, having or even THINKING about letting 12 y/o's attend and drink - they're obnoxious enough sober.

- giving 8 year sentences at first, when rapists get off for less..

- talking about "Jesus" at this point. Where was her WWJD card at party time?


And, most important TOTD, WWLD w/o the Survey section, I wonder? :shrug:

 

[Charles]

I voted for the 27 as being appropriate.
27 months is a little much but actual time served will be much-much less. If they did that to my kid without my permission, I'd vote for the max without parole.

 

[Larry Gude]

That's a part of the...

I voted for the 27 as being appropriate.
27 months is a little much but actual time served will be much-much less. If they did that to my kid without my permission, I'd vote for the max without parole.

...equation that was left out of the story; did the parents all know the score? I mean, this kind of thing was common place in my day; parents knew where drinking happened with the consent of the adults. Parents also knew where the supervision was, if not consenting, then at least a blind eye.

 

[Lilypad]

Kenty had asked his mother to buy beer and wine for his friends-that's the operative word there....about 30 young people, ages 12 to 18!

The parents DID offer a guilty plea to the deal for 90 days so at some level they did accept responsibility for their bad, potentially fatal, decision. The judge sentenced them to 8 years. He was angry that the party happened a month after their son's classmate died in an alcohol-related accident. The couple appealed and a circuit court judge reduced the sentence to 27 months.

Mrs. Kelly called the punishment excessive and politically motivated. "I'm not a hardened criminal," said the woman, who does not have a criminal record, not even a parking infraction. "I'm just a mom."

These people who want to be buddies with their kids are causing huge problems for our society.

 

[vraiblonde]

I mean, this kind of thing was common place in my day; parents knew where drinking happened with the consent of the adults.

You and I have the same "day" and my Mom would have raised all kinds of holy hell if some adult hosted a drunken bash for teenagers. First off, she'd have killed me. Next she'd have gone after those parents so hard they'd pray for jail just to get away from her.

I think the sentence is appropriate, and I might have thrown in some community service in a teen detention center for good measure, so she can see what she was contributing to.

 

[vraiblonde]

I'm curious about the 12 year old(s). When my kids were 12, they didn't leave the house unsupervised hardly. So I always wonder about these parents who just let their kids take off and run wild.

 

[Larry Gude]

Did you...

You and I have the same "day" and my Mom would have raised all kinds of holy hell if some adult hosted a drunken bash for teenagers. First off, she'd have killed me. Next she'd have gone after those parents so hard they'd pray for jail just to get away from her.

I think the sentence is appropriate, and I might have thrown in some community service in a teen detention center for good measure, so she can see what she was contributing to.

...mention some folks back then who had a barn and would take all the kids keys and then allow drinking or did I dream that?

 

[vraiblonde]

...mention some folks back then who had a barn and would take all the kids keys and then allow drinking or did I dream that?

We weren't 12 and my Mom didn't know about it. If she DID know about it, she'd have burnt that barn down.

 

[Larry Gude]

I missed...

We weren't 12 and my Mom didn't know about it. If she DID know about it, she'd have burnt that barn down.

...the 12 year old part. That makes it worse yet. So, you're mom did not know where the party's were held and what went on there?

 

[vraiblonde]

So, you're mom did not know where the party's were held and what went on there?

Are you kidding? She'd have freakin' killed me! I told you about the time after graduation that I decided to stay out all night and test my new big-girl wings. She came rolling over to Meg's house at 3am and dragged my ass out of there by my hair.

The barn was the only place I was aware of that had adults on the premesis while the kids were drinking. I can't think of a single other parent who would have allowed that. They, including my mother, would let us smoke at parties, but drinking and drugs were no-nos.

 

[vraiblonde]

However, Larry, it just occurred to me that you all partied a lot more in high school than we did. There weren't parties every weekend and like that when I was a kid because there was no place to have them. Most weekends we rollerskated downtown, went to movies, cruised O Street, etc. My Mom used to leave me alone for weekends all the time and I had ONE party, and even that was an accident.

 

[Larry Gude]

There were...

The barn was the only place I was aware of that had adults on the premesis while the kids were drinking. I can't think of a single other parent who would have allowed that. They, including my mother, would let us smoke at parties, but drinking and drugs were no-nos.

...a couple where the parents threw the parties. There was some folks who did guard rail work, pretty well off, great, huge house, pool, and they'd have kegs and food galore. Real nice people. Lot's and lot's of kids would come over.

I can't even count the ones where the parents were not there but their homes were known as the places where their kids could have parties.

It was just a different age where people didn't instantly think everything was someone else's fault but their own.

The smoking part is kinda funny. Imagine today if people let kids smoke; THE CHAIR! ZZZTTTTT!!!!!


Anyway, those days are gone.

 

[Larry Gude]

I guess so...

However, Larry, it just occurred to me that you all partied a lot more in high school than we did. There weren't parties every weekend and like that when I was a kid because there was no place to have them. Most weekends we rollerskated downtown, went to movies, cruised O Street, etc. My Mom used to leave me alone for weekends all the time and I had ONE party, and even that was an accident.

...there were several parties every weekend. Usually a big, must attend, free for all, a couple mid levels that you had to be 'in' or a good friend of an 'in' and then all sorts of 4,6-8 people parties.

Then, there was the barn where Tom and Co. held sway. For a couple years you could count on 200 kids or so on Friday nights. And that was just them. They were not the only band in town.

Plus, in our day, 18 was beer.

 

[aps45819]

...I can't even count the ones where the parents were not there but their homes were known as the places where their kids could have parties.

Had a kegger at my folks house ONCE when they were out of town. While I was getting busy with my GF, my "buddies" re-arranged all the knick-knacks on the shelves/tables, slightly tilted all the pictures and loosened all the light bulbs so they'd flicker when you walked through the room.

 

[MMDad]

These people who want to be buddies with their kids are causing huge problems for our society.

My Mom was buying me and my friends booze when I was 16. It was wrong for her to do it, and she should have had her ass locked up for it. Kids need parents to be parents, not friends.

 

[Larry Gude]

There is a reason...

Had a kegger at my folks house ONCE when they were out of town. While I was getting busy with my GF, my "buddies" re-arranged all the knick-knacks on the shelves/tables, slightly tilted all the pictures and loosened all the light bulbs so they'd flicker when you walked through the room.

...friends are so important at 16 and not so much as we...mature.

 

[Larry Gude]

My folks...

My Mom was buying me and my friends booze when I was 16. It was wrong for her to do it, and she should have had her ass locked up for it. Kids need parents to be parents, not friends.

...never bought. I got away with/was allowed to get away with murder in my basement room.

 

[Chain729]

I think the sentence is appropriate, and I might have thrown in some community service in a teen detention center for good measure, so she can see what she was contributing to.

I think it's a bit harsh, but not enough so that I'm up in arms about it. I like the community service idea, but working with alcoholic/drug addict kids, specifically, might be a better idea.

My biggest problem with these idiots, isn't that they gave teens alcohol, but that they were someone else's kids. I'm all for running your household as you see fit (within reason), but giving someone else's kids the means do something like that- without their parents' permission- deserves a good hard And, if it were my kid, whether or not I would've said yes, I'd still be pissed that they didn't ask/inform me.