A poll by the American Medical Association and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found the following:
- Nearly 25% of youth aged 13-18 — and about 33% of girls aged 16-18— said their own parents have supplied them with alcohol.
- 25% of parents surveyed said that under their supervision, they had allowed their teenage children to drink in the previous six months.
Apart from the legal and moral violation involved, it is foolish indeed to allow youth to drink alcohol. Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of death among young people when auto accidents and fatal injuries are taken into account. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Moreover, alcohol consumption damages young people’s brains, which are still developing beyond age 20. Even though they hadn’t had a drink in several weeks, the alcohol-consuming teens had about a 10% lower retention rate for verbal and non-verbal information. That amounts to one whole grade in school, the difference between an A and a B, or between passing and failing.
Though parents’ reasons are not given, it has been suggested that “youth will find a way to drink alcohol anyway”, so they are merely providing a controlled environment where their children can do so without injuring themselves and others.
This reasoning is naive at best. For many, the teenage years are a time for pushing boundaries and challenging authority. If young people have no qualms about violating the law regarding underage drinking— albeit with parental consent— it is likely they will see nothing wrong with getting alcohol behind their parents’ back, especially if they have gotten the implicit message that underage drinking is OK.
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As pertaining to safeguarding our own children, perhaps this includes making our homes an inviting and attractive environment where they can bring their friends, especially if we are uncertain or uneasy about the quality of adult supervision that may be elsewhere.
Of this issue, Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Open your homes to the friends of your children. If you find they have big appetites, close your eyes and let them eat. Make your children’s friends your friends.”
If any message is clear from the AMA poll, it is that this is a day for redoubled vigilance, not a relaxation of standards. (See How to Lead, Not Follow, Your Peers)
Source: Church News, March 11, 2006, p.16
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“Open your homes to the friends of your children. If you find they have big appetites, close your eyes and let them eat. Make your children’s friends your friends.” ~Gordon B. Hinckley