This is purely from a 'what if' perspective for me as I only have a toddler and preschooler at the moment. Though I'm sure it will eventually be an issue within our home one day! But DH and I were discussing what we would do as parents if our teenager (about 16ish or so) wanted to drink, or was drinking alcohol.
I said I would discourage it and not condone it at all. DH said he would probably let them drink a little within our home, under our supervision and with his consent (so he would choose what, when, how much....) Now I see his logic, he says a teenager will do what they will do whatever parents say. They will go out of their way to get what they want. Which they will. And by his thinking if they do it in our home with us there we would have some control over it to some extent. But as a parent, I don't know if I could condone a child of mine doing something which could be so harmful for them. I think I owuld try to fight tooth and nail to stop them doing it. Just because I have read things about how terribly bad it can be for their developing brains and things like that. Plus being an authority figure, wouldn't it be confusing for me to let them drink alcohol, but not do other things ehich they shouldn't do, like taking other drugs, or smoking or whatever. I know being 18 doesn't magically make them bulletproof and they're still suseptible to the consequences of drinking alcohol, but by then it is too late for me as a parent to TELL them what to do, it is a decision that will be thiers then, hopefully with my input or advice being thought of at least, but still ultimately up to my child (as an adult, lol!). Hopefully then I might have had some influence on how they think and they won't od too many horribly stupid things, lol!
Am I being unrealistic in how I'm thinking? Would it be better to do it the way DH thinks would be better? What are your thoughts?