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And look at the 'Communties that Care' guy. Guy looks like pure, unadulterated weasel to me!
Interesting in both of these cases there is the strange phenomenon of shifting accountability from the party who did it to some innocent bystander. BTW this drinking law passed unanimously in the city council, except for one guy who voted no because he said it did not quite go far enough.
Mercer Island, WA is a 1%--type town. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and pundit Michael Medved both live there.
When this was passed here several years ago there were several high profile cases, mostly in Montgomery County, which seemed to slow it down a lot. One couple eventually did time as repeat offenders.
Yes, kids are going to get alcohol one way or another, this is more about holding parents accountable if thet are the suppliers. And no one is talking about Seder wine or a glass with dinner, it's about parents sponsoring a party and serving alcohol to under age teens.
A story, I promise will be short. Several years ago I had a parent conference at 7AM to discuss the substance problem of this couple's son (their request for the conference). They both showed up drunk. Mom fell asleep and Dad slowly slipped out of his chair. And they couldn't figure out why both their kids were drunks/druggies.
Honestly can you please spare us your inflated sense of self-worth? There is nothing more annoying than self-patronizing parents trying to give everyone else advice on how to be a "good parent."
You know what's even more annoying? People who have kids who don't want to take responsibility for them. Your kid becomes my problem if they're out on the road driving drunk, or if you're hosting kid parties that my kid attends at your home. If people like you won't do what it takes to prevent that from happening, then you're going to hear it from people like me.
This is a hard one. I know some parents that are really irresponsible and give their kids and their child's friends plenty of alcohol to drink at their home. At the same time I'm not sure parents that don't know who, what and where their kids are would be smart enough to understand this law.
I just don't see this doing anything either way. The parents I know who allow it already know it's not legal but think a fine isn't a big deal. They just don't care. They drink a lot themselves and so they see it fit for their kids to do the same. Sometimes parents see it as a way to make their child popular. It's really sad but it's pretty common. I just think it's money waisted on idiots.
You nailed the problem, but I think it does more than you think. I can give a local example--I live in a rural upper midwestern state, and when my kids were really young, we used to have a problem locally with parents buying kegs for parties for their kids. They changed our state law to make giving alcohol to minors a class I misdemeanor, meaning a two month to one year jail sentence. One parent got arrested for hosting a kid party in our town, went to jail, and that was all it took to get that stopped. I don't know of a single parent locally who supplies beer to their kids anymore.
A big problem in teen drinking are parents who think it's fine and let their kids go around the law or just look the other way. If you want to let your child drink at home, it's not my problem, but it is my problem if you encourage them to drink, create a safe place for them to drink, and then include my child in the party. With laws like this, they won't have that option anymore. You might not be able to control what your child does when he's out of the house, but you CAN control what goes on in your own home with adequate supervision.
And look at the 'Communties that Care' guy. Guy looks like pure, unadulterated weasel to me!
Interesting in both of these cases there is the strange phenomenon of shifting accountability from the party who did it to some innocent bystander. BTW this drinking law passed unanimously in the city council, except for one guy who voted no because he said it did not quite go far enough.
Mercer Island, WA is a 1%--type town. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and pundit Michael Medved both live there.
Here's the point some of you don't seem to get. YOU are responsible for what your kids do when they are under your roof. It's not shifting blame to some innocent bystander--you raised them, you set the rules, you enforce the rules, and you're in charge of what goes on under your own roof. If you fail to do that, it impacts the rest of us.
I have three kids so don't lecture me about parenting. No it's not complicated stuff it's common sense stuff like you mention. So you make them adhere to these rules yet if they break the rules you want the state to come in and punish YOU for it?? Kids always break the rules and consequences are what happens when they do. This doesn't punish them for breaking rules it punished the parent. It's complete nonsense. It actually goes completely against what you mention above. You set up all these rules and consequences if they break them (which they of course will) yet in the case of drinking you say it's fine for YOU to be punished for THEM breaking the rules. Makes no sense at all.
This doesn't cover what your kid does when he's away from your house, but it does cover what he does when he's under your roof. You are the parent, and you CAN control what happens in your own home with adequate supervision. You just have to step up and actually be a parent.
"The recently passed "social host" ordinance, believed to be the first of its kind in the state, will take effect Jan. 13. The measure imposes a $250 fine on those who own, rent or lease property where teenage drinking has occurred."
I don't see anything about any parties or allowing you to give your own kids a glass of wine. If teenage drinking has occurred you get fined according to this.
I wouldn't rely on the media account to spell out the entire law.
It's amazing to me that Washington State is so far behind the curve on this issue. This has been the law in the entire state of CO for at least the last 15 years or so.
I wouldn't rely on the media account to spell out the entire law.
It's amazing to me that Washington State is so far behind the curve on this issue. This has been the law in the entire state of CO for at least the last 15 years or so.
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