To the Editor:
So what’s the big deal about parents hosting parties with alcohol for their kids? You know where they are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. So it’s safe, right? There have been many discussions on the ethics of parents hosting these types of parties.
Let’s look at the consequences that have taken many parents by surprise. The responsibility of parents taking supervision over drinking teens is an overwhelming task. Someone who might look passed out on a couch, may have overdosed on alcohol…DOA.
Then, there’s the teen who fell down the stairs and became a quadriplegic. Some parents feel a sense of relief and security by holding all cars’ keys. This false sense of security didn’t fly when one inebriated wandering teen stepped away from the party and was struck by a car and killed. How do you explain that to her parents?
It’s too little, too late to say, “I’m sorry” when the risk should have been realized in the first place.
So, you’re sitting on the witness stand being questioned by the lawyer of the grieving parents, who asks you, “If you knew then, what you know now, about the risks and consequences of hosting a party with alcohol for teens, would you do it again?”
In some states the scenario ends with the parents going to jail, losing their credibility, losing their job, losing their car, losing their house and losing the most important time with their family. Is it worth the risk? And if you think it can’t happen to you, wake up!
Colleen Magur, Fran Kinney
Communities Against Substance Abuse (CASA), Lincoln County
