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There’s a heavy debate going on in the United Kingdom, concerning teens and alcohol, and the parenting that plays a part. Here’s a link to one of many news items/editorials from the UK. The spark for this current debate was a remark by Cheshire Chief Constable Peter Fahy, who very clearly pointed the finger of blame on parents, suggesting that they are “turning a blind eye” to underage drinking and anti-social behaviour. Chief Constable Fahy was quoted as saying “a hardcore” of parents “abdicated” their responsibility.

Now, to be fair, Fahy also blamed alcohol marketing and sales - “Alcohol is too cheap and too readily available and is too strong. Young people cannot handle it.”

I live in Los Angeles, thousands of miles from Chief Fahy’s beat, and yet I totally see what he’s saying. Booze in America is pretty easy to score for a teenager. Sure, they’ll get carded, but fake i.d. cards are getting more and more sophisticated, and there’s always somebody who knows somebody with an older sibling who’s willing to buy beer or wine coolers or a fifth of vodka. My boy is now 15 and believe me, I pay attention to his physical being when he comes home from an evening’s skating. I’ve never caught him in anything other then a sober condition, but he’s a teenager and stats show that booze/drugs happen.

I couldn’t possibly be accused of abdicating my responsibility, and I doubt GNMP readers could be accused of this as well, ’cause, hey, if you intentionally read a parenting website, that alone is evidence of an acceptance of responsibility. However, do any of you know any parents who shirk their parenting duty? Do you know any kids who seem to be on the outside of societal safety, acting as though they were raised by wolves?