Drinking at home?

So I'm not swinging one way or the other but I'm curious about others' opinions on the subject. My parents let me drink at home under the impression that it's better for me to do it in a setting where I'm safe than go out somewhere and get drunk. What do you think about this? Part of me thinks, well if kids and their friends want to drink and you say no then there is a greater chance of them doing it somewhere else where they might not be as safe? But then another side of me thinks, well it's against the law and not healthy to have teenagers drinking anyways. What do you think about this? Do you think it's okay for parents to let their kids (say age 17 or so) to drink at home with some friends if everyone is required to stay in the house and all keys are taken away and they are supervised?

Well, Saluki, when I was growing up the legal age for drinking was 18 and had been 18 for like two hundred years. And 18 is not very far from 17. If I were one of your parents I'd do what they're doing, but I would NOT do it for any friends of yours, just for you. I have a real problem with your folks feeding alcohol to kids who are not their kids, unless they talk to their parents on the phone and get their permission. And I would by no means let you get really drunk, as opposed to mellow. I like the idea of taking away everyone's car keys, though. That's an excellent idea. I don't think my own parents would have been particularly upset if I'd drunk their liquor while I was in high school. I didn't do it because I didn't like the taste of liquor. Even beer. I really did prefer coke or pepsi. Then in college I started drinking, but not all the time as on some campuses. If I were you I'd talk with my parents about letting other kids drink with you without the agreement of their parents.

Take care!

What you do with your own kid as far as drinking (age 17 or older) is up to you, but NEVER, EVER give alcohol to anyone else's kids.

We don't keep alcohol in the home, so this really was never much of an issue. When my father is around, he usually keeps beer around, and our oldest son, starting around 19 might have a beer with him as they worked on a project or something. That was fine with us.

The whole idea that if you let them drink at home they won't drink outside the home is a farce though. You have to teach them to respect alcohol. Drink responsibly, etc. That doesn't require even offering them alcohol quite frankly.

It worked for us. Our oldest son is now legal, but rarely drinks and always responsibly.

My parents do that, But I am 19 years old. They let me drink when I was 17 because they want me to learn the dangers and effects, I never asked to let a friend drink too.

But for my 19th birthday they let my bf and I drink, he was 19 too, being that we're both adults and can join the army and die in a pointless war, I've used that logic to get my parents to let me drink at home. Besides he's an adult and knows better not to drive and we made sure he didn't by taking his keys :3.

I think it's okay that they let you do that but I wouldn't let my kids friends drink too. Unless they were 18 years old and I took their keys.

I think to some degree it depends on the kid, but I know it was definitely the right answer for me. I personally will never drink in a public setting, and I'm glad my parents gave me the opportunity to discover alcohol at home so I could come to that conclusion safely. The effect it has on me makes it very easy for me to be taken advantage of. I only had to get drunk once to realize I should never do it around people I don't trust 100%.

However, I do agree that the option shouldn't be open to other people's kids (until they're of age) and I wouldn't even make a big deal of offering it to my kid. I was also fortunate that my folks didn't keep too much hard liquor in the house, so I started on beer and wine. While I don't necessarily think this will prevent kids from drinking socially, I really do believe a child's first drinking experience should be in the safety of his/her own home - if they're going to start at all. And that's one of those things that, sadly, parents can't easily prevent if their teenager is set on it.