So many times today we hear the excuse from kids when it comes to underaged drinking that everyone is doing it. However studies show that only 60 percent of people under the age of 21 consume alcohol. So why have those 30 percent of adolescents been able to resist the peer pressure? Of course this is not true in a few cases, but according to Miryam Anderson of the Harlingen Police Department underage drinking can many times be prevented or made much less dangerous if the parent is involved in the adolescent's life. Too many times parents get overly occupied with their work and paying the bills and don't find enough time for their kids and to teach them about the dangers of drinking.
This article makes a good point in saying that if parents were more involved in their kids' lives they would learn more responsibility. Unresponsible underaged drinking is obviously an issue that needs to be dealt with and there definitely need to be more conversations between parents and their kids about underaged drinking. Too many times parents shy away from "having the talk" because it isn't the most comfortable topic to talk about. I for one do believe, however, that if a kid will not learn something through their parents, then they will learn a much harsher lesson in real life. Unfortunately these consequences are the ones that make up all those terrible statistics on underaged drinking. I think parents should definitely try their best to help their children avoid drinking issues by being more involved then they are right now in their kids lives because many times parents naively believe in their child's innocence.
Travis Whitehead is a reporter for the Valley Morning Star from Harlingen, Texas. He tends to write about either artisanship or the daily lives of families living in the area. Although it might not be the best example to connect his writing to the bigger picture, he gives a good example of a town's fight against underaged drinking.
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