Parents
The Roths sit together on the family couch in their alcohol-free home.
parents believe that taking away their teens’ and friends’ keys at a party justifies giving them alcohol, thinking “If it’s in my house, it’s OK.” But Hale believes this mentality is not the case. “Several years ago, there was a party where a boy died from an asthma attack because he had been drinking too much,” says Hale. “They could have lost everything through all the lawsuits, and the parents sometimes don’t realize the consequences when they do these sort of things.” Foley performed studies and found that teens who attend parties with alcohol supplied by a parent are twice as likely to binge drink or become regular drinkers themselves. In comparison, teenagers reportedly binge drink a third less often if they drink with their parents at home and get drunk half as often in the following months. “The goal is to try familiarizing my daughter with alcohol in a controlled environment so that she will not go out and overdo it later on,” says Tammy. Thus, Kira is able to enjoy drinking alcohol with her mom. She even has a glass of wine at dinner from time to time. Other parents, however, have a different way of teaching their teens to drink alcohol responsibly. East freshman Nate Roth’s parents do not drink alcohol at all. Doug Roth, Nate’s father, says that one of the reasons is because his grandfather became an alcoholic and left his family. “To me it is more I want to be a good dad and set a good example for my children,” says Doug. “If I am not drinking, then more than likely my children will not have it become a serious problem for them. It is more of a painful and personal reason, not that we just don’t want alcohol to be a part of our lives.” He and his wife hope that both of their children recognize the negative effects of too much alcohol. Because of their parenting choices, Nate has decided not to consume alcohol in the future.
34 | Spark | April 15, 2011
“I am me, my own person, and my views concerning alcohol would stay the same if my parents drank or not,” says Nate, who follows his parents’ example and does not see any benefits to drinking. “Maybe I could control my drinking and wouldn’t get drunk, but I couldn’t promise that to my [future] children or my friends.” Similarly, Kira will follow her parents’ decisions regarding alcohol and will instill the same rules with her children. “When I become a parent, I will most likely allow my children to have alcohol once they were older, like what my own mom did with me. I was 14 years old when I had my first drink,” says Kira. Foley and her research team found that adults’ approval of alcohol use is highly connected with teenage drinking behavior, depending on how parents use alcohol and where the alcohol is being used. “Drinking alcohol with parents may help teach them responsible drinking habits, or even extinguish some of the novelty or excitement of drinking,” she reports in her journal article, “Adults’ Approval and Adolescents’ Alcohol Use.” Foley describes teens having drinks with their parents should be considered more of a “protective behavior,” supporting the practicality of the Pearce’s parenting style. Foley suggests that teens who have parents who drink with them have fewer alcohol problems than their peers. Kira believes that because of being introduced to alcohol as a teenager, she has a better understanding of the dangers and is more educated to make better and more informed decisions concerning alcohol. Despite criticism for permitting alcohol use in high school, the uncommon compromise between Kira and her mother contradicts the negative stereotypes surrounding parents who allow their children to consume alcohol. n