No you CAN'T get your kid drunk!

[auntiem]

I don't know why. I do know that having the drinking age at 21 is, or at least was, a condition for a state to get federal highway funds. No state's going to let their roads go to hell over the drinking age.

True. I grew up in a 21 yr old state bordering an 18 yr old state which made for a very dangerous highway between the two. When the 18 yr old state finally caved in they grandfathered in all the people from my state that were 18 by the time they switched over. So about half of my senior class (including me) could drink / purchase alcohol there and half couldn't.

[Cia]

Until the mid '80s, in South Dakota, 18 year olds could purchase and drink low point (3.2% alcohol) beer but you had to be 21 for high point and liquor. Then the Feds made grumblings that there were to many teenage drunk driving deaths so SD changed it to 19. Oh joy.

Then the Feds decided that the legal age had to be 21 across the board and any state that refused to do this would lose their Federal highway funding. Blackmail anyone? Wyoming told the Feds where to shove it, oil money talks well, and stayed at 18. SD capitulated and went to 21. Forcing, yeah forcing, all college students in west river SD to drive to Wyoming to get their weekend allowance of praying to the porcelain god.

Wyoming was the last state to capitulate and many a college student whined, bitched and moaned. I didn't care, beyond knowing that the Feds were full of it, and drank illegally for 2 months. I've been drinking since I was 7 so I never saw the beauty in getting drunker than snot while in college.

As for the Dad in the OP, he was an ass. He could have gotten the bar shut down because he gave his son the beer. We all know that the business getting shut down because of the Dad's suckiness shouldn't happen but there are vigilante jerkoffs out there who would blame the bar no matter what.

[cinema guy]

Multiple ages?

You can join the army at 16, but aren't considered an adult until 18. A while ago several 16 year old soldiers were sent to Iraq. They were brought back quickly because the government didn't want to be seen sending children to war.

[rerant]

And I bet if daddy got too drunk, Junior would have been handed the keys to drive home, too.
Some people should be sterilized.

[Princess-Snake]

My dad loves wine. He'll find every excuse in the book to go to a vineyard or a wine store. He doesn't get drunk on it, mind you, but he does have a glass every night. I remember I was sixteen and putting the dishes in the dishwasher. I picked up my dad's old wine glass and sniffed the aroma in the glass because I like the smell of wine. I noticed a few drops left in the glass. I was curious, so I looked around and made sure no one saw me. Then, I dipped my pinkie in the residue and tasted the drops on my pinkie. I loved it. Then I put the glass in the dishwasher and vowed to celebrate my 21st birthday with a glass of wine. Ever since then, I dip my pinkie in a glass every few months or so, just waiting for the day I turn 21 and am legally allowed to pop the cork and drink the gods sweet nectar and ambrosia. Just a little story I thought you might like.

[greensinestro]

Tough one there, but I'm sure it's not the first time this guy has done that. With what happened with Michael Jackson and all the publicity, the last thing I would think a parent would do is give their under 21 year old child any alcohol at all.

[mischugenah]

Actually, my parents took the opposite route, and it worked as well. We weren't allowed to drink, but they didn't drink, either, and neither did their friends or our other relatives. Alcohol simply wasn't a part of our lives. We never saw those close to us using it to celebrate or relax or enjoy themselves, so we had no reason to associate it with those things. Also, because it was never something others around us had and we couldn't, it never acheived 'forbidden fruit' status. I've never had any desire to drink, alcohol smells disgusting to me and I can imagine it tastes the same.
Chocolate is another matter entirely.

[AirHostess]

When I was growing up I would be allowed a glass of nice wine with weekend dinner at home and as a result drinking alcohol has never been a big deal to me and I've never had the need to get blind drunk or drink a lot.

[kibbles]

Tough one there, but I'm sure it's not the first time this guy has done that. With what happened with Michael Jackson and all the publicity, the last thing I would think a parent would do is give their under 21 year old child any alcohol at all.

If the guy was in his home than that's a different story, lots of parents have different approaches to alcohol and each approach is right depending on the parenting technique. This guy was a SC in doing it in a place where he could have caused the establishment trouble.

[kibbles]

And I bet if daddy got too drunk, Junior would have been handed the keys to drive home, too.
Some people should be sterilized.

I don't think that's a fair assumption, sure he was a sucky customer but I don't think he was a sucky parent nor is it automatic that he was there to get plastered.

[mafiagodfather]

Argh, just got in from work, not an easy shift, but the highlight of the day had to be a parent who thought it was OK to ply his son with alchol.

We let kids in the bar, as long as they are eating. We also have strict rules about how many drinks the adults can have, and when they have to leave. So, it wasn't unusual that a parent decided to take his son out for a burger. Fair enough.

I thought it was a bit unusual because they were sat around the corner from the bar where we could not see them, and were not in the designated family area. However, our family area was jam packed to capacity, so I was prepared to let it slide as long as they weren't bothering anyone.

I took their meals to them, the kid was drinking coke, fine, ok. Then I notice the dad taking TWO beers over to the table. Hmmm, somethings not right.

The kid was probably about 13, and I kept an eye on them. But I got sent to the kitchen to sort some stuff out in there. I came back about twenty minutes later, the kid is drinking a beer!

I went up to ask the kid for I.D (on the off chance that he was just an unfortunate soul that looked very young)

Me: Excuse me sir, but how old is your son?
Dad: Umm, why do you want to know?
Me: Well, he does have a beer on him. Does he have any proof of age to say he can drink it?
Dad: But I bought it.
Me: Yes, I can see it, but he's drinking it. He's not old enough is he?
Dad: He's not old enough to BUY it, but he's old enough to drink it.

Stupid idiot. The kid quite clearly knew he was wrong as well because he looked very nervous all of a sudden.

Me: I'm sorry sir, but I'm going to have to take these drinks and ask you to leave.
Dad: What! This is outrageous! I paid for these drinks!
Me: I'm sorry sir, but the law is the law.

He actually left without a fuss after that. But the idiot! How did he expect to bring his kid into the pub to drink and get away with it!

WTF, he should be greatful you did not call the police on him. Also if the father incourages the child to drink can't CPS deal with it.

[Andara Bledin]

WTF, he should be greatful you did not call the police on him. Also if the father incourages the child to drink can't CPS deal with it.

Depending on the location, it might not be against the law for the father to allow the child to drink. It depends on the place, the time, the location, and the situation.

So, while it looks, on the face of it, to be bad, it could be a perfectly legal and responsible activity on the part of the father.

^-.-^