Sometimes, said another Youth Council member, the danger isn’t from kids drinking and doing drugs. Sometimes the danger is from kids staying sober on purpose. When everyone else is drunk and distracted the sober kid can steal from the house. Or take advantage of the girls who have been drinking.
According to Officer Wood, parents need to be around when their kids are having a party.
“These kids are going to get alcohol somehow, so you need to be there,” he said.
And don’t let the kids leave the party, even to go out to their cars.
“They could have alcohol in the car and sneak out to drink,” Officer Wood said.
[Read about this weekend's fatal drunk driving crash in Douglas County involving teens.]
“Parents worry and fret over marijuana and cocaine,” Cathy Finck, CobbAT Coordinator, told the parents, “But the real danger is alcohol.” She says the best strategy to prevent underage drinking is to limit availability.
While they are allowed to serve their own children it is against the law to serve the friends. Parents hosting a party face a $675 for each teenager caught drinking at their house.
“We want people to step up and say, ‘We won’t serve alcohol to minors,’” Fink said. “What’s needed is more vocal parental peer pressure.”
The CobbAT is asking parents to sign a pledge that they won’t serve alcohol to minors.
“We are supporting the young people who are saying, ‘stop buying alcohol for kids,’” Fink said. If you are going out of town, she adds, let the police know and they will gladly check up on you house. Or let your neighbors know.
“We’ve got to watch out for each other and each other’s kids,” Finck said.
The biggest problem for kids, according to Youth Council co-chair Natasha Walker, is a lack of education.
“Students think, ‘I don’t really care.’ But they aren’t thinking of the consequences,” such as auto accidents or alcohol poisoning, Natasha said.
What CobbAT wants you to remember is that kids can’t get alcohol on their own. Someone has to supply it for them.
Parents will often allow their kids to drink in their own homes. “They’ll think, ‘If my daughter is drinking in my house it’s not a problem.’ But it is,” Natasha adds.
CobbAT is gearing up for another night of performances on March 26. Here’s a link to the registration page.
Thanks so much! Wasn’t hard to do. They set a great scene and it was a wonderful event.
Great story! You describe the scene so well. Video was a nice touch too!