Too complex and complicated for this format...

drinking age should be 18, and that should be that

Not a problem, but should be reduced. Not a lot of stories like this.

At the risk of becoming a target, my wife and I are what would likely be considered permissive parents... We have provided a wide area of structure for our 3 teenagers, within which they are free to express themselves (safely!) as they see fit.

We never micromanaged their hair style/color, their choice of clothes, their study habits, their choice of friends/hobbies, etc.

Somehow, even allowing them some access to alcohol within our home, we have three honor roll students who appear to be well-adjusted, 'color' blind towards Race and polite kids who we feel will be productive members of society moving forward.

2 of my 3 drink on occasion, and we find that to be No Big Deal.

I feel bad for kids today as they can not be kids anymore....We want them to act like adults but they get treated like kids.

Just like the kids that have the strictest parents always end up with the kids who go to extremes when they are free....with all this policing we are not letting kids learn from their mistakes....I'm not condoning underage drinking but there are bigger issues in the world. By the time I was 21 I was over drinking...

Booze is nothing .Look into the Heroin problem.

I don't get it......Why must they drink to begin with--Are their lives SO miserable that they need alcohol or drugs to be happy and have a good time???? Why aren't they able to just hang out and have a good time without alcohol or drugs?????? If it is peer pressure, then they have not been raised correctly to begin with..Parents take a look at YOURSELVES!!!!

Forbidden fruit is always the tastiest ! In Europe, wine or beer are considered food, and once the ''mystique'' and ''prohibition'' is gone, the urge to over-indulge is thwarted. There will always be binge drinkers but a controlled reasonable intro to wine or beer as a family unit is a much better method than ''just say no''. Evidence the stupid and un-productive ''war on drugs''.

Good parenting goes a long way...

The issue is not so much underage drinking, but irresponsible drinking. How many adults have been caught DWI in Washington Twp (one incident involving a former committeeman)? How many adults brag on Facebook about how they can’t wait to get home and pour that first glass of wine, or mix that martini? Where do you think the kids at the underage party learned to crave alcohol? Was it possibly from their parents who cannot get through the day without their after-work beer or cocktail? Did they learn this behavior watching mom and dad get together with their friends and having a grand old time amidst all the bottles of booze? What purpose does programs like DARE serve if they encourage kids to stay away from controlled substances, and yet those same kids witness the parents doing the exact opposite???

So yes… the issue is far more complicated than that.

This is a very complex topic that will never get resolved because there are way too many factors. The way the law is written, it is ok for a child to consume alcohol at THEIR house with their parents permission and them being present,, not their friends.... as for the argument that kids will be kids and I did it when I was that age, I remember growing up and having an area kid killed EVERY year due to drinking and/or driving issues. This still does happen, but at a far lower occasion( because laws and enforcement of laws ). So for those families that have dealt with the lose a loved one way too soon, they do not want you to live with the pain that they understand.

I believe the main issue of the debate from the original article was not underage drinking per se. It was the police use of dogs and helicopter as a way to liven up an otherwise boring evening in their crime free town. How you parent is your own business. There is no sure fire method. The only common thread among the dead from my generation was parents that were self involved or pretended their child didn't have a problem or that the problem was caused by other people. Kids will drunk and try drugs no matter what you do, the best thing is to educate them that over indulgence is dangerous in any form.

Whomever authorized the helicopter/dogs production needs to explain WHY - other than boredom. And if the explanation is not sufficient, there needs to be disciplinary action. There is no blank check when it comes to using taxpayer's money and the cushy police assignment of working here is no excuse for a rash decision. A week per year working in our inner cities ought to bring them back to reality and stop the overkill.

If you are old enough to serve in the armed forces at the age of 18, and are old enough to cope with the possibility of dying for our country, or returning home disabled after being in combat, in my opinion, you are old enough to have a drink. It's truly absurd that we can assume that our young men and women are responsible enough to defend our nation, and kill or be killed, but are not responsible enough to drink socially. There's something wrong with this picture!!!

Parents allowing their underage teen to imbibe on occassion, in moderation while under adult supervision is one thing. Parents sitting down and sharing a case of beer with their 16 year old like it's nothing, or providing it for 'Junior' and his/her friends is another. Make no mistake, there are PLENTY of parents in our town(s) whose own drinking habits are worrisome. They model this behavior at parties and other social events where their children are often present. I'm not referring to responsible social drinking. I'm referring to not being able to socialize without drinking to excess. Why is it then such a surprise that after years of witnessing this 'partying' these kids expect to be let into the club earlier and earlier? It's not so much about the legal age being 21, 18 or 42. As with most things in life, it is about the very clear and pervasive messages we give our children as we model behavior for them. Watch mommy and/or daddy end up half in the bag at every social function, chances are, you will conduct yourself much in the same manner - whether you wait until 21 or not.

To be clear, I am not 'blaming' parents or suggesting this scenario as a blanket statement that explains "all" underage drinking. I am simply pointing out a reality I have witnessed.

What drinking a problem in our town? No way...that stuff only happens in "urban" areas where Democrats live.

Now we need to be able to VOTE on lowering or eliminating the drinking age and join the rest of the WORLD in less government interfering with our lives.

Steve lighten up, you sound like an uptight fool right now, go back to yelling at kids to "stay offa my lawn"!

And repeal that kyleighs law crap, communist Russia and China had/have madatory curfews and you have to report your comings and goings to the government. Does anyone else notice that we are headed in that direction with these rediculous laws being aimed only at our young people?

In my opinion teenage drinking is sad...it shows a lack of imagination, self-care, maturity, and responsibility...teens who participate are engaging in adult behaviors (drinking, drugs, sex) without taking on the responsibility that goes along with it...fyi, this isn't only a problem for well-to-do NE suburbs...anyone following the sad situation related to teenage drinking in Steubenville, Ohio? (Google it)....be prepared, permissive parents to be the responsible party when/if things go wrong...I support your right to introduce your children to whatever substance/behavior you see fit BUT I also expect to see you prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law when illegal behavior occurs (either yours or your children's)...whether it's as a result of your child's actions or another child who was somehow involved with you or your children. No pity for those parents who are written up in local papers when they are criminally charged for hosting parties/providing alcohol/or just turning a blind eye. Cry your crocodile tears somewhere else. This discussion highlights the lack of responsible behavior in our society today... I'm going to be responsible by encouraging my children to make smart choices and to avoid situations and households that are encouraging risky, inappropriate behavior.

That makes sensd Steve, you are probably so anti-social and paranoid that you live a unabomber life style in the middle of no-where and watch doomsday preppers 24/7 in between spewing ignorant racist jokes to yourself. BTW they have treatment for social anxiety disorder now, you should ask your dr about it.

1st of all 08 is a number that could easily be .12 but another story....85% of university presidents want beer and wine if not alcohol drinking age returned to 18. We push kids underground , binge drinking, and/ or driving to destinations and putting more people at risk! I would rather monitor and observe and have a controlled area where limited alcohol can be consumed! More people will be killed by drivers talking/ texting/ or just plain distracting than alcohol being involved! W don't live in a perfect society but more gov't and poor gov't laws are not really helping anyone

as a counselor i will say it is a double edge sword to allow underage drinking...on one hand you want it done safely and u want to know about it. On the other hand you don't want to be condoning breaking the law. Because it is not ok to break the law. It is a complicated issue. I do think that if kids are able to die for our country at 18 then maybe they should be allowed to drink too...but i am for raising the military age to 21...lol

The way I see it is that kids make drinking an event.."I'm going out drinking tonight" rather than drinking at an event..."I'm going to spend time with friends and have a drink." May appear to be a subtle difference but it's not.

The New Jersey drinking age was returned to 21 after disasterous results while it was lowered to 18. Young people in that age group slaughtered themselves--and others--in record numbers.

It's scary how few posters have considered the implication of 100 rinking kids.

How did they get there? Parker Road doesn't have that many teens in the immediate vicinity.

Most drove. And if their common sense had evaporated far enough by the time the cops came that many ran into the woods without coats and outerwear on a freezing night, what's the chance they would have shown equally poor judgement when it was time to get home?

That could have been dozens of cars with drunk teens behind the wheel. Maybe you or a member of your family would have been hit by one of them.

Doubt if many would have called their parents and said, "Mom, dad, I'm drunk at a party here on Parker Road. Come and get me."

It was raised to 21 when the federal government tied highway money to the drinking age. Raise it you get money. Keep it at 18 - no money.