Saturday, December 04, 2004

DRINKIN' 'N' DRIVIN'

Is it right for a mother to let her underage son drink beer at home and then pack him up with a couple of beers and let him drive back to school?
My answer is no, that it's not right, nor smart. The more important point is lurking beneath the surface. The danger here is justification. The child now, and as incorrectly as the thinking goes, believes that his behavior is alright - it was approved by a parent. Unfortunately, if the child had been stopped by a cop, no rationalization explaining that the mother had permitted the behavior would have offered enough proof to the cop to have him see the transgression as right, (and to keep him from possibly having lost his license). In fact, the mother would have more likely been in trouble too.
Having been a 19 year old male I know that if you get away with "a relative wrong", it automatically lowers the bar of "relative right" to that level. Does the boy now assume that "hey, I didn't get caught, nothing wrong happened, therefore its ok"?
You bet your butt he does. I know I would have at that age. And that's where the insidious part comes in. If you can find justification to allow a "relative wrong behavior" to occur, then the line between right and wrong has become blurred/obscured. If drinking and driving is ok with a beer or 2, then what's wrong with 2 or 3, and then 3 or 4, 5 or 6, etc. Especially if you don't get caught!!! "Lets go pick up a coupla cases!!"
That's where the simple becomes complex, and believe me, I have seen it happen many, many times. Rationalizations at that age are based on what you can get away with and not on mature, balanced consideration. It is critical to have young people understand that under-age drinking and driving and especially driving with alcohol in your possession is TROUBLE. And the irresponsible thinking on the mother's part doesn't and shouldn't in any way condone behavior which could land the boy in trouble - both now, and even more later.

Comments:
gee, i wonder who we are talking about here??? could it be my brother who recently had a conversation with me about developing a pill in chemistry class that would lower your blood alcohol level for 30 mintues til you drive home safely?
 
what happened to this mornings blog?
 
One and the same - I thought it was important so I told him no car. I felt that some repurcussion was necessary in order to give him pause for next time, before he thought-lessly gets into a vehicle after drinking or with alcohol in his possession. A poor decision by Mom doesnt render right an incorrect decision on his part. As hard as it is to imagine, NCM, in a moment of rational clarity could have said "No Mom, thats not smart to do". Maybe, at some point.
 
One and the same - I thought it was important so I told him no car. I felt that some repurcussion was necessary in order to give him pause for next time, before he thought-lessly gets into a vehicle after drinking or with alcohol in his possession. A poor decision by Mom doesnt render right an incorrect decision on his part. As hard as it is to imagine, NCM, in a moment of rational clarity could have said "No Mom, thats not smart to do". Maybe, at some point. HaHaHa
 
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