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Comments
At least he's still a minor.
My son turns 5 on Wednesday, can you believe it, already? That's my 2nd child. When I bought my Forester we didn't have any kids!
My family is entering the "busy season" as far as birthdays, etc. I officially crawl closer to my grave on 8/9, anniversary (7) on 8/19, along with several parent/sibling birthdays/anniversaries scattered in there. Our second child is due around 10/1 as well, so that is... bearing down.
Not sure what we are going to do with a second child as we can hardly keep up with one!
-Frank
Apparently he's in to drop tops, or should I say bottoms!
Usually they don't do that to you in Alaska unless there's a fishing pole in your hands and a 48 pound king salmon on the end of the line.
Cheers!
Paul
I would question why he was under age drinking in the first place, that's the root of the problem....
-mike
He deserves community service, maybe having to attend an alcohol awareness class.
Why'd he do it? My guess is peer pressure. I'm sure his dad will deal with that appropriately.
He's just a kid, and the punishment seems rather harsh.
Honestly, my wife should have taken the photos of him before he started taking the clothes off. He looked far muddier when the shorts were up!
He is our little mechanical engineer - loves hoses, machines, cords... anything that can be put together, taken apart, and made to do something. Oddly, though, I cannot keep his attention for more than a minute when I try to show him how to do something like change oil, rebuild a carburetor, etc. I guess he just too hands-on.
His friend's parents are getting a lawyer but Michael wanted to get it over with, especially since he in at camp in PA for only another 3 weeks and then back to school here in Florida.
The record will be sealed at 18; his friend is getting his license suspended for 90 days (Michael doesn't drive yet, too busy with music). Michael did community service at the scene of the crime (Best Western) cleaning the grounds and public ares, taking out trash, and stuff like that.
Mike, I also agree with him paying the fine; as for why he was drinking, I would go with peer pressure; he is a young 17 and still gaining his confidence...surrounded by all these older teens who were telling him to try, that's a recipe for didaster at that age. to show you how strong that kind of pressure is, Michael has tasted beer and thought it was disgusting, yet in front of his peers, he drank.
Juice, I feel that the fine is excessive also, but it is a small town probably getting funding partially through these types of incidents; there are many camps in the area with LOTS of teen counselors. Michael worked hard for his money, giving guitar lessons twice a week; however, he realized that he must pay for his mistake and is willing to do so. As long as he learns a lesson from this...
Speaking of which, I remember when I was 15 or so, and got so drunk with my buddies that I got so sick that I was miserable for several days. That did the trick for me. I have never ever gotten so drunk in my life after that.
It's a shame that Michael got caught. Let's hope he learned from that.
Bob
Glad to hear that from the parent side. So often these days (my parents are both teachers) you hear of parents who swear up and down "not my kid" rather than facing the music. I'm sure he'll learn a lesson that will be invaluable in the future.
-mike
-Frank
Make him pay the fine, he's learned his lesson I'm sure. But I mean, come on, a BAC of 0.04%? At his size that's like 4 sips of beer! (ok, maybe 1/3 of a beer) He certainly wasn't drunk.
But let him who has no blame throw the first stone. I for one have nothing to say. (nor any stones to cast)
I'm sure he's a good kid, Serge, and in a strange way this was probably good for him.
tom
Young Michael's willingness to accept responsibility and his father's support will prove invaluable here. He has a bright future ahead of him. This may have been the best outcome to the situation - especially considering that nobody came to harm; that fine is a stiff one, for sure, but often a hit to the pocketbook makes the impression last that much longer.
Best wishes to you (and your son) for a far less "eventful" summer, Serge... or for more preferable events, anyway!
She and a couple friends were talking when the subject of wine came up. After a couple minutes, one of them asked her which was her favorite type. She told them that she does not drink wine and followed up with offering that she does not drink alcohol of any kind when they asked her what she does drink. One of them said, "And your husband is okay with that?"
They were blown off their rockers when she said that I do not drink either, and actually had a stronger opinion about it than she did when we first met. They said, "Not even beer? Every guy drinks beer!"
So, apparently there is a social expectation about it, and I doubt age is much of a factor if my own childhood was any indication at all.
Good. Then he'll really learn his lesson right now yet it won't have long-term repercussions.
I echo Frank's comments. The fact that Michael accepts responsibility for his actions is a reflection of his upbringing and shows that he has a solid foundation. I'm sure he will learn and grow from this.
Jim
That's halfway to legally drunk in most states. It's 100% legally drunk for teens in all states.
IMHO, teens are going to drink because of peer pressure and unfortunately the OP's son was caught. It happens to teens every single day. The police were just doing their job.
The important thing is that the OP's son is taking responsibility for his actions. Way too many kids today expect Mommy and Daddy to handle it.
Something like this is just the thing to throw a scare into Michael. While it may not stop him from drinking in the future (when he egally can) it will make him think 2 or 3 times before doing it again. Plus you have obviously raised him with the fortitude to admit his mistakes and to accept repsonsibility for them.
Mark
I, too, appreciate the responsibility shown by both the father and the son ...
I have stepsons who have both "dabbled" in underage drinking ... and neither got "caught" by authorities ... and I think THEY got the wrong message about the "state of things" .... by "getting away with it" ...
our society has gotten VERY harsh with alcohol use among underage drinkers (and more harsh with legal drinkers than I ever remember) ... whether it's helping or not is hard to measure ...
I will restate ... thankfully NO ONE WAS INJURED OR WORSE ...
see ya guys ! (at least it brought us all out of the woodwork!)
Craig
I personally do not drink any alcohol, but that is my own choice. He is getting to be old enough to make his own choices, and sounds like a good kid who just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. For those of you that are perfect and have never made a mistake, then go on and judge him and throw the book at him.
I'm surprised how little understanding people have for Michael- maybe we're all too old and have forgotten what it's like to be a teenager?
tom
When I was 17 I'm sure I would have been doing enough that dad would have had to drive up to PA to bail me out of that jail!
But I swear, I wasn't with the two underage women and the donkey.
no one seems to think much of an adult who has an "accident" but kids are definitely NOT supposed to have them ...
everyone had an opinion ... few of those mattered since few stepped up to help her (and us) ....
mostly the ones with "slings and arrows" were just glad it hadn't happened in their own family ...
And then raise the driving age to 18
Sorry about what you went through with your daughter Brenda. It's always easier to criticize than to build, isn't it?
Hey, at least we got a lot of the crew to comment on stuff! Juice's pic was nice! (It isn't real, is it?)
tom
Juice...none of the women in that pic appear remotely underage! :P
The drinking age in Brazil is 18, and it's not enforced at all. In fact odds are the person serving you a beer on the beach is younger that your teen.
It's different, though, getting beer in Brazil just doesn't seem to be a big deal, so teens aren't chasing after beer like crazy in the first place. I was in school in Brazil from 11-17 years of age, then I came here when I was 17, what a culture shock. Beer was worshipped here. In Brazil is was no big deal, I guess. You drank with your family, though, not sneaking around, hiding it.
Maybe it's that breaking the rules and doing something seemingly rebellious makes it seem more fun than it is, I dunno.
21 for a drinking age does seem rather high to me, especially when you can be drafted at 18. You can risk your life serving your country, yet win the war and you can't toast the victory with champagne?
Obviously each family will deal with this issue the way they see fit, but you can bet your assets I'll be having a beer with my son on the beaches in Brazil when he's 18. :shades:
Michael has definitely learned his lesson (and an expensive one it is). He was really scared when he first called that morning, and since then has been pretty much toeing the line and sounding much more reflective. He was given the choice of fighting it but decided not to.
I spoke to the judge's secretary in the courthouse this morning and it is a summry judgment with no permanent record. However, when he gets his license in Florida, there is the possibility of a 90 day suspension, assuming that Pennsylvania shares their data with the state of Florida (quite dubious IMHO)sometime down the road.
Anyway, I will keep you guys posted.
Serge
Juice, is that donkey related to Hadji?
-Frank
But it's underage alcohol related - it's a hot button issue to many special interest groups and as such carries great importance to the legislators who rely on those special interest groups for (re)election.
-Frank
-Frank
My son is only 13 and is already asking for a car! He sees a car on the road, asks me if it's fast, and then says "I'll take one". :surprise: He's asked for an STi, an Evo, a Mustang, a saturn sky redline, and a 350Z.
I told him he's lucky if he gets a huge Buick!
He's now motivated to make some money and buy his own car.
tom
See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com
http://www.carspace.com/tsy/Albums/tsy%27s%20Album/DSC_3096.JPG/page/photo.html#- - - - - - pic
Bob
It's a great car- just a little small
I saw it on Ebay and just couldn't resist.
tom
I and most of my current friends.
-mike
Juice, the "machine guns" are the body posts- I probably should have photo shopped those out first. The paint job looks amazingly close to the real thing.
I don't know why the photo won't post directly- Edmunds keeps deleting it- I've tried posting from both Carspace and Imagestation. Is it too big? :confuse:
tom