It is strange to inadvertently stumble upon a topic that touches the collective nerve. The post I did a few weeks ago on teens and alcohol---or more specifically, the post I wrote about letting my teen occasionally have a sip of my alcohol---spurred a flurry of stories, followed by a segment on CBS and a number of blogs blogging about the subject. Truthfully, I hadn't even been expecting to write about teens and alcohol until my older son saw me sipping a glass of wine in the kitchen and made an off-hand remark. His comment gave me pause, I had a deadline to meet, and I ran upstairs to write. The minute I posted it, the story took on a life of its own, and I ran to catch up with it.
There has been a huge outpouring of response to this story. Most readers have emailed me privately. A couple of brave souls have posted their remarks publicly. I teach a creative writing workshop in the city on Thursdays and today, my students told me that they agreed with me (thanks, guys!) As my father once said, we're all parents under the same sun, but the one thing I've concluded is that there's no one universal parenting approach that works for every family. Child-rearing is like religion, private school versus public school, the suburbs versus the city, and Democrats versus Republicans. What works for one family, doesn't necessarily work for another. Some of us are raising our kids exactly as our parents raised us. Some of us are living our lives in opposition to our parents. Some of us are flying blind, talking to friends, checking in with schools, doing triage, solving one problem, then jumping to the next. What's even more confusing is that often, you need different approaches within the same family. I have to nudge my older son to make plans with friends in a way I never have to do with my hyper-social younger son, who begs to be picked up on carpool line (rather than take the bus) so he can stand outside in the cold for 20 minutes and chat with his friends.
I write about what I do. Even my own husband doesn't always agree with how me on how to raise our kids (though he does, in this case.) You may have had your fill (pun intended) of this subject, but Drinking Diaries recently blogged about the subject of teens and drinking. I like the blog, and kind of know the woman, Caren Osten Gerszberg, who started it. She is the friend of a woman I've known since grade school. Caren and her partner, Leah Odz Epstein, cover a wide range of issues, all of them having to do with drinking responsibly. Last week, Leah wrote on that tantalizing topic, "Is Sex Better Drunk or Sober?" This week, Caren interviewed Lucinda Rosenfeld, author of the novel, I'm So Happy For You. They're all parents, and they all have something to say. Check out the latest posts from the Drinking Diaries here.
Would you let your teen drink with you?
by CAREN on MARCH 25, 2011
Although many are opposed to the notion of giving a child who is still a minor some alcohol, I am not. I believe that kids who are exposed to drinking in a responsible way, and don’t see alcohol as simply a vehicle for getting drunk, are better off in the long run. They are less likely to see alcohol as a forbidden fruit and suffer the impending syndrome that can indeed lead to binge drinking.
So, I was delighted to read mom/journalist/blogger (who happens to be a friend of a friend), Laura Zinn Fromm’s post on her blog, Flawed Mom, about her own drinking experiences with her teenage son. And evidently, so was CBS Early Morning Show, who came across her blog post and then featured her and her family–including a chat with her teenage son–on the show which aired on Wednesday. To see the clip, titled “Teenage Binge Drinking Risks,” click here.
We, at Drinking Diaries, would love to get your feedback/comments on the issue of teenage drinking, specifically in terms of exposing your child(ren) to alcohol in your presence. Photo source
by LEAH MARCH 28, 2011Do you need to get buzzed or drunk to have sex? According to a new study from the UK, most women do. Nearly half of the women surveyed said alcohol helps them to lose their inhibitions and feel more adventurous during sex, with 75% of women in committed relationships reporting that they enjoy drinking before [...]
by CAREN MARCH 30, 2011Each week, we post short interviews with interesting people about their thoughts and feelings on women and drinking. There is such a wide array of perspectives about this topic, and we are excited to gain insight into as many as possible and to share them with you. Lucinda Rosenfeld is the author of the novels, [...]
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