number 1 son is 15, him and a group of mates are off into the woods to camp tonight, i suspected alcohol was going to be involved, which he confirmed as i saw him on his lunch break on friday and he asked me to buy him some. i refused at the time. his mum, my ex has bought him some, cider i think, which i don’t disagree with. we discussed it and on one hand i’m pleased we as parents had some input and that he was able to talk to us, on the other hand will he die? will i die? i’m more bothered that they’ll set fire to the woods or something daft, but i don’t want to spoil it for him by turning up in the night…should i be taking a sneaky look?

IMO, it’s great that he is being honest with you. Send him off with instructions to call if he needs help… then sit by your phone worrying all night.

I’d have refused and explained why. No idea what your relationship with your ex is like but I’d have been right pissed off with her.

Phone the police. She’s broken the law and now you’re culpable.

jesus, let him be 15 and have fun.

i can’t see a better way to edge someone into delinquency than denying them everything.

Phone the police. She’s broken the law and now you’re culpable.

😆

please tell me that’s a troll

It is a troll but 15 is too young IMO. Lots of evidence to suggest people who do start drinking at that age are far more likely to develop dependency problems later on in life.

It’s parental choice at the end of the day. Lets just hope they don’t get drunk followed by the police turning up and asking where they got the booze from.

This is a divisive subject, but I also think you must have a pretty healthy relationship with him if he can be that open with you about it. It’s fair to say that at this age they are going to get up to this sort of thing anyway, so it’s better to know about it than not. Not sure about the actual buying the alcohol thing, but to be fair, I suppose at least then you retain a little control over the type and quantity; ie cider not spirits etc

Men/women buying booze for underaged childeren round here are issued with fines by the police and pcsos when caught.

Theres also the grooming aspect that needs to looked at as well.

About 18 yrs ago I was his age, went camping in the woods with mates

I just walked into the offy and bought 72 cans of fosters for all of us

All I remember now is bringing most of them home again after sleeping really well!

Do you let him have any at home normally?

Its good he came to u …getting him the drink is the right choice IMO .just be there for him and make sure he knows to call u what ever the trouble is.

Hope its quality cider 😉

TBH its more how you as a family use alcohol that has the influence.

No law has been broken . You can give your kids alcohol from 5. That’s not the same as buying alcohol for buying kids on the street you don’t know. Clearly your ex is not grooming.

I’d be a bit worried just because things can go wrong. Also while we’re worrying whose woods and who else is going?

I’d be having a friendly chat about alcohol poisoning and the need for restraint. It depends so much on your son and his friends

My son went to a post prom party on Friday (he is 16 tomorrow). I just asked he did drink at the sleep over afterwards he says not hugely. I hadn’t even remembered to ask if drink was on offer as I trust him and more importantly his mates.

he says asking for booze for the woods sounds a bit dodgy. He recommends watching the Inbetweeners episode based on this very plot

I’m still mainly thinking whose wood

Actually not so sure on the law. Its not the buying is it or the letting them drink it. Its the sending them off with it into a public place that’s naughty. However I don’t think the law on drink is really the big thing here

No law has been broken . You can give your kids alcohol from 5.

Untrue. You can give your kids alcohol for drinking in private premises.

make sure he knows that your happy he talked to you about it, and make sure you know where they are.

Growing up innit.

Untrue. You can give your kids alcohol for drinking in private premises.

So, err, not untrue then? Maybe you need to consult your dictionary on what ‘untrue’ means?

It is a troll but 15 is too young IMO. Lots of evidence to suggest people who do start drinking at that age are far more likely to develop dependency problems later on in life.

Most of the children in my extended family started drinking at legal age. That’s 5.

Neither drinking or alcohol are the problem. Responsibility is the problem.

I don’t know of any with a drink problem apart from my step-sister. But she suffered brain damage in an accident.

And just as much evidence that not ‘learning’ about alcohol when younger does just as much damage – look at the States for one, only legal from 21.

And AFAIK its not illegal to someone under 18 alcohol, although you’d think otherwise (friend of mine wasn’t allowed to buy alcohol in the Co-op because they had their teenage daughter with them – its was a decent bottle of white wine FFS).

Although some confusion is possible:

Between the ages of 5 and 17, it is legally permissible for children to drink alcohol at home or at a friend’s house with the permission of a parent or legal guardian.

and

Purchasing alcohol on behalf of a minor is illegal in all of the United Kingdom. This means acting as the young person’s agent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age

As for your son, it depends. We usually have in low-strength beers for my youngest (14), he’ll have one or two, now and again. Whereas my older sons drink lager.

Depends on the 15 year old tbh some i would trust with alcohol some i would not trust with the reomote control.

Can they not just get some drugs and not involve you ?

I have edited my original post

Doesn’t sound like a dick head otherwise he’d already have a supply. Probably more likely to have a few beers, nod off and try and cop off with a girl well out of his league. Not start the vomit indirection.

Don’t be tempted to check up on them during the night because if they do any acid you might put them on a bad trip.

Given what some of my mates aged 40+ are getting up to at ssukg this weekend the thought of 15 year olds recreating it is a bit terrifying 😯 I’m sure that he’ll survive…..and in years to come will post up his antics on a stw thread called ‘tell me about the worst thing you’ve done when pissed’

Teach him to go to sleep in the recovery position so he doesn’t choke on his own vomit. Job done. My old man told me I could do what I liked as long as I took responsibility for it,and if I ever came home lashed he would give me a good hiding. Needless to say I always sobered up first.

If you buy it for him then you have a fighting chance of knowing what he is likely to drink.

Also you know roughly what he is doing.

In all likely hood he’ll be fine. Maybe he’ll drink to much and throw up or wake with a really bad hangover.

It is a troll but 15 is too young IMO. Lots of evidence to suggest people who do start drinking at that age are far more likely to develop dependency problems later on in life.

I first had an alcoholic drink in a pub at 15 (with a meal, bought for me by a dodgy bloke who was taking me canoeing and was clearly grooming me 🙄 ) Iiiish not dun me any haaarm, hic!

Oh and I also got completely pissed at a do at school which my parents were also at when I was under 18 (I think that was the first occasion I was ill due to alcohol).

At that age I used to do exactly the same thing. We would drink, have camp fires, eat over cooked baked potatoes and wonder where all the girls were 😆

If he asked you and his mum to help him out with getting some booze you are on to a winner. If he was pretending that it would be all tee total, then i would worry. He will probably get smashed. It probably won’t be the last time. But so long as there are plenty of other things in his life he is bothered about then it will only serve to teach him that getting paralytic in a field is a mugs game. Life is best learnt by doing it. For everything else there is the Internet.

Keep talking to him and all will be well.

Cider? The punishment for excessive drinking on a young system will come all on its own. Be very happy to see him the next day, with sudden movements and loudness.

Also, no way this is the first time. just to burst that bubble for you.

I started my drinking at his age in the back street pubs of Bradford in the early sixties with work mates. Everyone knew we were under age but we learnt to blend into the background & keep a low profile. The local bobbies were more tolerant back then too.
When my son and his pals (I knew them well) also headed to the woods I reminded him of the way we kept out of trouble. As we never heard of any issues we assumed all was well.
Times are different now with binge drinking & antisocial problems but I have happy memories of those under age years 😉

My main concern would be that he and his mates aren’t leaving their empties all over the woods.

Tell him to be responsible and bring his empties home.

Ps, I trust he knows how to make a good snakebite and black, best drink ever for 15 year olds 😉

When I was 14 or 15 my dad bought me and my mates a stack of alcohol for a ‘camping’ (read: boozing) trip.

His plan was thus: by not demonising it it wouldn’t be seen as ‘cool/rebellious’, plus we all had the worst hangovers ever, which put us off the stuff for ages! Work of genius.

Why would anyone give a 5 year old booze?

My daughter will be 17 in August and for the past year or so I’ve bought her a couple of bottles of bacardi Breezer If she has been at a friends party or get together.
My train of thought is I did much worse at her age and drank all sorts and smoked all sorts. It also takes away the chance of her asking some seedy bloke to buy them drink. For her 16 th we had a garden party at her house that we were in attendance but kept a low profile. I have to say I was actually shocked at how well behaved the kids were .

Treat them like adults and they behave like, er, adults?

Cider? The punishment for excessive drinking on a young system will come all on its own. Be very happy to see him the next day, with sudden movements and loudness.

This, can we have a sweepstake on the vomit hour?

I’d be more worried that I’d equipped him with johnny’s, the booze will probably help take the edge off the amphetamine*

*do teenagers still do speed, or have things moved on?

Treat them like adults and they behave like, er, adults?

I think this is precisely what the OP is worried about.

Untrue. You can give your kids alcohol for drinking in private premises.

So, err, not untrue then? Maybe you need to consult your dictionary on what ‘untrue’ means?

Eh? They’re going camping.

Follow your judgement, it seems to me your son has been pretty responsible. My three kids have all passed through that difficult teenage period, a few bumps along the way via too much alcohol but its part of every day life and can bring great pleasure – its a case of being responsible.

Currently at my sons 16 th. Which alcohol free I think due to us being mean. But he didn’t ask for booze and they didn’t bring any. Nut I think they all got drunk 2 nights ago. Loud be very civilised