Ed, you said, “Don’t give kids booze. That’s pretty straightforward.” However, in regards to the issue of the firehouse party, it is not nearly that straightforward. In New Jersey it is legal for a parent to furnish alcohol to his or her child. And to consider a 17-year-old a “kid” is questionable. If the father believed his son was mature enough to drink, then it is actually a responsible decision for him to allow his child to become accustomed to alcohol in a supervised, responsible setting. Perhaps if young people learned their limits at their parents’ parties instead of frat parties, there wouldn’t be 1,500 college students dying from alcohol-related incidents every year.

Young Buzz

Well, that sounds sensible. But this isn’t Europe. —Ed. note