Again, this is what our society has become.

Hummmmmmmmmmmmm ...... Better take the child away .. the State always knows better than the parent ... Put the child in a foster home, give it a opportunity to not have a real parent even a bad one...

GET A GRIP ... every parent raises their children differently ... until there is really highly definable patterns of substantial abuse or neglect ...STAY the hell out of other peoples lives trying to raise a family!

until you actually walk in others shoes ..you can't possibly know what really going on ... life not a TV show!

Really... really... I mean seriously?...This is somehow worthy of national news? I mean isn't some celebrity pregnant or something?... something that is much more important in the entire scope of world affairs?

@ Moonbeanrcr

So, you are agreeing with the mother that a 14 yr old drunk is a good thing?

In Most countries in Places like Germany, France , Sweden the parents give their children sine with dinner. Just like the rich in american. do but the bleeding hearts are messing with people,, If the girls mother had been one of the rich in the united states nothing would have been printed by the News media...

You people in this thread, saying this 51-year-old female Drunk! has a RIGHT to raise her child as she wishes when Mommy Dearest plies her 14-year-old with enough booze to make the youngster sick?

Are you chortling via your cotton pickin' brain dead minds? Do you people have sub-zero IQs???

No one has a criminal "right" to abuse an offspring to that or any degree. At least the cops are taking care of this situation. I sincerely hope that people with your attitudes get some psychotherapy... You need to understand our responsibilities in raising our kids... Healthy, Wealthy (in spirit and their own mental competence), and Wise.

A heck of a lot wiser than you smart asinorum!

Dan, in France and Germany they don't get the kids to the point where they are falling down drunk. respectfully as part of the culture they have light drinks, such as wine and are actually be taught to drink socially and its done in small amounts. In most European countries its highly illegal to have the child drink more than what would count as a blood alcohol level higher than 0.8, if it is in any case the parents can look at very high fines. Besides, multiple margaritas isn't wine the last time I checked.

If you notice I said a glass of wine with dinner,, not fally down drunk You didn't read to close did you??? I think most people who post here do not read the posts to close>>>>>>

secondsight hit it right on the nose. And dan, you had better read your own post--you never said a glass.

Dan, i was trying to expand on what you said and correcting slightly since you left out a great deal of information, in other words, maybe you should learn to read posts as well...or at the very least give proper amount of information..besides...we hear enough about the rich that it would nice for once if we didn't.

Actually he said give their children sine with dinner - "Sine" not wine... So Dan doesn't type or read very well.

I can not believe people on this board believe it's OK to give a 14 year old enough alcohol to make her sick. Mom is obviously an alcoholic and is trying to make her daughter one as well. If more of these stories would come forward, maybe there wouldn't be so many alcoholics on the roads. Destroying a child's liver and brain is not what mothers are supposed to do and yes, this is a matter for the police just as all abuse is. But, according to what has been written here, you all must be doing the same with your kids or have had it done to you. Guess mom and the rest of you don't have anyone else to drink with.

Yep, BAN margaritas.

Better article on a very slow day....show more pictures of Michelle's bangs, or dress, or .......

Throwing back tequila with one's 14-year-old isn't the best idea. However, nowhere does this article say the mother was drunk. Now, if this mom was simply getting sloshed with the teen, that's wrong. If the 14-year-old had already been caught drinking and the mom was making a point, it's another matter entirely.

When I was a teen - fast approaching driving age, nothing got through to me or my friends, including all those driver ed movies of dead bodies hanging out of cars wrapped around trees. And that was when teens matured earlier, had after school jobs at 16 and never dreamed of driving with a cell phone/texting device in one hand.

The parents of one of my high school friends did something similar to this - and it worked: told their teen they knew she not only was going to get drunk at some point soon but was likely planning it and not in the safest manner, so they wanted her first time tipsy to be at home in front of them. (This was the alcohol fueled druggie late '60s/early '70s.) One evening when her older sister and brother-in-law were coming over for dinner, the parents let her have cocktails with them, wine with dinner and then an after dinner drink. Mystique removed, no big deal and mission accomplished. She ended up being the only one of our group not to become a serious teen drinker or casual drug user. The downside was that she was often the designated driver (as often was I, shortly thereafter when the drinking novelty wore off with me, too.) My parents handled my brother and I much the same: respect the evolving teen maturity but never underestimate their raging hormones and periodic lapse in common sense. Taking the mystery out of dangerous behaviors while keeping the teen on a long leash saves lives in the long run.

Littlechanges, your parents taught you a good lesson before it was too late. I think this mother maybe carried things a bit too far though, don't know what her daughter looks like but mom doesn't look like the brightest person on earth. I realize though that could be a mugshot, and from what I hear they're never the best pictures.

what total MORON would serve their underage child alcohol and get them DRUNK?!

10 years hard labor.

My parents let my brother and I drink growing up. They didn't have limits, so no one stopped us if we got drunk. When I went to parties, in my teen years, and would get totally drunk, my Dad picked me up. No editorial comments, at all, from him.

Neither my brother or I drink much as adults. Heck, I ended up, by the end of high school being the designated driver amongst my friends. I found being the only sober person amongst my drunk friends fun.

In our case, our parents demystified drinking. It wasn't something we did to 'rebel' against them. Instead it did what they intended...pretty much made both of us teetotalers... I haven't had a drink with alcohol in it in probably 15 years, give or take.

Mom in this story could have been my own...

How about some real news -

Let's get to the bottom of the Benghazi lies

What did Barack, Chuckles and Hillary do or not do - when our Ambassador and citizens were pleading for help?

Knowing they were under attack - Why did they let them die - and blame the video?

Do they really want this to just go away?

Marcus, Honey. That turtle has left the barn. Now, run along outside and play for a little while. You could use some social interaction...

The key question left unanswered by the article:

Is the mother an alcoholic trying to introduce her daughter to alcoholism or was she trying to teach the teenager how sick she can feel by drinking alcoholic beverages in excess and thus make it less likely she will do so in the future. It's a big difference in intent.

When I was a kid and my mom caught me smoking cigeretts, she made me some them till I was sick. It worked and they didn't send her to jail. Now the marguritties might have been a different story.

Perpetuation of Drunk Mommys of America (DMA). Very sad life.

ItsAboutTime you admitted that despite what your button says you don't think at all.

Hi, mary...

Many parents did what yours did. Some even did the same thing regarding beer, but that was before the information was out there about alcohol poisoning killing kids at college hazings.

Now... for the rest of you... let's do a list of popular TV shows that are always showing UNDERAGE teens drinking and/or getting drunk, and the show making them look cool or getting a laugh out of it. I'll start:

Pretty Little Liars

Lying Game

Gossip Girl

scrimmingmimi... Your well-expressed point is one reason I have quit watching TeeVee... :) Not for my kids' benefit (but perhaps it helps now that I think of it) but the quality there of human interactions is literally infinitely lower than zero. I don't bore myself at the least, and protect myself from urp-ing at the most.

I am back to reading books. I've come to buy the writers I know. These days there is a plethora of dismally bad writers, not just context (and that is majorly dim) but just plain grammar ignorance.

There was recently an Opinion piece with very good research links asserting that humans in today's world are experiencing a substantial deprivation of intelligence. Well, we have our Ticky Tacky Techy Toys where all we have to do is push buttons and stare glassy-eyed at meaningless screens with all the bells and whistles.

While the computer does the thinking and problem-solving for them. Zombies of the world, UNITE!

Age is a number, whats the problem?

Many kids now days love the alcohol!

All the songs - promote the drink - at the club - at the club

Why so suprised folks?

ItsAboutTime - I don't think that this article said anyting about politics. But you have the right to open your mouth on the keyboard and show us all how ignorant and shallow you are. I am a "Religious Right Winger" and I could care less about prohibition. What I do care about, are parents that are irresponsible with the greatest responsibility that they might ever have, and ending up in the news for their lack of ability to 1. Know right from wrong, and 2. Follow the laws.

It's actually "couldn't care less", which means something completely different than "could care less".

They just don't get the fact that discipline is a necessary requirement in child rearing....!

My sister and her husband raised their only child (son) in a very liberal and open upbringing.... the kid was a spoiled brat as a child, barely graduated from high school, can't hold down a job, and is still living at home at 23 years old. He's a test case democrat, living off the system which for now is his liberal parents who never disciplined him and soon to be the welfare system which has become a safe haven for many other kids just like my nephew, very sad!

Yes, a LIBERAL mom, never hear of this happening with a conservative RIGHTY MOM ever right? Give us a break. This happens across all mediums regardless of their 'political beliefs". Righties.. always good at one thing and one thing alone. Whine, Complain, and point the finger of BLAME at everyone else, even when the HYPOCRISY is in their own backyard.

seldom, this has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the mother's emotional stability. Society as a whole is going through extreme changes. I feel bad for my own child's future.

Seldom Seen Sam, you've just described one of the 47%ers (and maybe the parents too) that Romney described in his campaign. Are his parents also 'part of the system'? I wouldn't doubt it!

stupid post. This has nothing to do with discipline. It has to do with an irresponsible adult. We never see conservative parents being irresponsible, do we, especially with alcohol (sarcasm).

Society as a whole is going through extreme changes. I feel bad for my own child's future.

Janellect, That's the point I was trying to make! I was raised in a society when religion wasn't being attacked as it is today, when kids could and sometimes had to walk miles to school, when kids had to suffer the consequences of their actions... spank a kid today and you'll go to jail! Society is becoming liberalized and kids are smart enough to take advantage of that. I wasn't allowed to sit home all day watching TV, I had to participate in life. And I benefited from the strict discipline and spanking I got..... you don't see that anymore, kids nowadays learn about life from video games on their computor and get little discipline generally....

And yes, What I said about my sister's kid could happen in a 'conservative' home too I suppose, because society is changing the way kids are raised these days.... a very permissive system.

there may (or may not) be differences in how kids are raised in "liberal" vs "conservative" households. That's an interesting question.

however, in this story there is no indication of the politics of the mom, or any discipline issues here as well. its all about parental behavior, and from what i've seen, alcohol irresponsibility occurs everywhere. Heck, based on country music, I'd say that conservatives are worse in this case. :)

I agree that parenting is changing, for the better in some ways, for the worse in others.

New NRA Prez David Keene's Son Is a Convicted Road-Rage Shooter
*raised in a conservative home.... I think that pretty much dispels that 'conservative' households are better than 'liberal' households. It's called bad parenting not political views

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/new-nra-prez-david-keenes_b_856268.html

Lord, I know mom's down here in the south that let their kids drink, smoke cigs and weed. There's also a bunch that hosts underage drinking parties. Their reasoning is that if the kids are going to do it at least they are under the eye of adults. When I lived in Wisconsin, the law there says a parent can buy their kids a drink as long as the parent is present although I didn't see too many do it. The do, however, host huge graduation parties with a lot of drinking. So I don't think this really has anything to do with being liberal or conservative. I just think it's poor judgement. I don't call myself a liberal or a conservative. I call myself a common senser.

ItsAboutTime - Since you were the first to bring politics into the discussion, you don't get to be self-righteous and state it crosses all "mediums regardless of their political beliefs". Or do you always talk out of both sides of your mouth? This story has nothing whatsoever to do with politics yet on every Newswhine discussion it takes about 2.3 nanoseconds for some whackadoodle to make it a political free for all. You add nothing to the discussion.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia when I was growing up, parents could provide alcohol for their children IF it was being consumed in their home and as long as NO other children (meaning the kids' friends) was consuming it AND it was being done under the parents' supervision. This did not mean that parents could order their child an alcoholic drink if they were enjoying dinner out, though.

My mother did this when I was 14. She was unstable and also wanted me to smoke with her, which I did. She was looking for a friend to drink with and since she couldn't leave the house because she'd had a stroke and couldn't leave on her own and dad was out at the bar so she decided I made a good friend. I didn't get drunk though but then we were drinking wine and not margaritas.

As for politics... my parents had been Republicans until Nixon resigned and my dad came out of the closet a few years later (which was why my mom needed a drink or two and a friend). When he came out they changed their way of parenting - suddenly we were allowed to do whatever we wanted to too. Mostly because they were too wrapped up in their own lives to look after us anymore. I'm surprised either of us didn't go down a really bad path.

John Edwards kids will have a tough life. Father cheats on Mother who is suffering from cancer and is charged with misusing campaign funds. Yet another example of poor liberal parenting! It seems consistent with liberal values these days!

Maybe Obama can spend a lot of our money on a study to determine the causes of poor parenting in liberal households! He does like spending others money on silly things, doesn't he? Sorry had to yank the progressive chain again, it's so much fun!

Bill Thomas

Think about "Diaper Boy Vitter". His kids have to live with the fact that their daddy had hookers playing with him and dressing him in diapers. I suppose that is one of the good examples of those GOP "family values" you talk about, right?

Yes Bill, it is fun poking holes in your BS, along with the other lap dogs manure. And you think you are so witty, but since you belong to the low informed lap dogs of the GOP base, have a nice day little doggie. arf arf mutt...

SallyAnn, I see you must be one of those children whose mother poured marguarita's down your throat as a child.... your intellect is obviously stunted! Another example of the damage caused by permissive parents, I really feel your pain sallyann!

SallyAnn: ...but since you belong to the low informed...

Kelly, sallyann must be damaged! Unable to come up with an original thought, she has to copy Rush Limbaugh's term for liberal's: "low information voters". Further proof Rush is right, hehe!

1 If you read this article and immediately thought of the group of political people you hate, you might have mental problems.

2 Per another poster, her FB page lists her as a Christian, so odds are it's a conservative family.

Gm Kelly and George,

SallyAnn does seem to have and anger management problem, doesn't she? Permissive parents probably spoiled her rotten as a child and now she has some difficulty dealing with life.

Yes, this tree-hugging liberal mom who voted for Obama, volunteered for Acorn, and get's five welfare checks a month, represents the Democrats perfectly. She is a poster child for progressive Americans who think we can somehow make this country better by looking our for each other. Hmmf. Now excuse me while I fix a margarita and watch old Ronald Reagan movies.

Man some of you take ass to a whole new level.

Hummmmmmm .. It's always "liberal" Or "conservative" this or that .. never just .. this mom ..or this @!$%# ..

I try to read the stories carefully and disassociate any political feelings .. (cause it rarely tells their political affiliations or enough hard facts to draw a meaningful conclusion) .. I might have ..

Does it make you feel better to always associate the negative & bad feelings of a story with a particular political philosophy that is different than your own? .... LOL

Politics always have to be brought into discussions, because people are angry with the world and need something to blame it on. People can't take responsibility for their own lives but need to blame it on the opposing party.

This woman made a mistake, that shouldn't even have made national news.

joemike404

Try again... reading with comprehension:Sally Rocks classically 1st COMMENT saying a LIBERAL MOM. Who brought a 'political' aspect into the conversation first?

My comments are to "REFUTE" any relationship on what this woman did based on her politics.

Yawn

Don't the cops have more important things to do?

I guess you think they should just ignore it when the call comes in for a violently sick 14 year old from alcohol overdose. Sick enough to require hospitalization. Guess the hospital should have ignored the obvious abuse of the kid.

Guess it's a normal everyday occurrence in the hills where you win a prize for having the fewest teeth.

I guess I don't see how "liberal" fits into the logic. I've known many good / bad parents from all political parties.

Your political label doesn't make you a good or bad person/parent... your behavior does. I consider myself to lean right, but that has nothing to do with my parenting skills. It is just my opinion on how our government should manage money. I think they should stay out of people's business on everythign else... but that is my personal opinion. My brother in law and his wife are extremely liberal... they believe strongly in the government's "responsibility" to take care of its citizens... in all aspects. They are also some of the best parents I know. In the end, I think it has more to do with the individual than any label. Both my husband and his brother were raised by loving parents who taught them a good work ethic and responsibility. One just happened to go to a very liberal college that shaped his worldview and he became an educator. The other one works for a private business. I find that, typically, a person's political views are tilted towards whichever end of the spectrum will benefit the parts of the world that will directly touch them. Education depends heavily on government funding. Private businesses profit margins are often hindered by government involvement. Does it help our children to take money away from the schools? Does it help the economy (our children's future job possibilities) to tax/regulate business away? In the end we are all selfish creatures. There is probably a sweet spot somewhere in the middle that would provide the most benefit for the country as a whole... but I digress.

Not knowing the whole story I can't judge, but I can't really think of any situation in which I would allow my son to drink until he was physically ill let alone serving him the alcohol myself. From the ouside looking in, it sounds like this woman used very poor judgment in getting her 14 year old trashed.

I grew up in a LIBERAL household and my parents would let us have a beer or two when we went camping as long as we were careful and didn't get knee-walking drunk. I hardly drink AT ALL and if I do it's 1 or 2 casually with friends. My parents also had a job and taught us to work hard.

On the other hand, my ex husband grew up in a CONSERVATIVE household and they were allowed to drink, smoke cigarettes, and smoke pot at young ages. Also, his Mom was on welfare.

It's not politics. It's people.

...Amazingly, he is now in his early 20s and goes to work every day, having gotten himself off of the crack. He's a fine young man. His mother is still a crackhead.

leroy, that's because you are now selling your mom her crack. Not such a 'fine young man' in my opinion.

Damn, busted! You righties are so smart...

nope, its the kind of news that gets people here to post and make more money for nbcnews. :)

Seriously. What crap. Who cares??

There's nothing inherently wrong with allowing a fourteen year old to have a small drink

Other than the fact it's totally illegal of course.

What is worse; violating idiotic and destructive laws or not teaching your children about alcohol before they learn how to drive.

This should not be a legal issue.

Of course, Billy has to jump in with his baseless blanket assertion that it is completely illegal to serve alcohol to minors, when if fact a parent may server alcohol to their minor children within their own home without being in violation of the law. That is what I was referring to to begin with, so perhaps I should have been more precise. A parent cannot serve alcohol to any minor other than their own children, and are also liable if their child becomes intoxicated or ill. But again, there is nothing inherently wrong with serving alcohol to your own 14 year old child, and if done responsibly, and infrequently, is generally harmless and educational. I taught my children how to drink responsibly, and they have never manifested any alcohol-related problems. They are both over 40, and are self-supporting, responsible, and contributing members of society. There are also exceptions made for religious ceremonies where a small amount of wine is consumed as part of the ceremony. So it is not "totally illegal" in all cases.

It varies by state law. In ND it is absolutely illegal, and the law does not even make an exception for alcohol for religious purposes such as communion. But regardless, in any state a parent who provided alcohol to the point of intoxication could be arrested. The story refers to a "medical condition" but does not state if that meant the alcohol or something else. The person whose mom made them smoke cigarettes until they got sick as a disciplinary measure?--that form of discipline would also result in legal intervention of some kind these days. (And I'm sure there are more than a few adult smokers whose parents did the same thing with a different end result)

when if fact a parent may server alcohol to their minor children within their own home without being in violation of the law.

Uhhh, no. Make much stuff up??

Social host liability laws are generally adopted by a majority of states in the US and proscribe serving or furnishing intoxicating (or mind-altering) substances to minors. Now, we can part hairs all day on this, but we are speaking generally, here.

There is a liability imposed by a standard duty of care onto the parent (host) acting as the responsible party on the premises.

Furnishing makes the intoxicating substance available; serving deliberately provides the substance to another.

These laws directly address the situation described in this news article, where a high probability of risk of injury or death exists.

I vehemently disagree with your notion that there is “nothing inherently wrong” with serving a minor alcohol or any proscribed substance in their home.

Social host liability laws impose that duty of care directly onto the host by the act of serving an intoxicating substance directly to a minor – either through negligence or with intent to harm.

Parents are not off the hook, here. You may not “intoxicate” your children. The protections within the statutes speak to a common societal expectation that parents will naturally have it in mind to avoid harming their children, though we know reality sometimes is the opposite.

The situation is even worse for adults that know of the intent by minors to imbibe or ingest alcohol or substances prior to the act. Those that knowingly fail to do anything to stop the harmful situation to the minor, though it is fully within their scope of duty or power to stop it, are especially liable.

That person may be held liable for subsequent injuries as well where for example, a car accident occurs and others are injured as a result. Information that the host had prior to, during, and subsequently may show intent to serve that substance to that minor or person at that particular place or time.

This liability is why many bars have hired drivers to drive guests back to their home free of charge or employ a variety of services as a courtesy to avoid losing their liquor licenses or establishment.

Connecticut is a general ‘social host liability state’ – the age of the person harmed is irrelevant, here. If with reasonable foreseeability or with substantial certainty, the host knew that the result of imbibing the intoxicating substance was likely to be harmful under the conditions the substance was served, that host will be forced to answer to that liability.

I think that it is safe to assume the burden of proof will be easy for the Plaintiff to show, here, because the child was hospitalized with evidential injury. However, there are some situations where the Defendant will be forced to assume this burden to prove that he or she was not liable for the harm done, if compelled to do so by the court. Depends on specific language of the statute, which varies from state to state and the particularities of the case.

Quit serving alcohol to children!

Mom is an older adult that society can assume has a standard knowledge of the consequences of serving alcohol to a minor – whose body is not fully developed or able to handle the same amount of alcohol as a fully mature adult can. Margaritas are generally understood to be potent by their recipe, which includes combining hard liquor with flavor mixers. This is not a wine cooler, for example.

The report involves an “intoxicated female” and police find a 14 year old that appears to be intoxicated. She is with her mother at the residence. Teen admits mom gives her several intoxicating substances with their meals. Witness appears confirming the act. Female is transported to hospital for actual injury.

Not a good situation for this mother to be in.

WilliamofRites, in Wisconsin a parent is allowed to give a minor alcohol and can order them an alcoholic beverage at a bar or restaurant as well. The establishments have the right to refuse if they so choose.

If they found sponge cake, it was Margaritaville.

And in the North it is referred to as "Normal Behavior".

Madmod started drinking at 7!

Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. This was a private home situation. What kind of person calls the cops? If you think the person at your dinner is doing something inappropriate, then say something. I'm so sick of people wasting taxpayer money on stuff that should be dealt with among friends or family members. This is why we're living in a nanny state--people don't (wo)man-up and deal with family matters on their own anymore!

Am I the only one wondering who called the cops? I smell a bitter ex

Me too.... it did take a month for the police to get involved. A bitter father could be the source and how can they determine if the child really drank enough to get ill, weeks have passed?

A weak case, a weak story! Lets move on to bashing politicians!

The version I see posted does not say it took a month. It says there was a report of an intoxicated female and does not say who called it in. It says the police FOUND the 14 year old intoxicated.

As for politics, I know a conservative, religious, and very dysfunctional mother who, needing money, rented a place with her kids and two young guys, both involved in drug dealing. The first weekend there was a party. The mom bought a case of beer for her underage teenage daughters, one of the drug dealings bought his own case. In the course of things the girls got drunk and the guy got drunk and started waving around a gun accusing people of drinking his beer. A neighbor called the cops. Mom piled the kids into her van and when the cops came pretended she did not know the guy with the gun (who had left the scene) and said her girls were in the van for "safety". Cops never checked out the girls (youngest was 13) or figure out they had been drinking. There have been numerous other situations, although as time has gone by it is turning out that the girls have more sense than their mother. Some kids raised with firm discipline do well and others rebel. Some kids raised in craziness internalize the chaos and others figure out stability for themselves. . . although in general the odds favor those raised with more stability. In a lot of cases foster care just adds another layer of problems for the kids.

The version I see posted does not say it took a month

SRMcMahon, this is an updated version of the earlier and shorter article... the first article said the incident happened a month ago and this photo of the mom was added as well.

NBCNews sometimes posts an articles that has 'corrections' later. Wish they were more careful to start with!

The two were out to dinner in Middletown last month when police were called with a report of “an intoxicated female”. They probably expected to find some crazy old lady who drank too many wine spritzers. Instead, they found a 14-year-old drunk at dinner. PER NBC CT

They were not drinking alcohol at home but this article just listed an address, so many are assuming the incident was in a home and not a restaurant. Good for the witnesses who notified authorities because had this incident happened at home the 14 year old could very well have passed out on her back, vomited, and died of aspiration. I wonder why reporters are not naming the restaurant but just giving out the address.....of course persons living in that town know...but for those of us who do not it could very well have been a home address and the witnesses concerned *friends.*

katy katy, if that is the case, then why didn't the restaurant refuse to provide any more alcohol? The server must have been able to see that the 14 year old was becoming intoxicated and at that point should have cut off the drinks.

No...Jebus (?) is happy that you took the time and interest to search for her on Facebook.

Oh brother

Can't say I knew people that go married before they were 15, but I do agree this is a silly story, that would best be on the back pages of a local newspaper!

She was not drunk in her own home; it was at a restaurant that the margaritas were consumed.

off topic, but the anti gun nuts would take away our guns because of a few crazy aholes out there (children from dysfunctional families?). That's like blaming cars for drunk drivers.

And stupid teenagers can get legally behind the wheel of a car at 16.

Perspective, how refreshing! Wish I could vote for your comment again.

It wasn't just a *couple* of drinks; it was several ingested at a restaurant and the 14 year old was hospitalized.