What do you think about the current drinking and voting ages? Henry
Him -
Drinking Age:
With an eighteen-year-old high school senior in the house, drinking and voting and other adult(ish) transitions are something we think about a lot. We have friends we hold in high regard who allow their eighteen-year-old children, and their children’s friends to drink beer at their homes. They apply very specific rules and conditions; no one leaves, keys turned in to parents, beer only, etc. Likewise, we have close friends who, outwardly at least, strictly forbid underage drinking. If pushed, they acknowledge their children probably drink occasionally. Your mom and I fall somewhere between these groups. We don’t condone it, we don’t encourage it, but we also take a realistic approach to dealing with it. We know that you boys will be presented with opportunities to drink socially and have been very clear about our position; NEVER drink and drive, NEVER get into a vehicle with a friend who has been drinking, UBER is always an option, NEVER be afraid to call us for a ride or help of any kind. We’ve also talked openly about the other risks drinking introduces; impaired judgment, relaxed inhibition, increased chance of violence, etc. If you’re going to make the decision to drink, you have to understand what goes with that and plan accordingly.
We need to find a way to be more pragmatic about this. Since National Minimum Drinking Age Act passed in 1984, there has been a marked decrease in alcohol-related crime, accidents, and fatalities; particularly among people ages 18-24yrs. While raising legal age almost certainly played a role in this outcome, so have dramatic increases in awareness, stiffer laws, and new technology. At the same time, there have been increases in other alarming behaviors; binge drinking on college campuses, sexual assaults on college campuses and increased opioid use. These behaviors are often linked to the pre-party or pre-gaming activities that occur before underage students go out for the evening. Young people are still drinking, illegally and often, irresponsibly. To imagine, hope or pretend otherwise is to deny reality. The default approach for many families is some combination prohibit, deny, turn a blind eye and then when they leave home, hope. This is naive, hypocritical and irresponsible.
I favor lowering the drinking age. I favor reducing the allure of the forbidden fruit. I favor giving parents the capacity to legally and safely introduce their children to alcohol. I favor nuance - only in certain establishments, only certain types of alcohol, only with a parent or guardian present, etc. - over simplicity. The first step is talking openly and honestly about what is really going on and working together to come up with sensible, comprehensive and enforceable policies to create the safest situation we can for our young people.
Voting Age:
Until recently I hadn’t considered the idea of lowering the voting age, but our current state of affairs has changed that. I worry quite a bit about our political discourse; a fringe driven, zero-sum approach to politics and increasingly, policy. The issues of the day are incredibly complex. Applying age as the sole criteria for voting eligibility seems overly simplistic. I’m fairly open-minded on this and while I’m not ready to endorse lowering the age, I am open to exploring it. If 17 is too young to vote, we should consider the possibility that 77 or 87 is too old. I’ve worked with 16 and 17 years olds who are certainly better equipped to understand issues and vet political candidates than scores of adults I’ve encountered. Whether it’s 16, 18 or 21, we should endeavor to produce a curious, thoughtful and engaged population of young voters.
Her -
Lower them both by 2 years- teenagers today are smarter than we give them credit for.
Voting Age:
I was married with children before I ever voted. Growing up, my parents were quiet about their political views and inactive in local politics. I remember clearly, the Obama/McCain election was in full swing and Ryan asked me who was I going to vote for. “I don’t know” I replied. Then he asked, “Well are you a Democrat or a Republican?” Again I had to reply, “Honestly, I don’t know.” Ryan then sent me a link to take an online quiz. The questions asked about my views on a variety of topics. You answer honestly, press enter and the results would reveal where you fell on the political spectrum. Ryan read at the outcome of the quiz, looked at me and said “Oh my God honey … you're a Communist.” True story.
As a parent, I think we fall into 3 categories. 1) We are somewhat uninvolved and our children have no idea what we believe in or how we vote. 2) We are vocal in our political views, we make sure our children believe EXACTLY the same things we do, and we make sure they know why anyone who sees things differently is a complete moron or 3) We are confident in our political views and we encourage our kids to investigate, research and decide on their own how they want to vote.
I believe the voting age should be lowered to 16. I would love to see a required high school course teaching kids all about the voting process, politics, and policy. After completing the class, a student would receive their voter identification card. They could then vote, or not, but would fully understand the process and the privilege. I truly wish someone had done that for me.
Drinking Age:
The drinking age should be lowered to 18. It sure would be nice if my husband could sit with my senior at a bar and order a drink with him, teach him the difference between a lager and a blonde (or whatever they are called), and show him there is more to life than Bud Light and Coors. (Not that there is anything wrong with Bud Light and Coors, but just sayin’.) It sure would be nice if kids could figure out what to do when they can’t safely get home, need to call for a ride, need to get a friend home, what their tolerance level is, or even decide if the whole “drinking thing” is not for them, all while still living at home. Unfortunately, American kids have to learn all these lessons in dark basements, while sneaking around. Then we send them off to college crossing our fingers and holding our breath in hopes they figure it all out….but maybe that’s just me.
