I had a fake ID when I was younger, and I don’t love it, but I’m pretty sure college-aged D has one. I would not be happy if my high school D had one.
@twoinanddone Maybe. He wasn’t at the master criminal level yet in which it occurred to him to hide the thing.
@3scoutsmom Yeah, that is you getting through that gate. Baby Driver. 
That was DS2’s movie suggestion one week. It was fun.
Whether or not it is common, it is illegal to have and to use a fake ID. For whatever reason you became aware of it, in this case while being a good samaritan, you did the right thing. You are not obligated to protect a child from bad behavior. Quite the contrary, we are obligated to be part of the global village looking out for one another. If it had been my kid, I would have wanted the right to parent him through that. And if I was the daughter of a mother who was killed by a young drunk driver, and that driver had been this boy, you would have been complicit in allowing that kid to make that one more poor decision. Sorry to dramatize, but writing from personal experience. Really. Also nearly lost a child to alcohol poisoning her first weekend of college. So, there’s a reason underage drinking is illegal and you don’t need to feel bad for being responsible AND helpful. Thanks for doing the right thing.
My take on the mom’s response was that this was the first problem she’d had with her son and didn’t know how to deal with it. It seemed that she was having a hard time processing what I was telling her until she saw the pictures. I’m not even sure she knew her son was in our subdivision Saturday night or very early Sunday morning. That could have added to her response.
I have no proof he used the fake ID but it was odd that it was infront of his other cards. It wasn’t just a fake college ID but a very realistic state driver’s license.
I’m still wondering how his wallet ended up in the middle of the road? It was warn like it was carried in a back pocket, how do you not notice that it’s not there when you sit down. My kids notice if their cell phone is not in the appointed pocket the moment they move!
“It was warn like it was carried in a back pocket, how do you not notice that it’s not there when you sit down.”
Maybe because he was partying. 
Maybe he did notice it but couldn’t find it in the dark.
@3scoutsmom “How would he not notice…” My boys would lose their heads if they weren’t attached. It never fails that they forget their winter coat somewhere in the winter in New England. I don’t even know how that is possible and they are completely sober. How they can walk outside in winter and not be cold and have it occur to them they don’t have a jacket on.
@doschicos it’s the “partying” and driving around my neighborhood brings me back to my first concern! In the 2-3 mile stretch of highway in front of our subdivision there have been too many fatal car accidents for me to count in the 10+ years we’ve lived here, many due to teens diving under the influence - a big problem in our area.
@3scoutsmom Well maybe this is a blessing that he lost his wallet and his parents are alerted and involved at the beginning of his troubles. Good job, BD.
@gearmom -
I think we can agree to disagree on this one. I have had 5 kids of my own go through HS, I have seen and heard of enough accidents and fatalities to know that I would want the police in on it. Just having a phony ID is not going to derail his education in an instance like this. If he had been caught using it or caught drunk driving, that would be different. In my area, the police would confiscate it and give the kid a lecture. Hopefully, this will scare him into obeying the law.
@techmom99 We can agree to disagree. If you knew that it was just a lecture that is one thing. For @garland 's story, having the NYPD involved could certainly be much more serious.
I think it’s funny so many here had fake ID’s when they were younger. I didn’t know anyone who did.
Everyone chalked their licenses back then instead, lol.
Some of us still do. Even if I don’t drink, I need it for admission to some music venues in the U.S. And skiparents are well aware of it.
I was going to clubs and bars when I was in high school. I loved to dance and hear live music. I had a lot of older cousins who lived in our town. My parents knew where I was going. When I went to Temple I had a fake ID. Again, loved dancing and seeing live music. If it was just about drinking I could do that on campus. Somehow managed to be a functioning member of society and get a degree, a career, husband and family without becoming an alcoholic or driving drunk.
I’ve lost my wallet as an adult (and sober!). Some people are imagining entire scenarios based on very little information. I think you handled the situation well. I would not have returned the wallet to the police.
"I was going to clubs and bars when I was in high school. I loved to dance and hear live music. "
Same here. Drinking age was 18 but at 14, 15 I was going to venues that needed an ID. Back in the day, I just used my older sister’s ID.
I never had a fake ID…but the drinking age was 18…
I would have done the same thing. Good job, OP. It takes a village.
Both of my kids had older kid’s IDs when they were in college (D1 had a friend’s and D2 had D1’s ID), so they could go to bars. They told me it was fraudulent to hold a fake ID, but not “as bad” when “accidentally” using someone else’s ID. I didn’t have any issue with them drinking as an adult as long as they didn’t get into trouble. I think most of their friends all had a second ID when they were under 21.
I would have either returned it to the owner or to the mother without saying anything.
Ditto, @thumper1
In some states having a fake ID is a felony- possession of counterfeit government identification. New Jersey is particularly diligent about this and it’s a real money maker. You pay a (bad) lawyer several thousand dollars, he gets you off and you do community service and pay a fine. When my son moved into his freshman dorm at Penn, every kid on his floor (male and female) had a fake ID and they were comparing them.
I had a fake ID in college. Many of us did. Back then they sold the paper stock and you typed it up yourself. No pictures.