<p>Just as some colleges are a self selected group- parents who frequent this forum are a self selected group. I know ( really) my daughter didn’t party in high school. How could she? If she wasn’t here she was at her volunteer job, at theatre rehersal or at track practice. The time she did stay overnight at a party where there was drinking, she was so upset about it ,it was evident something had been going on when I saw her a few days later and asked her about it.
Parents don’t always * know* where kids are, often times they are single parents ( not blaming single parents- just saying what I have observed) or other parents who both work over 40 hours and expect the kids to be responsible against great temptation.
When I was in high school, both my parents worked full time, my best friend lived right next door to the high school and we spent a lot of time there.We also spent a lot of time at another friends house whose single mom spent a lot of time at her boyfriends house. Her brother was a drug dealer and while I had my first experiences without his facilitation, it was a house that kids flocked to on weekends.
My parents had never been there even though it was about a block away, they didn’t talk to my friends parents. I talk to the parents of my kids friends, many times they are my friends. I volunteer at the school and I am always available to give rides to kids. Today for instance, my 15 yr old and about 3 of her friends are going to the school they attended last year to have an intervention with the drug and alcohol counselor on behalf of another friend who still attends that school. I am giving them a ride- should be interesting considering that once you are behind the steering wheel, kids think that you go deaf.</p>