Breathalyzer brands & college teen discussions

They're the very same consequences originally detailed. They were just contorted into overbearing, abnormal, invasive, and any other negative adjective you and other posters chose to apply. So they're less condemning because I have a "reason"? She does everything she can to try and appear normal.....but calling (texting actually) her mom to let her know she's safe makes her abnormal? She can do as she pleases, but if she makes choices that are detrimental to her independence, or her health....I most certainly will stop paying for her apartment, and her phone will be turned into a GPS beacon that can't google, text, or call.

(and I'm very proud of her Athletic and Educational achievements. She's always been athletic and we are very fortunate that her treatment manages symptoms well enough she can compete on a collegiate level)


Ok, here's where I think people are having an issue with your rules. I'm going to try to be honest with you, not mean or sarcastic, but I truly think you're not seeing what other moms are seeing.

You have raised a lovely young adult who is confident, independent, and healthy enough to live 3 hours away from home while at college. Good for you! Clearly, you've done something right, because this young lady is finding her way in the adult world (or semi-adult, depending on you view college). My point is, she's in a good place to be where she is, and you got her there. That's no small feat--I mean that sincerely.

Here's where you lose some of us--for whatever reason, you seem to have issues with control. This is probably in part due to her medical condition, part due to being a mom (don't we all worry?), maybe part your personality. The GPS on her phone--that's there for you, not for her. You need to own that. You'er having a tough time letting her go. Part of me gets that--I cried so much when my oldest left for school--I wasn't "done" with her yet! How could she just "go"?!? But, what this shows is your lack of trust in the parenting you've done up to this point. That's your issue. All the threats about cutting her off--will that continue if she doesn't pick the "right" job? The "right" mate? Please, just think about it.

I have to tell you, parenting young adults is way harder than I ever thought it would be. My oldest is fiercely independent, has been since birth, so I thought I'd be okay when she left for college. Problem is, she loves to volunteer--last spring break, instead of coming home, she worked in a homeless shelter in Detroit. At school, she volunteers in a prison literacy program. I'm proud of her, for sure, but she couldn't find a nice preschool or community garden to help out with? Nope--gotta give Mom angina!
 
Ok, here's where I think people are having an issue with your rules. I'm going to try to be honest with you, not mean or sarcastic, but I truly think you're not seeing what other moms are seeing.

You have raised a lovely young adult who is confident, independent, and healthy enough to live 3 hours away from home while at college. Good for you! Clearly, you've done something right, because this young lady is finding her way in the adult world (or semi-adult, depending on you view college). My point is, she's in a good place to be where she is, and you got her there. That's no small feat--I mean that sincerely.

Here's where you lose some of us--for whatever reason, you seem to have issues with control. This is probably in part due to her medical condition, part due to being a mom (don't we all worry?), maybe part your personality. The GPS on her phone--that's there for you, not for her. You need to own that. You'er having a tough time letting her go. Part of me gets that--I cried so much when my oldest left for school--I wasn't "done" with her yet! How could she just "go"?!? But, what this shows is your lack of trust in the parenting you've done up to this point. That's your issue. All the threats about cutting her off--will that continue if she doesn't pick the "right" job? The "right" mate? Please, just think about it.

I have to tell you, parenting young adults is way harder than I ever thought it would be. My oldest is fiercely independent, has been since birth, so I thought I'd be okay when she left for college. Problem is, she loves to volunteer--last spring break, instead of coming home, she worked in a homeless shelter in Detroit. At school, she volunteers in a prison literacy program. I'm proud of her, for sure, but she couldn't find a nice preschool or community garden to help out with? Nope--gotta give Mom angina!

Well said!

We all worry. I thought I worried a lot but it pales in comparison to other parents.

Parenting is hard at many stages of our kid's lives. And it surprised me how hard parenting young adults can be. But once I realized I created worry in my own thoughts, I learned to let it go knowing all I did from 0 to 18 was still with my kid and set them up for the very moment they are in right now.

We have given them roots. It time to give them wings.
 
And your point? Are you just a troll, or do you have something positive to add? I'm not sure why you continue to make these posts trying to scrutinize everything I say yet offering NOTHING to the conversation.

I haven't minced words throughout this entire thread. She has RULES. She also has the ability to BREAK THEM. If she chooses the latter then she deals with the consequences. Just like every other free ADULT on the planet.

My point was that we are responding to what you wrote. You can call us names all you want, but that doesn't change what you wrote originally in this thread.
 
Thanks so much for this!!! I'll speak with her NEUROLOGIST and CARDIOLOGIST immediately and let them know that she's not experiencing life like MOST college students. I'm sure they'll write her a pass so that she can skip all her treatment and start functioning under the consequences of normal adults.

Until we get that note though.....She's gonna have to keep understanding that her "extreme consequences for breaking rules" is most likely gonna land her in the hospital or worse.

Just because I'm hoping you decided not to read the other comments, and wanted to make me MORE aware that you disagree with MY parenting....I'll say it again. My comments were about the SAFETY of MY CHILD when asked very specifically about what I do to maintain her safety.

As a former college student (graduated 2013) with multiple life threatening chronic illnesses, I personally think the rules for your daughter are slightly helicopterish. Don't get me wrong....I had rules I had to follow in relation to keeping in contact by texting once in the morning and once at night and my parents did want to know if I was sick and went to urgent care, ER, etc. but at the ER they usually called my parents and I was never alone if I had to go to the ER, especially if we had to call 911 (anaphylaxis, respiratory distress, cardiac issues, severe bleeding). But my roommates in our townhouse knew about my diagnoses, same with my sorority sisters, work, internship, disabilities service, professors, etc. enough people knew the situation that if no one at school had heard from me, or seen me at all during the day, my parents and police would have been called. But my parents knew very little about my day to day events. They knew what time I worked and what time my classes and internships were because we had to coordinate treatment and appointments which was a 2 hour drive each way from school but otherwise, they didn't know what I was doing daily. I will say though, that I don't drink. Ever. I can't. Between immunosuppressants, liver disease, and severe allergies (which we now know is systemic mastocytosis), and having had a craniotomy 10 weeks before starting school, I made the conscious decision to listen to my doctors and refrain from drinking even though I was 21 when I started school. Don't get me wrong....my parents did worry everyday, especially my first year away, but they were amazing at giving me my space to be as independent as possible and while they did of course give me advice, asked where I was going, etc., they never required it and never pushed any further than asking once. I have a very good relationship with my parents, so they did usually find out about most things eventually but on my time. And somehow, even with starting school 10 weeks post craniotomy with PT 2x week and still on pain meds, and missing about 22 weeks total of class over 3 years because of inpatient admissions and surgeries, I still graduated with 2 degrees both with honors. And my parents were not involved with my academics at all except for the summer before I started because as a transfer student, you had to register in person at transfer orientation and I physically could not go because of recovery so my mom and older brother went and took care of everything. But after that, they never had any contact with disabilities counselors, professors, academic advisors, etc. I was responsible for everything even when inpatient 2 hours away.

And honestly, I am so, so, so grateful they let me have as much independence as possible while at school because at the time, no one knew just how sick I would end up getting and now, at 26, I live at home, can't drive, can't work, can't volunteer....can't really do anything alone outside of the house because of my medical conditions. The way things are now, I never would have been able to go away to school if I had been this sick at that time. I'm on TPN, chemo, iron infusions, severely hypoglycemic, liver disease, aggressive systemic mastocytosis (averaged about 8-10 anaphylactic reactions monthly before chemo), plus so many other things and I do need a lot of help now. But because of the independence that my parents allowed me to have when I was at school, that has all carried over into dealing with my own medical care, graduate school fairs and meetings (my parents have to drive and they stay on campus while I'm at the events but they never go to the actual events), figuring out my online classes so I can eventually go to grad school, etc. I had to learn how to be as independent as possible as a young adult with severe chronic illnesses when in undergraduate and that has carried over into my life now. If my parents had given me rules like your daughter has, I don't think I would be able to handle what's going on now without constant help from my parents. All of my doctors, inpatient nurses, home health nurse, family friends, etc are all amazed at how independent and responsible I am and how well I deal with all of this considering I am now fairly dependent on my parents these days. And I am extremely proud of that. And hopefully soon I will be well enough to go back to school, live on my own, get a job, etc and as scary as it seems somedays right now, I know that my parents provided me with as much independence and responsibly as possible in these circumstances and I know that if that time comes where I get stabilized, I will be able to be independent because of what they DIDNT do for me, just as much as what they DID do for me.

This is all basically to say that, while I understand being protective, and having a more unusual situation because of your daughters illnesses, I do agree with those who think you have given your daughter too many rules and too involved in daily events. If she is healthy enough to go away to school and play sports, she should be healthy enough for a longer leash of daily independence with less rules. But I also know that my doctors, and therapist, were all very clear that the worst thing my parents could do for me would be to micromanage my daily activities which is how we decided on our rules. Text contact 2x day, NO GPS tracking at all. No access to my academic records and no rules about grades, etc. no contact with any university faculty unless absolutely 100% necessary. My friends and roommates did have my parents phone numbers and my parents had theirs just in case no one could get in contact with me. And my parents knew where I worked and interned in case of emergencies. And I feel like it's just kind of common sense to let your parents know if you have had to go to the ER no matter what....the only difference I could see is that they wanted to be contacted ASAP and not after the fact.

I have 18 doctors (as of last week)....in undergrad, I had 10 specialists. Did I ever have a "normal college experience?"....most people would say no way. But everyone in my life worked together to make sure it was as normal as possible. Full time student, 2 degrees, sorority, summer job, hospital internship, after care job, research assistant position, student coordinator for a class....I'd say that I was allowed to have a fairly normal college life. I just happened to miss more classes and events than most students would. And I thank my parents, my friends, my doctors, my nurses, and my therapist everyday for allowing me to have that experience because I have basically lost the last 3 years of independence as a young adult and there's a chance I might not get to see beyond 30 so I am extremely grateful that I do not have (and never did have) helicopter parents. The one major difference I can see with my parents and you, is that my parents would never have stopped paying for things, etc even if I made choices that were potentially harmful to my health or even something that did cause me to end up hospitalized. I am very lucky to have the parents I have especially when it comes to my health. They support me, and take care of me as needed, but they still treat me as an adult capable of making my own choices
 

People have already commented on your son and how to help him, but I have a question. Do you know where/when these parties take place where the parents are furnishing alcohol to children? If so, have you called the police to reprot the crime? If enough parents get arrested, maybe they'll stop breaking the law.

You mentioned Pennsylvania. Here's what their law says:
What does state law say?
It is against the law to intentionally and knowingly furnish alcohol to a person who is underage.

DEFINITIONS WITHIN THE LAW:
“Furnish” is defined as to supply, give or provide to, or allow a minor to possess alcohol.

SETTINGS COVERED:
Premises or property owned or controlled by the host.

Some states do allow parents to give their own children alcohol, but most states do not.
 
OP I hear your concerns. I had to re-read the thread as I started to read it a day or two ago. It sounds like your son has a pretty good head on his shoulders. He's observed a lot with his friends and is trying to figure out where he fits in when it comes to partying. I have two 18 yr olds also and we've had similar conversations here. Since last summer I wondered why I hadn't seen a couple of DS's friends much and he finally told me it was because they were out doing things that he didn't really want to do, then it all made sense to me. We wound up having a good family conversation that night, with DD too, about alcohol and how we feel about it. (Not that we hadn't had conversations throughout their younger years, but there seemed to be more context now that these issues are closer to home and they're starting college in the fall, etc.)

DH and I don't drink much. I have an occasional glass of wine, and we'll both have a pink colada or two on vacation, or a Mike's or two at a cookout, etc. (Though I have a background like you, having grown up in the city, in the 70s, and all everyone did was party. My kids have heard all my crazy stories, but recognize our world has changed now, with DUI statutes and such, and drugs that are laced with chemicals that can kill, etc.) That night we talked about alcohol having its place and the difference between drinking for enjoyment and relaxation, and drinking to get drunk. And that it's perfectly ok to enjoy a drink or two. I think the discussion had an impact and made sense, because it wasn't one of those conversations where they were both trying to run out the door, lol. They actually sat, relaxed, for quite a while and talked about it with us, so I was glad about that. We have offered them a beer or glass of wine at family events and they've tried it, but neither actually ever finished theirs. I sense DS will be like his dad, who doesn't really like to drink, and I could see DD being like me, who enjoys an occasional drink out with friends or at dinner, but my main issue, like you and all the other parents here, is just for them to be safe if they choose to drink.

That said, they've also been observing a lot. A recent college grad I'm mentoring moved out of her apartment for her senior year because her roommate was alcoholic and she was having to care for her all the time. It got to be so burdensome she moved home with her parents, over an hour away from the school. DD, though still in HS, has a good friend who's a freshman in college whose drinking has become a problem; DD's experience with this friend is starting to mirror the one with my mentoree and she's beginning to see it for what it is - lots of problems and drama. She sees she doesn't want that for herself. We've also had about four or five deaths in the past several weeks at local colleges around here - most, if not all, related to alcohol and/or drugs. Some may have been suicides, I think investigations are ongoing. Anyway, it's sad. Kids falling over ledges, drowning in streams, etc. These colleges have taken massive steps to intervene, but since college drinking is a rite of passage, it's really hard to deal with. I'm not sure a breathalyzer is the answer, but I see where you're going with it. (I remember once as a new nurse, I was discussing a patient's blood alcohol levels with a physician and I asked him what the "normal" was. His response? "Zero", lol. Makes sense. I always chuckle about that when I think of blood alcohol content.) I think some pp's are right when they say you have to trust that you've raised him right and he's had exposure and experiences, and chances are good he'll make good decisions, at least most of the time. I think this is the best we can hope for for our kids as they head out on their own.

Lastly, I do try to balance my discussions with my kids between getting a message across and not scaring the bejeezus out of them. It's not always easy, especially when we worry. Looking back, I think that's always been the case - I think of our discussions about strangers when they were little, and grades as they progressed through school, dating, etc. This is just the next natural step. For DD I warn her about being at parties, even if she's not drinking, and having something put in her drink. (I had it happen to me when I was young and fortunately I saw it. I threw up, but it could've been much worse.) I also remind her about parking lot safety and all that. Ugh, it's hard. :p I think your DS will be ok. :hug: Hang in there. Good discussion, though.

Thanks for the well-balanced response, I appreciate it

Such a weird balancing act, this whole young adult thing. I tell my kids all the time that I'm still the same person who carried them home from the hospital and the only thing that's changed is them. I know letting go is necessary and I do know my 2 are healthy strong-willed individuals but that doesn't make it any less difficult. I remember the first time I took my kids sledding, he was maybe 6 and my daughter was about four. I was busy still explaining how they can keep safe; if you're going too fast roll off, don't aim for the trees, if you're too light and the sled goes too fast & you get anywhere near the street or a car jump off. Well I blinked and my son took off before I was even done and I certainly wasn't prepared. He finished the hill and was all smiles looking back at me with such pride, while I stood there terrified because I was still up the hill with my girl and not with him. So this truth is now likely a metaphor for what is to come I think... Seems to be the tone of a lot of our relationship I guess rotfl

The drinking issue for peers is a concern. My sons friend who is going to room with him has a history of instability and substance abuse issues, he is also a great brilliant kid from a bad family environment. I have been talking to my son lately about him NOT being an enabler. I hope this young man finds solace away from home & stabilizes but if things go the other way the out will be a quad in the fall and then a separation down the road. I think both young men want to have fun but are more interested in their futures but I guess only time will tell. That's life, knowing when to zig even if everyone else zags
 
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People have already commented on your son and how to help him, but I have a question. Do you know where/when these parties take place where the parents are furnishing alcohol to children? If so, have you called the police to reprot the crime? If enough parents get arrested, maybe they'll stop breaking the law.

You mentioned Pennsylvania. Here's what their law says:
What does state law say?
It is against the law to intentionally and knowingly furnish alcohol to a person who is underage.

DEFINITIONS WITHIN THE LAW:
“Furnish” is defined as to supply, give or provide to, or allow a minor to possess alcohol.

SETTINGS COVERED:
Premises or property owned or controlled by the host.

Some states do allow parents to give their own children alcohol, but most states do not.

I do not know ahead of time, and as far as I know no parent has ever given either of my kids anything because my kids would likely think it was a bit off since it's not sanctioned here. What my kids do, whatever that is, is with peers only and I learn about after the fact when it is volunteered but I don't get much in the way of details. I suspect it's kids with much older siblings but I do not KNOW to the point where any thing I said was more than suspicion and I would never waste police time or wreck a persons reputation over a hunch. In the situations where parents give drinks, well I have witnessed the tip of the iceberg and at that point we usually dip before things go south (because it's not my scene either) then hear about it later.
 
As a former college student (graduated 2013) with multiple life threatening chronic illnesses, I personally think the rules for your daughter are slightly helicopterish. Don't get me wrong....I had rules I had to follow in relation to keeping in contact by texting once in the morning and once at night and my parents did want to know if I was sick and went to urgent care, ER, etc. but at the ER they usually called my parents and I was never alone if I had to go to the ER, especially if we had to call 911 (anaphylaxis, respiratory distress, cardiac issues, severe bleeding). But my roommates in our townhouse knew about my diagnoses, same with my sorority sisters, work, internship, disabilities service, professors, etc. enough people knew the situation that if no one at school had heard from me, or seen me at all during the day, my parents and police would have been called. But my parents knew very little about my day to day events. They knew what time I worked and what time my classes and internships were because we had to coordinate treatment and appointments which was a 2 hour drive each way from school but otherwise, they didn't know what I was doing daily. I will say though, that I don't drink. Ever. I can't. Between immunosuppressants, liver disease, and severe allergies (which we now know is systemic mastocytosis), and having had a craniotomy 10 weeks before starting school, I made the conscious decision to listen to my doctors and refrain from drinking even though I was 21 when I started school. Don't get me wrong....my parents did worry everyday, especially my first year away, but they were amazing at giving me my space to be as independent as possible and while they did of course give me advice, asked where I was going, etc., they never required it and never pushed any further than asking once. I have a very good relationship with my parents, so they did usually find out about most things eventually but on my time. And somehow, even with starting school 10 weeks post craniotomy with PT 2x week and still on pain meds, and missing about 22 weeks total of class over 3 years because of inpatient admissions and surgeries, I still graduated with 2 degrees both with honors. And my parents were not involved with my academics at all except for the summer before I started because as a transfer student, you had to register in person at transfer orientation and I physically could not go because of recovery so my mom and older brother went and took care of everything. But after that, they never had any contact with disabilities counselors, professors, academic advisors, etc. I was responsible for everything even when inpatient 2 hours away.

And honestly, I am so, so, so grateful they let me have as much independence as possible while at school because at the time, no one knew just how sick I would end up getting and now, at 26, I live at home, can't drive, can't work, can't volunteer....can't really do anything alone outside of the house because of my medical conditions. The way things are now, I never would have been able to go away to school if I had been this sick at that time. I'm on TPN, chemo, iron infusions, severely hypoglycemic, liver disease, aggressive systemic mastocytosis (averaged about 8-10 anaphylactic reactions monthly before chemo), plus so many other things and I do need a lot of help now. But because of the independence that my parents allowed me to have when I was at school, that has all carried over into dealing with my own medical care, graduate school fairs and meetings (my parents have to drive and they stay on campus while I'm at the events but they never go to the actual events), figuring out my online classes so I can eventually go to grad school, etc. I had to learn how to be as independent as possible as a young adult with severe chronic illnesses when in undergraduate and that has carried over into my life now. If my parents had given me rules like your daughter has, I don't think I would be able to handle what's going on now without constant help from my parents. All of my doctors, inpatient nurses, home health nurse, family friends, etc are all amazed at how independent and responsible I am and how well I deal with all of this considering I am now fairly dependent on my parents these days. And I am extremely proud of that. And hopefully soon I will be well enough to go back to school, live on my own, get a job, etc and as scary as it seems somedays right now, I know that my parents provided me with as much independence and responsibly as possible in these circumstances and I know that if that time comes where I get stabilized, I will be able to be independent because of what they DIDNT do for me, just as much as what they DID do for me.

This is all basically to say that, while I understand being protective, and having a more unusual situation because of your daughters illnesses, I do agree with those who think you have given your daughter too many rules and too involved in daily events. If she is healthy enough to go away to school and play sports, she should be healthy enough for a longer leash of daily independence with less rules. But I also know that my doctors, and therapist, were all very clear that the worst thing my parents could do for me would be to micromanage my daily activities which is how we decided on our rules. Text contact 2x day, NO GPS tracking at all. No access to my academic records and no rules about grades, etc. no contact with any university faculty unless absolutely 100% necessary. My friends and roommates did have my parents phone numbers and my parents had theirs just in case no one could get in contact with me. And my parents knew where I worked and interned in case of emergencies. And I feel like it's just kind of common sense to let your parents know if you have had to go to the ER no matter what....the only difference I could see is that they wanted to be contacted ASAP and not after the fact.

I have 18 doctors (as of last week)....in undergrad, I had 10 specialists. Did I ever have a "normal college experience?"....most people would say no way. But everyone in my life worked together to make sure it was as normal as possible. Full time student, 2 degrees, sorority, summer job, hospital internship, after care job, research assistant position, student coordinator for a class....I'd say that I was allowed to have a fairly normal college life. I just happened to miss more classes and events than most students would. And I thank my parents, my friends, my doctors, my nurses, and my therapist everyday for allowing me to have that experience because I have basically lost the last 3 years of independence as a young adult and there's a chance I might not get to see beyond 30 so I am extremely grateful that I do not have (and never did have) helicopter parents. The one major difference I can see with my parents and you, is that my parents would never have stopped paying for things, etc even if I made choices that were potentially harmful to my health or even something that did cause me to end up hospitalized. I am very lucky to have the parents I have especially when it comes to my health. They support me, and take care of me as needed, but they still treat me as an adult capable of making my own choices

I hear this and admire your resilience. What a story, so glad you had that time to flourish. Nothing and no one can ever take those memories & lessons away from you

Your point, it's very true but isn't it also possible that some kids, onenursebradys for example, might find the attachment to be a comfort? Not all kids want to be fully separated at the same time, isn't that ok too? Just like in preschool, some bolted off, my son, and some watch the window insisting mom sits in the parking lot until it's over, my daughter. Some kids might find the break emotionally distressing and parents need to ease into the whole thing. I think independence is very important but it's only healthy if it's on the child's terms otherwise its rejection & kids generally don't flourish. I wasn't allowed to go away & I know many many parents that insist their kids stay in the same town or even live at home so I think her paying for her child to go away out of reach is an undeniable nod to leave the nest. Just saying it's possible the tethers are coming from the child and mom is simply maintaining until the child feels more secure and lets go herself.
 
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Wow! This thread is famous. I found it because it's being referenced over on the Community Board. I'm a teacher on Spring Break with time on her side and a DD19 away at college so I read through it. I'm late to the party but here's my two cents anyway.


As far as checking in by phone or text, I've got boys. No news is good news. I rarely hear from them. If I want to hear from them it's I that sends a quick text to which they reply with a quick sentence. Communication happens when they're on break. Spring break for both is next week. Can't wait! I will get to hear about what's going on since Christmas break. They're busy living their lives I'm busy living my life weekly communication doesn't happen.

I have a DD and "no news is good news" applies to her as well. She and I text back and forth several times a week usually sharing funny memes and such but if she starts texting too often, it usually means that she's starting to get stressed and overwhelmed.

I honestly don't know of any parent who has their child, away at college, call when they get home. I talk to dd19 about once a week, maybe. Having her on GPS to make sure she attended class? Honestly, I have no idea what classes she is taking half of the time, and have no idea what days or times. I don't know what she's doing at 3 am, midnight, where she is sleeping, same as back in the day when I was away at college (and my mom definitely didn't want to know - lol). I get that you think you aren't hovering, but you kind of are.

Did has even gone away for the weekend (Boston, NYC, the beach) without me knowing. I'm sure that if I happened to call her, she'd tell me where she was, but it's really none of my business.

In the almost 2 years that DD19 has been 4 hours away at school, she's never "checked in." She goes away on weekends without "permission." I also do not know her schedule. When she started freshman year, I told her that I would most likely wait for her to call me unless I had a need to call her. I told her that she would "know" good times to call me as I would be keeping the same job and similar schedule that she had seen her whole life while she would be forging a new life for herself and I would have no idea of good times to call.

My point is, my DD is 20. Our relationship is evolving from parent-child to adult-adult. We both get this. She even calls to tell me when she's done something particularly adult-y, like make a dental appointment or counseled a freshman, because she wants me to appreciate that she's on the road to full-on independence.

I guess my only question to you is, when do you stop? When will she have proved her maturity that you no longer feel compelled to track her down?

My niece refers to herself and DD19 as "baby adults" and they both love to text my sister and I when they successfully adult- "bought a plane ticket without your help" "made a doctor's appointment for an annual checkup." :-)

Thanks so much for this!!! I'll speak with her NEUROLOGIST and CARDIOLOGIST immediately and let them know that she's not experiencing life like MOST college students. I'm sure they'll write her a pass so that she can skip all her treatment and start functioning under the consequences of normal adults.

This comment is really unfair. You never mentioned that your DD had any health issues until many people expressed surprise at the tracking and checking up. I still don't understand how this relates to tracking whether or not she's in class along with going out and coming home.

To the OP, you've gotten lots of good advice. Talk with your son and then trust that he's ready for the step into adulthood that is college. We refer to it around here as adulthood with lots of safety nets. Universities have advisors and counseling, parents are still paying all or most of the bills, and the college student gets to be an adult with plenty of back up if problems arise.
 
Wow! This thread is famous. I found it because it's being referenced over on the Community Board. I'm a teacher on Spring Break with time on her side and a DD19 away at college so I read through it. I'm late to the party but here's my two cents anyway.




I have a DD and "no news is good news" applies to her as well. She and I text back and forth several times a week usually sharing funny memes and such but if she starts texting too often, it usually means that she's starting to get stressed and overwhelmed.



In the almost 2 years that DD19 has been 4 hours away at school, she's never "checked in." She goes away on weekends without "permission." I also do not know her schedule. When she started freshman year, I told her that I would most likely wait for her to call me unless I had a need to call her. I told her that she would "know" good times to call me as I would be keeping the same job and similar schedule that she had seen her whole life while she would be forging a new life for herself and I would have no idea of good times to call.



My niece refers to herself and DD19 as "baby adults" and they both love to text my sister and I when they successfully adult- "bought a plane ticket without your help" "made a doctor's appointment for an annual checkup." :-)



This comment is really unfair. You never mentioned that your DD had any health issues until many people expressed surprise at the tracking and checking up. I still don't understand how this relates to tracking whether or not she's in class along with going out and coming home.

To the OP, you've gotten lots of good advice. Talk with your son and then trust that he's ready for the step into adulthood that is college. We refer to it around here as adulthood with lots of safety nets. Universities have advisors and counseling, parents are still paying all or most of the bills, and the college student gets to be an adult with plenty of back up if problems arise.


Since you quoted me on kids being almost-adults, I wanted to mention what DD20 told me last week. She was on a Service Break, this time as a leader, with 7 students (and one co-leader) in her group. She wanted me to know that (a) she was the best cook there (wonders never cease--or the bar was really low); and (b) she unclogged a toilet, all by herself! I told her that she was pretty adult-y!
 
What I was not prepared for was the stories I would hear about all her "adventures". One evening she told me she was chatting with a nice looking young man who left to get her a drink, and came back with 2 bottles of beer and a vial of white powder he said was cocaine. She said to him "no thanks, what did I say to you that made you think it was okay to offer this to me?" apparently she drank the beer and passed on the other (whatever it was). She has also shared equally as horrific stories about the MANY strands of pot, and how guys use them to increase the effects of alcohol in girls. There's also a hefty prescription drug market. Plenty of Ritalin and Adderall being passed and sold. They also lace their pot with this so they can "get up and down at the same time". She says she does not consume any drugs, I have no reason to doubt her. She is an athlete and she does drug test pre season during the season, and randomly during the off season, and will lose her scholarship if she ever tests positive....I'm fairly certain there is no illicit drug use, but I'm still watchful of any symptoms, and am prepared to intervene if needed.

I skimmed through this entire thread and didn't see this mentioned. I would caution your daughter against accepting a drink from anyone, even guys she may know. In fact, I'd be more worried about roofies, GHB, or ketamine being slipped into my kids drink than being offered cocaine, pot, Ritalin and Adderall.
 
I am not a parent, but I was the most responsible out of my friends in high school and college. I can tell you my parents never try to scare us away from drugs and alcohol. When we entered high school the only thing said was that they know we are probably going to drink and they didn't encourage it, they want us to be responsible about it. They told us that we can call them at any time and they will come pick us up without any further punishment just don't drink and drive. I never drink and drove and I only called my mom once. I felt confortable doing that. I am afraid your son if in a situation like that might be scare to reach out.

My mom always made sure that for every action there was a consequence. She always told us that she is trying to teach us the right way to do things and we can choose to listen to her or not, but no matter what life is going to teach us that lesson and the difference is that life charges you taxes. My friends with very strict parents were more likely and some did drink and drive because they were scare of their parents and their reaction if they reached out to them.

Realistically OP your son is going to expirement with things just don't try to scare him away from things it won't work. Instead open honest lines of communication and encourage to do it responsibly.
 
Back to the original topic.....

I was taught over and over again in school about BAC. I'm always surprised how many adults apparently were not.

One drink = 12 oz beer (~4% ABV) = 4 oz wine = 1.5 oz liquor.

One drink = .02 BAC in a typical siEd person. Smaller might be more, larger might be less. The body burns .02/hr. The legal limit is .08. So to get above the limit, one must drink approximately 5 drinks in one hour (because one burns off).

BAC is wholly separate from tolerance. I've seen alcoholics functional at .20 and non drinkers unable to stand at .10.
 












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