How to handle this one?? A snakepit of moral dilemma.

@kbkbooks (7022)
Canada
September 21, 2007 10:29am CST
This happened in my neighborhood and it really frightens me. A young man of legal age purchased a very large amount of beer for some younger boys. The younger boys partied to excess, after lying to the other parents that they were going on a camping trip. They consumed enough alcohol to be sick and nearly poisoned. The police were called to the scene of the party to calm things down and the parents of the younger boys were called to pick them up. Now the parents of the younger boys want to sue the older boy for the grief and problems he caused that night by purchasing alcohol for minors. Since I live in a college town I imagine this could be a common occurrence. If you were the parent of the older boy, who is a known trouble maker in his circles anyway, would you allow this boy to be sued and possibly jailed hopefully in order to learn his lesson? If you were one of the parents of the younger boys would you sue? Obviously the boys who actually drank are also being severely punished by their parents. For most of them this was not their first experience like this, but it was the first time they got caught. Also, they lied about where they were going and what they were doing. I have a friend who says she wouldn't punish the buyer since he legally bought the beer and it wasn't him who forced the others to drink it. They drank it of their own free will. Still, I say, he should have known that what he was doing was unquestionably wrong.
2 people like this
3 responses
@reinydawn (11642)
• United States
22 Sep 07
Wow, that's a tough call... Especially since I have been on one end and my husband on the other - with the same incident. My son (of legal drinking age) provided some alchohol to underage kids (my husbands son and friends - although some of them brought their own) with alchohol at our home when we were away. We didn't find out about it for a couple months - my son took full blame for the damage done to the house so we thought it was all him. Apparently, my husbands x watched the whole thing and never told us about it (I think that was a lie, but I have no proof). Now, I would not have been happy if the police had been called on my son - or my husbands son for that matter. In our situation, everyone was wrong and most of them learned their lesson. It really depends on the situation though...
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
22 Sep 07
Thanks for your view. It's good to know we are not the only family that has ever dealt with this.
1 person likes this
@reinydawn (11642)
• United States
22 Sep 07
With kids, it's hard NOT to deal with this stuff... Even good kids do bad things sometimes...
@ssf12ster (488)
• India
22 Sep 07
just see to it thatthe older boy is not seen around anywhere.tharsh up if visits them again.but things will not change it will get worse onyl.thanks for your question.the only way will be though counselling.too difficult to manage later on.
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
22 Sep 07
I heard something about the older boy possibly getting some counseling. Let's hope so.
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
21 Sep 07
ow old is the young man..is he 18..or 21 were the younger boys his friends, like a year of 2 younger or were they way younger. If the kids would all be friends, where the buyer must take the major part of the blame or were the kids significantly younger..and he should bear all the blame. Need more input.
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
21 Sep 07
They are only a few years different in age. The older young man is of legal age for this area, which is 18. And all the kids are buddies.