By KARRYN WHEELANS
I am just about to send my fourth daughter in five years to Schoolies and while I have arranged a pack filled with sunscreen, shampoo, cereal and hand sanitizer, I will NOT be supplying her with alcohol.
Every year a different set of friends, who have kids about to head off to the annual end-of-year freedom (read drink) fest, raise this parenting dilemma and from those who are buying booze for their under-age children, it’s always the same argument.
“At least I know what they are drinking,” they say.
This year many of the girlfriends I went through high school and Schoolies with, are packing off their precious 17-year-olds for the first time, and their views on whether to supply or not, like the coolers we used to consume, are mixed.
I am not burying my head in the Gold Coast sand; I have no doubt my daughter and her mates will celebrate, but I still haven’t changed my mind when it comes to supplying and this is why.
1. Sibling equality.
I didn’t provide any alcohol for the first three daughters so to change tact for the last two would be unfair.
2. It promotes problem solving.
Who buys? When? How much? and what has to be finessed. The questions of weight, transport and storage also have to be resolved.
Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, a popular spot for Schoolies. Image via Schoolies.com
3. It creates an environment of creativity.
I remember with fondness the lengths my friends and I went to, to get West Coast Wine Coolers for our schoolies week. I don’t want to deny my children their glory-day stories to repeat ad nauseam.
(Although for the most part, it was simply a case of walking into the Broadbeach Beer Garden and ordering it, as no-one checked ID. However my parents never gave me alcohol before I left school and now with hindsight, I possibly could attribute my resourcefulness to schoolies)
4. It requires budgeting and financial responsibility.
I am big on the kids taking ownership of themselves.
My husband and I are paying the accommodation, but nothing else. I know many parents who didn’t and aren’t covering this cost, which means their school leavers have had to consider their monetary position well in advance. Fantastic.
In my situation, it means my daughter will have to work out how much she is prepared to pay for alcohol, what food and other entertainment she needs to budget for and whether buying an extra six-pack is worth it, if it means foregoing a meal with her mates. And yes I know there will be some that argue she will just spend her money on drinking. My response is: I have had conversations with her about the dangers and consequences of over-indulgence and so at some point trust in your parenting has to be considered. (Also she likes eating too much)
Top Comments
When high school leavers in NSW/Vic come up, a fair swag of them will be 18, so bit of a moot point. They'll just buy and share the alcohol with their mates. Some kids are already 18 in Qld due to repeating pre school and in a few years, like down south most of them will be 18 anyway, due to changes in the school intake age. I know my youngest will be.
Not sure how I feel about it. My kids stayed with my parents (on the gold coast) and just went to schoolies concerts. The 18 years old (two of em) bought a bit of alcohol and they drank in my parents back yard.
Schoolies for me was a wonderful celebration. I worked very hard and got amazing grades. My parents both saw this time in my life as a time to celebrate my achievements. My mum paid for my groceries & accommodation for the week. My dad bought all my alcohol and cigarettes that included - 1 carton of cigarettes, 1 bottle of malibu, 1 bottle of vodka, 1 carton of jim beam & cola, 1 bottle of caramel schnapps & 1 bottle of Baileys. The 5 other girls who stayed with me all brought the same amount of alcohol all supplied by their older siblings and or parents. And you know what? I had the best time drinking with all my girlfriends, we swam everyday, got drunk everyday, had bbqs, drunk every night and went to the under 18 dance events. I had a really great time without having to worry about food, alcohol, accommodation or travel. It was the best celebration I could have asked for. It was a fantastic holiday & I have my parents to thank for making it what it was - a really fun time.
Cigarettes? Great parenting.
Hell will freeze over before I arm my child with that list of 'supplies' for a week no matter how damn hard he works or what his results are.
And that amount of alcohol in a week too. Bye bye brain cells.
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