Hi Dr. Laura,

Thank you for ALWAYS encouraging parents to PARENT their kids until such time as they are given the "pink slip" to their life. Every stage has its challenges, but I am seeing that the teenage years present an increased need for involvement and firm boundaries. ALL TOO OFTEN, I see parents who don't have the time or don't care enough to set limits for their teens. I was encouraged by this mom's letter to her teenage son about under-age drinking.

As hard as it is for me to believe this, I’m the mother of a teenager. In fact, Tom will be entering 10th grade this September.

The years have gone so fast that I really feel as if one day I was taking pictures of him graduating from our Mommy and Me class, the next day I couldn’t believe he was in the fourth grade, and then bang, he was in high school…

Whenever my family or friends ask about Tom and marvel at the fact that he is now a teenager, the subject of alcohol and drugs always seems to come up. As in, how will I handle it when he comes home drunk for the first time? Or what will I do if I find out that he had been using drugs?

I always find the questions a bit baffling because it’s just assumed that Tom will try these things. In fact, the common answer I get from most of my friends and family is that of course he will.

Truth be told, I find this mindset maddening. And if I was a kid today, I would find it really confusing.

Read the entire blog here.