The hard stuff

Let's pretend Mom and Dad are saints. That'll sure get the kids off on a good start toward adulthood:

Dave Mason of Lafayette might enjoy a beer or a mixed drink when he's out on the town, but the father of two doesn't usually keep the alcoholic beverages in his house.

"I guess the less they are exposed to it, the better," he said.

Mason said it's healthy for his kids -- 10-year-old Tennessee and 13-year-old Aaron -- to know that their parents drink beer and wine, but they don't need to be exposed to it at their young age.

It helps to keep preserve the innocence of their childhood, he said.

Keeping it out of sight might also help to limit their access to alcohol, which can increase during the holidays, according to experts.

Several years ago, a writer for the other paper wrote a column in which he confessed to feeling guilty for having alcohol in his home while, at the same time, expecting his son to heed warnings about the dangers of illegal drugs. So he cleared the beer from his refrigerator  and vowed never to drink at home again. That wasn't exercising parental authority, it was abdicating it. If a distinction can't be made between an adult drinking a beer and a child not experimenting with crack, you might as well put up a sign: No one's in charge here.

If you're a responsible drinker, wouldn't it be far better to show your children that there is such a thing as responsible drinking, rather than pretend that Mommy and Daddy never touch the evil stuff?