Can of Worms #2

Worm #6: Should you allow your seventeen-year-old to drink alcohol?
The long and short of it: Yes

My Say: I know there is a huge drinking culture here and around the world, especially amongst teenagers, and I do not condone it at all. I am fifteen and still a good three years off the legal drinking limit, and even though I'll be in uni for a whole year under the legal drinking age I don't think I have it in me to be such a delinquent - I mean, hey, I'm surviving year eleven with a whole cohort of horny sixteen-year-olds (16 is the legal age of consent here). That being said, I am a teenager, I have tasted alcohol several times before, I do quite like it and I do look forward to a time when I can drink openly - in moderation, of course. Anyway, it is inevitable that teenagers (who, on the whole, go out a lot more than I do) will run into alcohol and I think the important thing is to educate, accept the inevitable and take the novelty off alcohol - I think part of the slight temptation for me now to drink is the fact that it is illegal and it is something my parents probably would not approve of. An important factor to consider is that alcohol and teenagers is dangerous, but alcohol, teenagers and secrecy is worse. I think if parents and children can be more open about the drinking habits of all involved it would be very healthy - certainly much more healthy than a blanket ban and secret underaged drinking, which happens more often than parents like to think. Kids these days think outside the box - I know a boy who, aside from bringing his own teabags to school, also makes his own liqueur from fermented lime juice - the edibility and alcohol content of his concoction is debatable, but the thrill is there, and that's what matters. Binge drinking should never be encouraged or tolerated, but if your child would rather shoot himself than admit he had a glass of wine or half a lager to his own parents then, really, is that good?

Worm #7: Is lying good for a relationship?
The long and short of it: No.

I've lied once in a relationship, and I've been lied to once in a relationship - sad, isn't it? I've only had two, and really, both don't count once I get someone who sits and stays for more than a bloody fortnight. I lied that I was ready for a relationship at the age of eleven and I was lied to by the age of thirteen and ended up being the rebound girl. So in my experience, lying and relationships never work. Then again, two for two is hardly reliable data.

I tell white lies all the time - I think we all do. If we didn't, we all would have shot each other. I have no qualms telling white lies to even my closest friends and family, because it's natural and human and necessary and frankly, I do it because I can. But I have the stomach for honesty, and I think if you don't, or you don't think your partner does, then that is a serious flaw in any relationship - I would much rather a boyfriend said that I looked terrible and I changed before we went out rather than look unwittingly atrocious in public. Cheating is bad but lying about it is worse - cheating is a dealbreaker for me no matter what excuses he can spout but lying about it will be the motive in my murder trial.

I will continue posting all the worms in the Can of Worms series but if you have any questions of a similar nature or anything about anything juicy and controversial - like feminism, religion, etc. - please comment and I would love to give my opinion and hear yours.