decorahnews.com reader is concerned about alcohol parties

Jan e-mails decorahnews.com:

Do we really need to be squabbling about the difference between 'arrest' and 'citation'?  Parents of NE Iowa, our teens are using alcohol in very large numbers, not to mention the pills found at some of the same parties.  Wake up!  Talk to your kids!  Alcohol is the number one killer of teens in America - MORE THAN ALL THE OTHER DRUGS...COMBINED! 

It is time this community takes a very serious look at the underage, illegal consumption of alcohol by our children.  Parents need to be parents, which means your son or your daughter may hate you for a couple of years.  We cannot continue to try to be our teens' friends if that means turning a blind eye to underage drinking or, worse, supplying it for them! 

This issue is epidemic in NE Iowa, and nobody wants to address it head on.  Everyone's teen is an angel who would never do such a thing.  Time to face realty folks - alcohol kills.  Stop protecting the kids and make them face the consequences and learn from their bad choices - it could save their life or the life of an innocent person on the road when they decide to drive home. 

These are good kids!  They just need better messages from the crazy world around them!  It truly takes a village.