Agony Aunt letters

Dear Uncle _Joe,
My husband and I are raising four beautiful children. Our oldest daughter, age 15, has admitted to us that she has been drinking alcohol at parties on weekends. She says she never gets drunk but always has one drink because "everyone else is doing it" and she doesn't want to look "weird."My husband and I never drink. Alcohol is not served in our home. Our daughter is an honor student and never has caused us any trouble. She says we should appreciate her honesty and not be angry with her. How should we handle this?— Beside Ourselves in Bebek

Dear Beside Ourselves,
It sounds like you have encountered a typical problem faced by the parents of typical teenagers; its called peer pressure. I am sure that as parents you are doing a great job with your child, but sometimes being a great parent isn't enough. A teenager has to go through some things on their own. Now having said that, you must now that not only is your daughter's behavior very irresponsible but is also illegal. Make her stop immediately! It is true that she was honest with you, probably because she was feeling guilty, but you still want to encourage honesty. I would recommend that you forbid her from drinking in the future until she is an adult and also you might want to reconsider the people you let her hang out with, but don't be to harsh with her.