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Jdarg

SoWal Expert

Will is only 13, so he has a few years,but here are my thoughts...

I think the partying game has significantly changed alot in the past 10-15 years.  There is an "ick" factor that wasn't around as much when we were spring breaking in the early 1980's.  All it took for me to see was to watch a few of the spring break MTV shows- where did these gross people come from?  I would hope to God my kids didn't go around looking or acting like K-Fed or Britney, and that seems to be the level that many of the kids aspire to reach.  Why everyone has to top each other in bad behavior, I have no idea.  But it seems to be a popular contest these days.  Of course now it is popular to go to Mexico or the Caribbean, where anything goes.  And we have seen how that one ends.
 
What happened to drinking beer on the beach?  Maybe going to a bar, and wearing clothes, not a thong hanging out?  Or a guy waering a t-shirt that doesn't say something about a Big Johnson?  Nice.  Spring Break has become more like Freak-nik or KY Derby cruising ( a Freaknik wannabe that is out of hand).
 
I already told Will that I would rent a house in Grayton big enough for all of his friends.  But Bdarg and I will be there.  And maybe some of the friend's parents, if they are fun.  I want my kid alive at the end of the week.  I know a couple parents that do this, and everyone has a great time, because they are all parents that the kids want to be around.  I hope we are like that too.
 
I was a wild child and maybe that is why I am over-protective now.  But when you start to think of the things you did when you were younger, then consider that it is possible that your kid will do all that and worse stuff now, you have to plan ahead.
 
The alternative Spring Break on another thread sounds wonderful.  I hope my kids are interested.
 
Crap.  I am old.

Will is only 13, so he has a few years,but here are my thoughts... 
 
I think the partying game has significantly changed alot in the past 10-15 years. There is an &quot;ick&quot; factor that wasn&#039;t around as much when we were spring breaking in the early 1980&#039;s. All it took for me to see was to watch a few of the spring break MTV shows- where did these gross people come from? I would hope to God my kids didn&#039;t go around looking or acting like K-Fed or Britney, and that seems to be the level that many of the kids aspire to reach. Why everyone has to top each other in bad behavior, I have no idea. But it seems to be a popular contest these days. Of course now it is popular to go to Mexico or the Caribbean, where anything goes. And we have seen how that one ends. 
 
What happened to drinking beer on the beach? Maybe going to a bar, and wearing clothes, not a thong hanging out? Or a guy waering a t-shirt that doesn&#039;t say something about a Big Johnson? Nice. Spring Break has become more like Freak-nik or KY Derby cruising ( a Freaknik wannabe that is out of hand). 
 
I already told Will that I would rent a house in Grayton big enough for all of his friends. But Bdarg and I will be there. And maybe some of the friend&#039;s parents, if they are fun. I want my kid alive at the end of the week. I know a couple parents that do this, and everyone has a great time, because they are all parents that the kids want to be around. I hope we are like that too. 
 
I was a wild child and maybe that is why I am over-protective now. But when you start to think of the things you did when you were younger, then consider that it is possible that your kid will do all that and worse stuff now, you have to plan ahead. 
 
The alternative Spring Break on another thread sounds wonderful. I hope my kids are interested. 
 
Crap. I am old.

Mermaid

picky

[QUOTE=Kimmifunn]Ok...This was brought up over in the other thread...but I'm kinda shocked by how many of you aren't letting your college kids go on spring break to the beach.  

So question is.  Spring break...Yes or No and if No then when will they be old enough?[/QUOTE]

[B]We went a couple of years due to the fact that we were too lazy to figure anything else out. We stayed at the Chateau Motel on the strip. It was insane. Pure debautchery. The first run we had down there we got busted within 2 hours of being there. Our friends next door got all their booze poured out that we stopped in Troy to have her youth minister buy for us. The experience was so trasy and so gross and so not us...but so much fun. [/B] 

What you did on Spring Break at the Chateau Motel, kimmifunn, is what my darling son is quite capable of doing in Seagrove Beach at our condo!  

Plus, if you saw what his room at home looks like, AND his room at college, you'd say NO, too.  It's enough to give anyone heart attacks.   :oops:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Kimmifunn">Ok...This was brought up over in the other thread...but I&#039;m kinda shocked by how many of you aren&#039;t letting your college kids go on spring break to the beach. 
 
So question is. Spring break...Yes or No and if No then when will they be old enough?</blockquote> 
We went a couple of years due to the fact that we were too lazy to figure anything else out. We stayed at the Chateau Motel on the strip. It was insane. Pure debautchery. The first run we had down there we got busted within 2 hours of being there. Our friends next door got all their booze poured out that we stopped in Troy to have her youth minister buy for us. The experience was so trasy and so gross and so not us...but so much fun. 
 
What you did on Spring Break at the Chateau Motel, kimmifunn, is what my darling son is quite capable of doing in Seagrove Beach at our condo! 
 
Plus, if you saw what his room at home looks like, AND his room at college, you&#039;d say NO, too. It&#039;s enough to give anyone heart attacks. :oops:

audie

fartblossom

i was reading in one of the 10,000 magazines i get monthly about how kids today are drinking so much they are being hospitalized or worse for alcohol poisoning.  i guess it is a lot more common than people realize, and if i was a parent that would scare me to death.  i know i am naive about stuff like that but i always figured alcohol poisoning happened to winos, i had no clue how prevalent it is in teens !

iwishiwasthere

Beach Fanatic

My oldest broke me in well. Her first year she wanted to go to Key West, so I said pay for it and you can.(She wasn't working at the time.)  Well she found 5 friends, they shared a hotel room and had a blast.  What I learned from her is this, she will not act any differently on Spring Break than she normally does. If they want to get drunk and screw, that is what they will do.....wherever they are.  She went on trips the next three years and had good times.  My youngest just wants to rest for a while and we are going to SoWal for a couple days.  The values taught at home will go with them for life.  Just remind them of the dangers and they will make good choices. Most of the things on tv are the extreme behaviors anyway, not the norm.

My oldest broke me in well. Her first year she wanted to go to Key West, so I said pay for it and you can.(She wasn&#039;t working at the time.)  Well she found 5 friends, they shared a hotel room and had a blast.  What I learned from her is this, she will not act any differently on Spring Break than she normally does. If they want to get drunk and screw, that is what they will do.....wherever they are.  She went on trips the next three years and had good times.  My youngest just wants to rest for a while and we are going to SoWal for a couple days.  The values taught at home will go with them for life.  Just remind them of the dangers and they will make good choices. Most of the things on tv are the extreme behaviors anyway, not the norm.

dbuck

Well, my son is an 18 yo senior in high school.  What I can't fathom is so many parents letting their [b]high school seniors[/b] go on spring break alone.  I guess next year when he is in college, it will be a different story, but until then, NO, NO, NO.  As I said on the other thread, we would be more than happy to take him and other boys. Hey, I would be willing to waive curfew for the week.  I think that is generous (enough).

Well, my son is an 18 yo senior in high school. What I can&#039;t fathom is so many parents letting their high school seniors go on spring break alone. I guess next year when he is in college, it will be a different story, but until then, NO, NO, NO. As I said on the other thread, we would be more than happy to take him and other boys. Hey, I would be willing to waive curfew for the week. I think that is generous (enough).

Smiling JOe

[QUOTE=audie]i was reading in one of the 10,000 magazines i get monthly about how kids today are drinking so much they are being hospitalized or worse for alcohol poisoning. i guess it is a lot more common than people realize, and if i was a parent that would scare me to death. i know i am naive about stuff like that but i always figured alcohol poisoning happened to winos, i had no clue how prevalent it is in teens ![/QUOTE]Been there and done that, more than once, and fortunately survived to not do it again. Consuming one litre of straight Rum in less than five minutes is enough to do some serious damage to a 15 yr old like I once was. Fortunately, by the time I reached college age, I no longer had the desire to drink so much in one sitting. Just as I told Steele Mama that there is not much difference in adding a zero to the end of a number to change it greatly, the same can be said for alcohol consumption. If I had consumed just one additional half litre of Rum on that particular night, I may not be typing today. After one is wasted, he cannot tell the difference between the on and off switch. The two become one without difference.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="audie">i was reading in one of the 10,000 magazines i get monthly about how kids today are drinking so much they are being hospitalized or worse for alcohol poisoning. i guess it is a lot more common than people realize, and if i was a parent that would scare me to death. i know i am naive about stuff like that but i always figured alcohol poisoning happened to winos, i had no clue how prevalent it is in teens !</blockquote>Been there and done that, more than once, and fortunately survived to not do it again. Consuming one litre of straight Rum in less than five minutes is enough to do some serious damage to a 15 yr old like I once was. Fortunately, by the time I reached college age, I no longer had the desire to drink so much in one sitting. Just as I told Steele Mama that there is not much difference in adding a zero to the end of a number to change it greatly, the same can be said for alcohol consumption. If I had consumed just one additional half litre of Rum on that particular night, I may not be typing today. After one is wasted, he cannot tell the difference between the on and off switch. The two become one without difference.

Beach Runner

beats on hood

[QUOTE=Kimmifunn]Ok...This was brought up over in the other thread...but I'm kinda shocked by how many of you aren't letting your college kids go on spring break to the beach. Is it because they are farther away than we were- at Auburn?
 
I'm not trying to be insulting by any means, and respect reasons like cost, ect, but we never had problems with friends not being able to go. Please enlighten me.
 
So question is. Spring break...Yes or No and if No then when will they be old enough?[/QUOTE]
I let my daughter and her friends use our beach house starting her freshman year in college. I mean, she lived in Boston; if I couldn't trust her at the beach, I couldn't trust her in Boston. I might as well make her live at home and go to the local college! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), she only had one friend at MIT who "did" spring break. Everyone else stayed in Cambridge/Boston and caught up on their studying. How weird is that?
 
Her sophomore year they got a bit rowdy - neighbors complained - Silly String all over the pool deck and pool full of beer cans. So this year (junior year) I have laid down the law. If they don't keep the house as I expect it to be cared for (and I will drive down at the end of the week and check it out) and if they bother neighbors, next year they'll be paying for their own motel rooms for spring break. I think they'll act appropriately. Momma didn't raise no fool!
 
As an aside, "back in the day" when I was an undergraduate at Tulane, I just went to the beach with my friends. My mother had no clue when my spring break was. There wasn't the Internet then for parents to check up on our holiday schedules, our course websites, etc., etc. I would just tell Mom that my last exam was two days later than it really was, so she'd make airline reservations for me from NOLA to ATL on that day, and my friends and I would stay in NOLA and party. I studied hard; I played hard. That's the way Tulane kids rolled when I was there.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Kimmifunn">Ok...This was brought up over in the other thread...but I&#039;m kinda shocked by how many of you aren&#039;t letting your college kids go on spring break to the beach. Is it because they are farther away than we were- at Auburn? 
 
I&#039;m not trying to be insulting by any means, and respect reasons like cost, ect, but we never had problems with friends not being able to go. Please enlighten me. 
 
So question is. Spring break...Yes or No and if No then when will they be old enough?</blockquote>I let my daughter and her friends use our beach house starting her freshman year in college. I mean, she lived in Boston; if I couldn&#039;t trust her at the beach, I couldn&#039;t trust her in Boston. I might as well make her live at home and go to the local college! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), she only had one friend at MIT who &quot;did&quot; spring break. Everyone else stayed in Cambridge/Boston and caught up on their studying. How weird is that? 
 
Her sophomore year they got a bit rowdy - neighbors complained - Silly String all over the pool deck and pool full of beer cans. So this year (junior year) I have laid down the law. If they don&#039;t keep the house as I expect it to be cared for (and I will drive down at the end of the week and check it out) and if they bother neighbors, next year they&#039;ll be paying for their own motel rooms for spring break. I think they&#039;ll act appropriately. Momma didn&#039;t raise no fool! 
 
As an aside, &quot;back in the day&quot; when I was an undergraduate at Tulane, I just went to the beach with my friends. My mother had no clue when my spring break was. There wasn&#039;t the Internet then for parents to check up on our holiday schedules, our course websites, etc., etc. I would just tell Mom that my last exam was two days later than it really was, so she&#039;d make airline reservations for me from NOLA to ATL on that day, and my friends and I would stay in NOLA and party. I studied hard; I played hard. That&#039;s the way Tulane kids rolled when I was there.

peapod1980

percy

[QUOTE=Kimmifunn]Ok...So question is.  Spring break...Yes or No and if No then when will they be old enough?[/QUOTE]
We're at least 5 years away from it, so this is just projection on my part:
Not sure, not until college, won't pay for it.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Kimmifunn">Ok...So question is. Spring break...Yes or No and if No then when will they be old enough?</blockquote>We&#039;re at least 5 years away from it, so this is just projection on my part: 
Not sure, not until college, won&#039;t pay for it.

Kimmifunn

Funnkalicious

Ok.  Got it.  Dbuck...didn't realize yours was in HS.  Totally makes sense.  We were always supervised in high school.  In college our parents just paid for it.  I guess they didn't think about it since everyone else's parents paid for it.  Or we were just brats who threw a fit if they said no.

Everyone is totally reasonable.  

I'm with you BR...If you can trust them off at school they should be able to handle it.  But with all the people- like Smiley J- who guzzle a gallon of rum, I can see where the concern lies.

Ok. Got it. Dbuck...didn&#039;t realize yours was in HS. Totally makes sense. We were always supervised in high school. In college our parents just paid for it. I guess they didn&#039;t think about it since everyone else&#039;s parents paid for it. Or we were just brats who threw a fit if they said no. 
 
Everyone is totally reasonable. 
 
I&#039;m with you BR...If you can trust them off at school they should be able to handle it. But with all the people- like Smiley J- who guzzle a gallon of rum, I can see where the concern lies.

[QUOTE=Kimmifunn]I'm with you BR...If you can trust them off at school they should be able to handle it. But with all the people- like Smiley J- who guzzle a gallon of rum, I can see where the concern lies.[/QUOTE]
I'm not saying she would, but if she'd guzzle a gallon of rum at the beach, she'd do it in Boston or Atlanta or wherever.
 
Don't parents remember what they did on college campuses? For me, going to college was one continuous spring break (after I studied - had to keep those A's), so what's the difference between college parties and spring break, between flooding the basement of the [font=Times New Roman][size=3]∑[/size][/font]AE house at Tulane with grain alcohol and drinking it while swimming in it vs spring break at Panama City Beach?

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Kimmifunn">I&#039;m with you BR...If you can trust them off at school they should be able to handle it. But with all the people- like Smiley J- who guzzle a gallon of rum, I can see where the concern lies.</blockquote>I&#039;m not saying she would, but if she&#039;d guzzle a gallon of rum at the beach, she&#039;d do it in Boston or Atlanta or wherever. 
 
Don&#039;t parents remember what they did on college campuses? For me, going to college was one continuous spring break (after I studied - had to keep those A&#039;s), so what&#039;s the difference between college parties and spring break, between flooding the basement of the ∑AE house at Tulane with grain alcohol and drinking it while swimming in it vs spring break at Panama City Beach?

[QUOTE=Beach Runner]I'm not saying she would, but if she'd guzzle a gallon of rum at the beach, she'd do it in Boston or Atlanta or wherever.
 
Don't parents remember what they did on college campuses? For me, going to college was one continuous spring break (after I studied - had to keep those A's), so what's the difference between college parties and spring break, between flooding the basement of the [font=Times New Roman][size=3]∑[/size][/font]AE house at Tulane with grain alcohol and drinking it while swimming in it vs spring break at Panama City Beach?[/QUOTE]
 
I think the difference would be that you were in a somewhat closed environment.  No strangers, weirdos, etc.  You were with people you knew, or the people you were with knew them.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Beach Runner">I&#039;m not saying she would, but if she&#039;d guzzle a gallon of rum at the beach, she&#039;d do it in Boston or Atlanta or wherever. 
 
Don&#039;t parents remember what they did on college campuses? For me, going to college was one continuous spring break (after I studied - had to keep those A&#039;s), so what&#039;s the difference between college parties and spring break, between flooding the basement of the ∑AE house at Tulane with grain alcohol and drinking it while swimming in it vs spring break at Panama City Beach?</blockquote> 
I think the difference would be that you were in a somewhat closed environment. No strangers, weirdos, etc. You were with people you knew, or the people you were with knew them.

Miss Kitty

Meow

The world is a much scarier place now.  That's a fact.  I would also add, because of that many kids are over protected and don't have a lot of "street sense".

The world is a much scarier place now.  That&#039;s a fact.  I would also add, because of that many kids are over protected and don&#039;t have a lot of &quot;street sense&quot;.

nancy jean

Beach Comber

My ex-rental agency (who shall remain nameless for now) put 12 Auburn freshmen (7 girls, 5 boys) in my house for spring break 2 years ago this March.  It was a really bad scene.  I was there on the weekend before check-in and on the Saturday of check-out.  The parent who paid for the week insisted that I just wanted him to pay for repairs that were already needed (in a 1 year old house).  I continued to find damage for a couple of months.  I didn't know they had broken my sofa bed until I tried to use it a couple of months later.  I also received a $250 water bill (they wrote in the guest book that they loved the nice big bathtub).  

I'm sure there are some well-behaved college kids out there, but I won't even take the chance on them......I've been stung!!

My ex-rental agency (who shall remain nameless for now) put 12 Auburn freshmen (7 girls, 5 boys) in my house for spring break 2 years ago this March. It was a really bad scene. I was there on the weekend before check-in and on the Saturday of check-out. The parent who paid for the week insisted that I just wanted him to pay for repairs that were already needed (in a 1 year old house). I continued to find damage for a couple of months. I didn&#039;t know they had broken my sofa bed until I tried to use it a couple of months later. I also received a $250 water bill (they wrote in the guest book that they loved the nice big bathtub). 
 
I&#039;m sure there are some well-behaved college kids out there, but I won&#039;t even take the chance on them......I&#039;ve been stung!!

[QUOTE=Sueshore]The world is a much scarier place now.  That's a fact.  I would also add, because of that many kids are over protected and don't have a lot of "street sense".[/QUOTE]
 You have a point, but having to take public transportation in Boston (because rental for a spot in a parking garage is outrageous and parking at a shopping area can cost almost $20 an hour) and having to deal with all of the sketchy people from halfway houses hanging out in downtown Atlanta is much scarier to me that PCB.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Sueshore">The world is a much scarier place now. That&#039;s a fact. I would also add, because of that many kids are over protected and don&#039;t have a lot of &quot;street sense&quot;.</blockquote> You have a point, but having to take public transportation in Boston (because rental for a spot in a parking garage is outrageous and parking at a shopping area can cost almost $20 an hour) and having to deal with all of the sketchy people from halfway houses hanging out in downtown Atlanta is much scarier to me that PCB.

[QUOTE=nancy jean]My ex-rental agency (who shall remain nameless for now) put 12 Auburn freshmen (7 girls, 5 boys) in my house for spring break 2 years ago this March.  It was a really bad scene.  I was there on the weekend before check-in and on the Saturday of check-out.  The parent who paid for the week insisted that I just wanted him to pay for repairs that were already needed (in a 1 year old house).  I continued to find damage for a couple of months.  I didn't know they had broken my sofa bed until I tried to use it a couple of months later.  I also received a $250 water bill (they wrote in the guest book that they loved the nice big bathtub).  

I'm sure there are some well-behaved college kids out there, but I won't even take the chance on them......I've been stung!![/QUOTE]
I heard about that...a couple years ago there was a whole crew of Auburn kids who came down and ripped up a few houses.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="nancy jean">My ex-rental agency (who shall remain nameless for now) put 12 Auburn freshmen (7 girls, 5 boys) in my house for spring break 2 years ago this March. It was a really bad scene. I was there on the weekend before check-in and on the Saturday of check-out. The parent who paid for the week insisted that I just wanted him to pay for repairs that were already needed (in a 1 year old house). I continued to find damage for a couple of months. I didn&#039;t know they had broken my sofa bed until I tried to use it a couple of months later. I also received a $250 water bill (they wrote in the guest book that they loved the nice big bathtub). 
 
I&#039;m sure there are some well-behaved college kids out there, but I won&#039;t even take the chance on them......I&#039;ve been stung!!</blockquote>I heard about that...a couple years ago there was a whole crew of Auburn kids who came down and ripped up a few houses.

[QUOTE=nancy jean]My ex-rental agency (who shall remain nameless for now) put 12 Auburn freshmen (7 girls, 5 boys) in my house for spring break 2 years ago this March.  It was a really bad scene.  I was there on the weekend before check-in and on the Saturday of check-out.  The parent who paid for the week insisted that I just wanted him to pay for repairs that were already needed (in a 1 year old house).  I continued to find damage for a couple of months.  I didn't know they had broken my sofa bed until I tried to use it a couple of months later.  I also received a $250 water bill (they wrote in the guest book that they loved the nice big bathtub).  

I'm sure there are some well-behaved college kids out there, but I won't even take the chance on them......I've been stung!![/QUOTE]

when we were down 2 years ago, a group of college kids had rented a house in the area we were in. i think a parent or someone rented it for them actually because they were all on the beach and the guy said i will see you sunday and he left never to be seen again. these kids were smoking pot and doing beer funnels and who knows what else right in front of us like we weren't there.  i can't imagine what the house looked like, i was gonna call the rental agency, but there wasn't a sign or anything on the house so i didn't know who to call.  we are far from being prudes, but this made us pretty uncomfortable. thank god they came in on friday and left on sunday.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="nancy jean">My ex-rental agency (who shall remain nameless for now) put 12 Auburn freshmen (7 girls, 5 boys) in my house for spring break 2 years ago this March. It was a really bad scene. I was there on the weekend before check-in and on the Saturday of check-out. The parent who paid for the week insisted that I just wanted him to pay for repairs that were already needed (in a 1 year old house). I continued to find damage for a couple of months. I didn&#039;t know they had broken my sofa bed until I tried to use it a couple of months later. I also received a $250 water bill (they wrote in the guest book that they loved the nice big bathtub). 
 
I&#039;m sure there are some well-behaved college kids out there, but I won&#039;t even take the chance on them......I&#039;ve been stung!!</blockquote> 
when we were down 2 years ago, a group of college kids had rented a house in the area we were in. i think a parent or someone rented it for them actually because they were all on the beach and the guy said i will see you sunday and he left never to be seen again. these kids were smoking pot and doing beer funnels and who knows what else right in front of us like we weren&#039;t there. i can&#039;t imagine what the house looked like, i was gonna call the rental agency, but there wasn&#039;t a sign or anything on the house so i didn&#039;t know who to call. we are far from being prudes, but this made us pretty uncomfortable. thank god they came in on friday and left on sunday.

Don't get me wrong, I would never rent to a group of college students. I thought we were talking about allowing our own kids to go on spring break.

Don&#039;t get me wrong, I would never rent to a group of college students. I thought we were talking about allowing our own kids to go on spring break.

Dabell

[QUOTE=Sueshore]The world is a much scarier place now.  That's a fact.  I would also add, because of that many kids are over protected and don't have a lot of "street sense".[/QUOTE]
  
I agree. But, looking back I was very stupid at 15, 16, 17, 18 and sometimes now at 40.  I think the world is safer now, due to DNA testing. The kids today are smarter in ways we weren't.. I guess, it's how you look at it.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="Sueshore">The world is a much scarier place now. That&#039;s a fact. I would also add, because of that many kids are over protected and don&#039;t have a lot of &quot;street sense&quot;.</blockquote> 
I agree. But, looking back I was very stupid at 15, 16, 17, 18 and sometimes now at 40. I think the world is safer now, due to DNA testing. The kids today are smarter in ways we weren&#039;t.. I guess, it&#039;s how you look at it.

DBOldford

Nancy Jean, I think the kids from your house left and descended upon ours.  There were several large houses at Grayton where this happened as they were evicted, one after another.  Ours were, too.  Grayton Beach seems to have been targeted for spring breakers two years ago.  They all lost their rent and the deposits with the evictions, so hopefully some Mom and Dad rec'd an expensive lesson.  The following year, our rental company allowed in a group of 20 high school graduates with no parent, just an unrelated "chaperone" who was never there no matter what time we called the house.  This guy bragged to our housekeeper that he was employed by the same agency that provided some of the chaperones for the ill-fated Aruba trip, when the lovely young  Birmingham woman disappeared.  He bought beer for the kids to have a big beer party, and we had kids diving off the third floor offset deck of our house into the swimming pool (max. depth of 9 ft.).  Just a tragedy waiting to happen, all around.

It is imperative that owners hold the rental companies accountable for this kind of oversight or lack of attention.  We told ours that if this ever happened again, they were toast and that we'd hold them responsible.  Now for the period during March/April,  we require that parents sign a release form that indicates how many adults and how many minors (and their ages) will occupy the house.  Only after we see this form signed and returned do we agree that they can rent.  And I make calls before and during the stay.  We also have a family member who lives nearby check regularly on the house during these periods.  If we ever catch that again, we have vowed to call the County Sheriff and have every underaged person in the house hauled off to jail.  It is as illegal to serve minors alcohol in a private home as it is in a bar, after all.  If parents can't find the time to accompany their kids on a spring break holiday, I figure they can burn up Highway 331 to bail them out of jail.

While this sounds very harsh, the truth is that many parents refuse to believe that their little angels could drink to excess or intentionally damage someone else's property (not to mention risking their own lives).  The best of kids will be effected by peer pressure, especially in a setting that is fueled by high spirits after the stress of exams and coupled with excessive drinking.  The reality check comes too late,  when a parent is called to the ER at 3 a.m. to find an alcohol-poisoned child who is on a ventilator in the ICU (or worse).  

I honestly think kids were better off when their folks assumed they were up to no good or were ninnies, and we had to work hard to prove them wrong!  I don't think the world or human nature has really changed all that much (alchol and drugs and sex were always around), but some of today's parents want to be pals with their kids rather than parents who help them set boundaries.  California is particularly permissive in this way, it seems.   The irony in this is that kids will grow up to criticize their parents for not being stricter.  If I hear one more parent say, "The kids are my buds," I'm going to  :puke:

Nancy Jean, I think the kids from your house left and descended upon ours. There were several large houses at Grayton where this happened as they were evicted, one after another. Ours were, too. Grayton Beach seems to have been targeted for spring breakers two years ago. They all lost their rent and the deposits with the evictions, so hopefully some Mom and Dad rec&#039;d an expensive lesson. The following year, our rental company allowed in a group of 20 high school graduates with no parent, just an unrelated &quot;chaperone&quot; who was never there no matter what time we called the house. This guy bragged to our housekeeper that he was employed by the same agency that provided some of the chaperones for the ill-fated Aruba trip, when the lovely young Birmingham woman disappeared. He bought beer for the kids to have a big beer party, and we had kids diving off the third floor offset deck of our house into the swimming pool (max. depth of 9 ft.). Just a tragedy waiting to happen, all around. 
 
It is imperative that owners hold the rental companies accountable for this kind of oversight or lack of attention. We told ours that if this ever happened again, they were toast and that we&#039;d hold them responsible. Now for the period during March/April, we require that parents sign a release form that indicates how many adults and how many minors (and their ages) will occupy the house. Only after we see this form signed and returned do we agree that they can rent. And I make calls before and during the stay. We also have a family member who lives nearby check regularly on the house during these periods. If we ever catch that again, we have vowed to call the County Sheriff and have every underaged person in the house hauled off to jail. It is as illegal to serve minors alcohol in a private home as it is in a bar, after all. If parents can&#039;t find the time to accompany their kids on a spring break holiday, I figure they can burn up Highway 331 to bail them out of jail. 
 
While this sounds very harsh, the truth is that many parents refuse to believe that their little angels could drink to excess or intentionally damage someone else&#039;s property (not to mention risking their own lives). The best of kids will be effected by peer pressure, especially in a setting that is fueled by high spirits after the stress of exams and coupled with excessive drinking. The reality check comes too late, when a parent is called to the ER at 3 a.m. to find an alcohol-poisoned child who is on a ventilator in the ICU (or worse). 
 
I honestly think kids were better off when their folks assumed they were up to no good or were ninnies, and we had to work hard to prove them wrong! I don&#039;t think the world or human nature has really changed all that much (alchol and drugs and sex were always around), but some of today&#039;s parents want to be pals with their kids rather than parents who help them set boundaries. California is particularly permissive in this way, it seems. The irony in this is that kids will grow up to criticize their parents for not being stricter. If I hear one more parent say, &quot;The kids are my buds,&quot; I&#039;m going to :puke:

Ok...This was brought up over in the other thread...but I'm kinda shocked by how many of you aren't letting your college kids go on spring break to the beach.  Is it because they are farther away than we were- at Auburn?

I'm not trying to be insulting by any means, and respect reasons like cost, ect, but we never had problems with friends not being able to go.  Please enlighten me.

So question is.  Spring break...Yes or No and if No then when will they be old enough?

Ok...This was brought up over in the other thread...but I&#039;m kinda shocked by how many of you aren&#039;t letting your college kids go on spring break to the beach. Is it because they are farther away than we were- at Auburn? 
 
I&#039;m not trying to be insulting by any means, and respect reasons like cost, ect, but we never had problems with friends not being able to go. Please enlighten me. 
 
So question is. Spring break...Yes or No and if No then when will they be old enough?

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Sixth annual Run Watersound At Watersound Town Center October 24, 2026

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