That guest was me. I forgot I was posting from a strange computer without a cookie. Sorry.

My son is 15, nearly 16. I've already discussed this with my wife, and she's adamantly opposed to letting him have ANY alcohol, even if it's legal, so I suppose it won't happen. But still, I'd like to know what others think.

It seems to me that a kid has a better chance to learn to drink responsibly if he's introduced to it gradually, under the supervision of his parents. If he doesn't touch a drop until he's 21, naturally he won't want to go out drinking with his parents. (He barely tolerates doing anything with us now.) More likely he'll go out with his equally immature friends and get stinkin' drunk the first chance he gets. And if he sneaks off and drinks illegally BEFORE he's 21, we'll have even less control of the situation.

I had the impression the UK had some kind of tiered system. Was I wrong?

What about other countries in Europe?