Parent or friend: There's a fine line

Did anyone else balk when they heard about the party that US dad, Jeff Lake, threw his teen daughter? If you’re not familiar with this story then let me fill you in on how 'totally awesome' this particular man is. *sigh*

Dad-Of-The-Year Jeff thought it would be a stellar idea to throw his daughter a Playboy-themed, alcohol-laden celebration for her 18^th birthday and unfortunately just could not see a problem that.

Thankfully, a few people working in law enforcement explained to the baffled man why providing booze to a group of scantily-clad, underage teens may cause issues and promptly arrested him for supplying alcohol to minors.

The Lake family story is a classic example of a parent who is more interested in impressing their child and their peers than looking out for their kid’s safety and needs. 

Surely at some point during the planning process, Jeff - who is also a lawyer, by the way - would have thought: ‘Hold on, maybe a party based on nude modelling might not be appropriate for my teen daughter and her friends.” Well, if he did, he soldiered on anyway and invited 200 of Olivia’s closest guy and gal pals to a night of drinking and carousing.

It could be argued that the entire plan was Olivia’s and as everyone knows, daughters can certainly wrap their daddies around their little fingers, but there’s a time and a place for everything. This was the time for Jeff to be her father, not her friend, and tell his daughter that her plan could get them in big trouble with the police. He could have also mentioned that mixing alcohol with barely-dressed teens would be a recipe for disaster.

Being a friend to your child is a wonderful thing and something to be cherished, but there comes a time in every parent’s life when they have to fight the urge to bow to their child’s demands and remember what their real role in the relationship is. Jeff had that moment and unfortunately, didn’t rise to the occasion.

On the bright side, if Jeff is sentenced to the six months in prison he currently faces for the charge, he'll have plenty of time to plan Olivia’s 21^st birthday.

Go wild, Jeff- you can actually serve alcohol at that one.