I am reading online the legal drinking age is 21 in TN---

Does anyone know if 18 - 19 yr olds can drink if they are with a parent???

thanks

No

Under 21's can not be legally served alcohol under any circumstances, although I have seen restaurants (not in TN though) pour a glass of wine for a minor when accompanied by adults drinking wine, and not even question their age.

No.

AFAIK all states adopted the 21 age limit due to pressure from the Federal government. There are no exceptions.

In fact parents can be arrested if somehow cops found out that they provided alcohol to their children who are under 21.

Also, I believe some counties in TN are still dry.

No here in Mississippi -- Course the state name tells you enough...............

Thanks~!

A silly law.

agreed--We have asked in a few pubs we have visited the past few mths so see how MS bartenders handle it. They tell us "as long a they see ID of parent and 18 yr , they will serve 18 yr old"..

mine will be 18 next week.

There are many places in the US where under-21 year olds can buy/be served - ask any HS student and they will tell you where.

But it is still illegal and the establishment/server are putting themselves at considerable risk if they choose to do so.

Not commenting on whether or not it is a silly law, just explaining.

In Texas you can legally drink with your parent(s)....here is the law:

§ 106.04 – Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor
(a–b) A minor commits an offense if they consume alcohol unless they are in the visible presence of, and have the consent of their adult parent, legal guardian, or spouse.

Did not know about the TX law - is Texas still part of the US, or has it become part of Mexico?

it's not exactly those words. I found this on a texas govt website via google.

§ 106.04. CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL BY A MINOR. (a) A minor
commits an offense if he consumes an alcoholic beverage.
(b) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this
section that the alcoholic beverage was consumed in the visible
presence of the minor's adult parent, guardian, or spouse.
(c) An offense under this section is punishable as provided
by Section 106.071.
(d) A minor who commits an offense under this section and
who has been previously convicted twice or more of offenses under
this section is not eligible for deferred disposition. For the
purposes of this subsection:
(1) an adjudication under Title 3, Family Code, that
the minor engaged in conduct described by this section is
considered a conviction of an offense under this section; and
(2) an order of deferred disposition for an offense
alleged under this section is considered a conviction of an offense
under this section.

gail, silly, Texas is an independent republic.

ok ya'll come on now --
back to the question.. pleaseeeeee

I googled and found this for Tennessee
Looks like the answer is NO, as it specifically says "CONSUME alcoholic beverages" Other states emphasize no PURCHASING. In some states it may be legal for under 21s to drink in the presence of parents, but it may still not be legal for a business to sell it to the minor (OR the business doesn't want to get involved with selling to under 21s)

"Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), it is unlawful for any person under twenty-one (21) years of age to purchase, possess, transport or consume alcoholic beverages, wine, or beer, with the following exceptions:



(1) Any person eighteen (18) years of age or older may transport, possess, sell, or dispense alcoholic beverages, wine, or beer in the course of such person's employment; and





(2) The provisions of § 39-17-705(1) shall not be affected by any provision of subsection (b), it being the intent of the general assembly that such provisions remain lawful and in full force and effect. Any such priest or minister may utilize and administer alcohol or wine at a communion service, bat mitzvah, bar mitzvah, or other similar religious service or ceremony, in accordance with the practices of such denomination or sect.





[Acts 1971, ch. 162, § 3; 1979, ch. 413, § 2; T.C.A., § 1-313; Acts 1984, ch. 1006, §§ 2, 9, 13-16; 1985, ch. 375, §§ 1-4; 1987, ch. 95, § 1; 1996, ch. 675, § 1.]

The legal - not possible, with or without fake ID - drinking age in the US is 21.

Parents can serve alcohol to their own 18 to 21 year olds (but NOT to anyone else's) in many places. But - many places will NOT serve under 21s - parents or not. (They don;t want the legal responsibility if the underage drinker has an accident or commits a crime - since they woud be responsible.)

Also - there are quite a few counties in the US that are completely dry - no alcohol sold in restaurants (left over from whe Prohibition was abolished).

thanks !

If it's not for a religious occasion or whatever, why shove booze down a kid's throat?

There is a school of thought - the european one - that since drinking alcohol is part of life for most people it's better than children be exposed to it by their parents - in limited amount and controlled conditions - so they don;t run amok with binge drinking as soon as they can get fake ID and or go away to school.

My parents did it that way - letting us have small amount of wine or beer from the time we were 13 or so - and by the time we went away to school it was no big deal.

We both drink - very moderately - and didn't end up making ourselves sick with binge drinking - or simply through not knowing how much alcohol we could consume with no ill effect - as did almost all of our schoolmates. (We had a couple of 17 year old freshman girls in my dorm hospitalized for alcohol poisoning - and I can;t tell you how many had repeated ghastly hangovers that affected their grades.)

Yeah, there is a big difference between letting a kid drink a bit here and there and shoving booze down a kid's throat - LOL.

nytraveler -- my dad also had this philosophy that letting us drink a small amount at home would demystify drinking for us. didn't work -- drank just as much in college as my friends who had never drank before college. but, I can't see how having a beer with dad hurt us either!