This story is the fifth in a six-part series examining the drug and alcohol use of Miss-Lou teenagers.

Natchez &8212; Maybe the peer pressure is getting to the parents, too.

Teenage drinking in the Miss-Lou

&8212; for many &8212; is accepted. It&8217;s the culture. It&8217;s OK. It&8217;s always been this way. It always will be.

Educators, law enforcers, community leaders, kids and parents say that&8217;s the thinking of moms and dads who head to the liquor store to buy after-prom party supplies.

It&8217;s the excuse they mentally use when a phone call from the school warns them their child has a problem.

It&8217;s how they comfort themselves when their own suspicions ring true.

&8220;(Parents) don&8217;t want to be the bad guys,&8221; said Delecia Carey, head of school at Trinity Episcopal. &8220;They aren&8217;t interested in being the only parent in the world who is such a kill-joy.&8221;

Sounds like peer pressure. Or kid pressure.

Parents assume their children are going to drink one way or the other, so they put their good intentions to work and try to offer control to the situation, principals and other parents said.

&8220;When they find out they are drinking, they say they can stay (at home),&8221; said Pat McDonough, father of two teens. &8220;The parents have just said I&8217;d rather have them right here on my premises.&8221;

The condoning, but controlling, behavior is something Cathedral School Principal Pat Sanguinetti said has increased over the years.

&8220;Some of our parents are allowing it,&8221; he said. &8220;They see it as protecting them and knowing what battles to pick.&8221;

The quick acceptance of drinking is something Carey attributes to the adult culture in Natchez that often centers on drinking.

&8220;Kids emulate adults,&8221; she said. &8220;And that complicates things.&8221;

Adams County Christian School Headmaster John Gray said the adults of Natchez cannot keep blaming the problem on the culture.

&8220;To say it&8217;s just a river town, that&8217;s a copout,&8221; he said. &8220;The only way we can help that (culture) is if parents take a stronger role in where their kids are.&8221;

McDonough, who owns a Vidalia liquor store, said he wouldn&8217;t say parents allowed underage drinking as much as they enabled it.

&8220;Each person has to make their own decision,&8221; he said. &8220;You just have to decide then what you are going to do.&8221;

But not all parents choose to go with the apparent crowd, father Bob Pollard said.

&8220;It is part of the culture, and we accept the partying more,&8221; said Pollard, also a Natchez alderman. &8220;But I don&8217;t agree with any parent buying it. That&8217;s absolutely not right, buying it for them.&8221;

Pollard said he thought Natchez children were exposed to alcohol at an earlier age than those in other communities because of the bars and parties adults attend.

Pollard said he&8217;s told his 23-year-old son and twin 17-year-old girls from a young age what behavior was expected of them.

&8220;Communication is key,&8221; he said. &8220;You have to talk to them. If they aren&8217;t home at 12, we call. Be frank; be honest. They will talk to you. You have to be their friend as well as their parent.&8221;

The Natchez culture has quite the reputation, but Sanguinetti and McDonough said they don&8217;t think the problem is any worse here than in other towns.

&8220;I do feel this community is better than most of the ones I talk to,&8221; said Sanguinetti, who has frequent contacts with Catholic schools on the Gulf Coast. &8220;And we are on top of things now a lot more than 20 years ago.&8221;

McDonough agreed, saying he thought the underage drinking problem had decreased in the last 25 years.

Parents now have the excuse of not hosting teen parties because of the potential for a lawsuit if another parent&8217;s child gets ill or injured, he said.

But one vice makes way for the other, as both men said drug use has gone up.

And parents aren&8217;t handling that situation well, educators and authorities said.

While many parents know their children drink, most ignore the possibility of drugs, or are simply in denial, they said.

&8220;Parents are always pretty sure it&8217;s other people&8217;s kids,&8221; Carey said. &8220;I&8217;ve never known a parent that wasn&8217;t surprised to hear their kid was on drugs.&8221;