DR. WALLACE: My brother came home from his friend's house after watching the Final Four men's college teams play the recent NCAA basketball championship. He is a big UCLA Bruins fan, and they were one of the teams playing in the Final Four.

When my brother got home, he had been drinking to the point of being staggeringly drunk, and he's only 17! My father noticed this when my brother stumbled into the wall next to our front door, and so Dad asked him if he had had a few drinks during the game. My brother said yes, because his friend's parents said it was OK for their son (also 17) and him to consume alcohol in a private home in the state of Texas, which is where we live now. (We're originally from Los Angeles.)

Well, my dad was pretty mad, and he told us that it's never legal for someone under the age of 21 to consume alcohol, even in a private home. My question for you is: Is it legal for a 17-year-old to consume alcohol in a private home in Texas, or in other states? — Sister of a Drunken Underage Brother, via email

SISTER OF A DRUNKEN UNDERAGE BROTHER: In most states, minors are forbidden to consume alcohol anywhere. But a few states do allow teens to consume alcohol in private homes. Texas is, in fact, one of the states with a variety of laws regarding underage drinking if in the presence of a legal guardian, for example.

Since you did not mention your specific town or county, a call to your local police station will inform your family of the laws in your part of Texas. A better question here might be why your brother was allowed to consume so much alcohol that he was still staggering upon arriving home from this outing.

MAINTAIN YOUR NEW BREAKFAST HABIT!

TEENS: Do you eat breakfast every day? Some surveys have indicated that over 60% of teens skip breakfast sometimes. The main reason stated for this is — you guessed it — a lack of time.

Most teens said they would enjoy sitting down to eat a nice breakfast, but they often oversleep, or it takes them too long to get dressed and ready in the mornings, and they don't want to be late for school.

One of the rare benefits of the COVID-19 crisis is that many teens have recently found time to eat a nutritious breakfast at home, since they have not had to physically commute to school.

Teens, I advise you to hang on to this valuable change and enjoy a quick bite of healthy breakfast before going to school, even once schools open in person again. I've seen many studies over the course of my career that indicate students who eat breakfast perform at a higher level!

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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