The Bert Show – "Vault: You'll Never Guess What This Mother Let Her Child Do"

Episode Date: December 12, 2025
Main Theme:
This episode explores the controversial topic of a parent providing alcohol to teens during a supervised party. The hosts and callers weigh in on whether the intent to keep kids "safe" justifies breaking the law, where parental responsibility ends, and how societal norms should shape our approach to teen drinking.

Episode Overview

The Bert Show crew—Bert, Kristin, Cassie, Abby, Tommy, and listeners—discuss a real-life incident in Lilburn, Georgia, where Janice Burke, a mother, hosted her son’s 18th birthday party, supplied alcohol to underage guests, and attempted to monitor their safety. This led to her being charged with multiple counts of providing alcohol to minors. The episode delves into legal, ethical, and practical questions about parenting, safety, and the law, featuring calls and passionate debate among hosts and listeners.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Case Background and Mother’s Intentions

• Janice Burke’s Case: Burke hosted her son’s party, supplied a keg, took guests’ keys, limited the number of guests, and made sure everyone spent the night—believing it was safer than unsupervised parties (03:02-04:17).

  • Janice on her decision:

    "The children are going to drink no matter what. I wanted the children safe in my home so that I could protect them and that they could have a fun party."
    — Janice Burke (03:44)

  • She acknowledges breaking the law but believed the safe environment justified her actions:

    “I broke the law by providing alcohol to minors, but I also attempted to provide a safe environment.”
    — Janice Burke (04:50)

• Legal Details:

  • In Georgia, a parent can provide alcohol to their own child, and with express parental permission, to other minors. Burke did not secure consent from other parents, resulting in 15 criminal counts (04:41-05:29).
  • The party attracted police attention due to noise; upon arrival, it was revealed that underage drinking was occurring (12:51).

2. The Ethics and Logic of Parental Supervision

• Host Perspectives:
  • Bert: Emphasizes the only legal misstep was failing to get parental permission. He sympathizes with the mother’s intent but stresses the law and respect for other parents’ wishes (04:58-05:29).
  • Jeff: Takes a stricter view, questioning the logic of "being the cool parent," warning against parents acting like friends rather than authority figures:

    "I don’t like parents who try to be too friendly with their children."
    — Jeff (08:49) “If she was a responsible adult, then... the call would go something like, ‘Here’s the deal… If you want to come hang out upstairs with me, you can… I’m going to hold onto their keys until 12 noon the next day.’ That’s what a responsible parent does. This woman… she’s just trying to be the cool mom who serves beer at her house. And I think that’s ridiculous.”
    — Jeff (09:02–09:42)

  • Cassie: Tries to balance realism with respect for the law.

    “We need boundaries. And so I do believe in the law, but a parent is in charge of their household and I trust whatever a parent wants for that household, as long as it’s not abusive… The only mistake this woman made was not getting the permission of the other parents.”
    — Cassie (11:32, 11:52)

3. Listener Experiences and Opinions

• Sarah (27 years old): Draws comparison to military age—if teens can serve, why not drink? (05:44–06:20)

• Lisa (17 years old): Thanks the mother for prioritizing safety, arguing teens will drink anyway (06:36–07:25).

  • On parental knowledge:

    “I can’t say that my mom doesn’t think that that’s what I’m doing when I go out. I really believe she’d rather me be responsible than not… I think she agrees with me.”
    — Lisa (07:07)

• Erin (Caller): Shares a tragic local story where supervised drinking led to a teen’s fatal fall from a roof, highlighting that control only goes so far (12:00–12:39).

  • “Everybody knows you can only be so responsible for 20 drunk 18-year-olds. … One of them fell off the roof and died. So, even though they had the parents’ permission, you’re responsible for these people.”

• Russ (Caller): Story of personal loss; his 17-year-old sister was killed by another teen who drove the morning after a supervised party, reinforcing the message that teens may not understand the delayed effects of alcohol (13:03–13:57):

  • “Whenever you as an adult allow teenagers to drink in your home, it gives them a false sense of security… you don’t fully understand what alcohol does to your body…here he is thinking he did the right thing because he didn’t drive that night, but he still has the alcohol in his body.”
    — Russ (13:04–13:55)

4. Societal and Legal Ramifications

• Law in Georgia: Parents may allow their own minor to drink or serve alcohol to other minors only with those parents’ explicit consent (04:41, 10:47). Failure to do so is a criminal offense.
• Role Model Implications: Several hosts and callers emphasized that parents modeling lawbreaking could normalize broader rule-breaking for teens:
  • “Showing your child that you disregard [the law], then they’re going to disregard other laws… Buying alcohol, it’s just a bad role model for them.”
    — Becky (10:09–10:47)

5. Safety: Reality vs. Responsibility

• The hosts agree that, while the mother’s intentions were arguably good, there’s an inherent risk and legal liability in supervising drunk teenagers. Incidents can occur despite precautions (12:00–12:39, 13:03–13:57).
• Real-world observations: Even with keys collected, kids can still endanger themselves or others the morning after by driving hungover or intoxicated (14:22–15:02).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Janice Burke:

  “The children are going to drink no matter what. I wanted the children safe in my home so that I could protect them and that they could have a fun party.” (03:44)

• Jeff (on parental responsibility):

  “If she was a responsible adult, then the phone call is between all the parents who’d be attending the party... That’s what a responsible parent does.” (09:02–09:42)

• Russ (caller, personal tragedy):

  “You don’t fully understand what alcohol does to your body and how it affects you… he still has the alcohol in his body.” (13:03–13:57)

• Cassie (on boundaries):

  "We need boundaries. The only mistake this woman made was not getting the permission of the other parents." (11:32, 11:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:02] – Janice Burke case and audio from news report.
• [04:41] – Legal requirements in Georgia for serving alcohol to minors.
• [05:44] – Listener Sarah's commentary on age, responsibility, and legality.
• [06:36] – 17-year-old Lisa shares her view as a teenager.
• [08:17] – Host Jeff explains concerns about parents acting like friends.
• [12:00] – Erin recounts a tragedy tied to "supervised" teen drinking.
• [13:03] – Russ shares a fatal consequence of an "overnight" drinking party.
• [14:22] – Impacts of next-day intoxication/DUI.
• [15:02] – Real-life for hosts encountering drunk drivers in the morning.

Conclusion

This episode of The Bert Show offers a raw, nuanced conversation about what it means to balance parental concern, legality, and adolescent independence in today’s world.
With passionate debate, listener-driven stories, and a mix of empathy and tough love, the show makes clear there are no easy answers—only complex, consequential choices. The legality is clear; the morality is muddier. But one thing is certain: choices made in the name of "safety" can still carry devastating risks, not just for one's own child, but for an entire community.

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