"OTOH, what this case has done, is to bring attention to the fact that our kids can go wild in Aruba, and it should be expected if we let them go.
"I'm certain that if Natalee's parents had known what went on, they would have never allowed her to go on that particular trip."
Good points, spectre. However, when in doubt don't let them do as they please. Put your foot down and say NO. It's for their own good, afterall. And someday, someday when they, too, are grown up, they'll understand why you said no to them on innumerable occasions and will thank you a thousand folds for it, and then they'll pass on your values to their progeny.
Children: they are what you teach them.
But Natalee had the finest upbringing, and she was a fantastic, amazing, brillant, beatiful girl. Just ONE bad decision cost her life. And it wasn't all that out of the ordinary either.. There's something not fair about it all.
sw