I was out and about Monday morning, busy with my usual Monday morning activities, when yellow buses and kids on street corners reminded me it was the first day of school. 

It also reminded me that, for the first time in 15 years, I wasn't a part of it. 

Talk about bittersweet. My youngest graduated from high school last spring, so back-to-school nights, sports dinners and soccer games are now part of my past. I will miss them. 

There are things about the high school years I won't miss. What I won't miss the most are the enablers, the cool parents who buy booze for their teens and turn a blind eye to pot use in a misguided attempt to keep their kids safely home. But what about the kids who don't happen to live there? Those who will climb into their cars and drive home? 

How the cool parents rationalize these ethical lapses is beyond me and has been since I was in high school. Happily, there's a new ordinance in the offing just for them, courtesy of the Bakersfield City Council, local police and a host of parents passionate about the safety of all our kids. 

A new-and-improved version of the city's loud and unruly ordinance, if approved by the council, will wallop adults caught serving booze to teens with a big fat civil fine of $1,000 for a first offense. No warnings, no polite requests, just an immediate citation and fine. 

One might think a penalty of that magnitude would shut a party house down for good. If it doesn't, and the cops are called out more than once in a 30-day period to quell an out-of-control party, the homeowner may have to pay service fees too, says Assistant City Attorney Janice Scanlan. 

"They could be hit with that over and over again," she said. 

The ordinance passed out of the City Council's Legislative and Litigation Committee last week and will be presented to the council on Aug. 30. Barring any complications, the council is expected to vote on the ordinance in early September. If approved, the ordinance could take effect as early as November. 

Nancy Chaffin, human resources director at The Californian and president of A Life Interrupted, a group of parents whose children have died in traffic accidents, says she expects little opposition to the ordinance, thought she's heard a few malcontents, shielded by the anonymity of local talk radio, complain the ordinance will violate their right to do as they please in their own homes. 

"You'd have to be a moron to publicly say, 'I think my kids ought to be able to drink booze,'" she said. "The only real controversy I've heard is from those who think the fine is not high enough." 

Maybe not, but it's an excellent start. 

If the threat of a fine won't do it, here's something else cool parents can chew on while they plan their teen's next Friday night kegger. Your teen's friends, and their friends at school, know who you are and where you live. So do many of their parents, some of their teachers and the cops who visit your home from time to time. 

So think about it, cool parents. Think long and hard before buying the booze, before encouraging our teens to drink.

Now, it's going to cost you.