Children and alcohol in their own home

[bubbles]

I in all honesty don't see the problem with a PARENT giving their 5year old a small drink of alcohol on occasion with a meal. I think introducing alcohol with meals helps deter (sp) children from the whole binge drinking attitude. Obviously you don't give spirits and never alot but I don't have a problem with a drop of wine maybe mixed with pure orange juice. I would however have a problem with someone else giving my child alcohol as I think it is something that should be controlled and allowed by the parent only

This is exactly what I said. Please show me where it says I would put it in his bottle or in his juice. It does say a drop of wine mixed with pure juice. You also cancelled out your own comment there, read the quote you posted

 

[impatient1]

I don't think it's ok personally to mix any alcohol with a child's drink. How are will they learn the difference? It can't proviode and health benefits? I don't see how there is any rational point to giving a 5 year old alcohol for any reason.

 

[Pyrrhic]

I in all honesty don't see the problem with a PARENT giving their 5year old a small drink of alcohol on occasion with a meal. I think introducing alcohol with meals helps deter (sp) children from the whole binge drinking attitude. Obviously you don't give spirits and never alot but I don't have a problem with a drop of wine maybe mixed with pure orange juice. I would however have a problem with someone else giving my child alcohol as I think it is something that should be controlled and allowed by the parent only

This is exactly what I said. Please show me where it says I would put it in his bottle or in his juice. It does say a drop of wine mixed with pure juice. You also cancelled out your own comment there, read the quote you posted

Erm....there? Have bolded where you said you mix it in with juice.

Also, I only quoted one sentence from you which was relevant to my point, that you're whole POV seems to be that if you introduce alcohol to them young it deters them from binge drinking and teaches them a lesson about it.

If thats not your point, then what is?

 

[bubbles]

I in all honesty don't see the problem with a PARENT giving their 5year old a small drink of alcohol on occasion with a meal. I think introducing alcohol with meals helps deter (sp) children from the whole binge drinking attitude. Obviously you don't give spirits and never alot but I don't have a problem with a drop of wine maybe mixed with pure orange juice. I would however have a problem with someone else giving my child alcohol as I think it is something that should be controlled and allowed by the parent only

This is exactly what I said. Please show me where it says I would put it in his bottle or in his juice. It does say a drop of wine mixed with pure juice. You also cancelled out your own comment there, read the quote you posted

Erm....there? Have bolded where you said you mix it in with juice.

Also, I only quoted one sentence from you which was relevant to my point, that you're whole POV seems to be that if you introduce alcohol to them young it deters them from binge drinking and teaches them a lesson about it.

If thats not your point, then what is?

Can I just point out that my son has never had a drop of alcohol in his 9months of life nor did he have any while I was pregnant. You make it sound like this is what I do now. Mixing it with juice is something I would consider at 5 years old with a meal. My point of view is that it helps deter from binge drinking, I'm not saying this is the case for everyone. Look at spain, france or italy, children are introduced to alcohol with meals from a young age and they do not have the attitude towards alcohol that british people have. I personally do not want my son to grow up with the attitude that going out on a friday/saturday night and getting so drunk your falling over, fighting and puking everywhere is ok because it's not. It is a vile thing to do and even worse to see in a sober state. I wouldn't let him drink just willy nilly through the day at 5years old it would only be with a meal and very occasionally

 

[BlackBerry25]

You would seriously give your kid poison? Because that is essentially what alcohol is.

 

[Sarahkka]

My parents used to let us play grown up when we were five and they would mix us "rose": water in a wine glass with a touch of wine to turn the water pink. It wouldn't have made a goldfish tipsy, but it made us feel very grown up. It also was part of the culture of several European families who were our close friends and neighbours - they also appreciated good wine with dinner and they would make the same "rose" for their children. On no occasion was any child given anything that wasn't very diluted.
So all of us kids grew up around sensible drinkers who enjoyed wine or beer as a compliment to a nice meal. I think that did rub off on us, partly because we were included. And I do think it positively influenced us regarding binge drinking. No adult would ever get drunk at those meals. It would have been very crass and not appreciated.
If you are talking about handing a five year old a proper drink of cider or wine or beer, I would be just as horrified as the rest of you. I agree that it would not take much alcohol at a regular concentration to make a young child very sick. I suppose an argument can be made for restricting all alcohol until the child is at least a teenager, but there can be moderation. I think our inclusion in the bottle of wine was a sort of token gesture, but I definitely don't think it did any harm.

 

[bubbles]

it would seem that way wouldn't it? OMG I'm such a bad mum for having my own views on how I will bring up my own child FFS!! maybe I should just give up now I'm only going to poison him when he's older

 

[BlackBerry25]

I am fine in moderation if a teenager is drinking wine and it is part of family dinner, but a child who has no idea what they are drinking? I think a drop in a glass of water is different and I don't think it would deter or encourange drinking at a later age.

 

[BlackBerry25]

it would seem that way wouldn't it? OMG I'm such a bad mum for having my own views on how I will bring up my own child FFS!! maybe I should just give up now I'm only going to poison him when he's older

You have your opinion, I have mine. I think giving a 5 year old alcohol is insane and yes, I think it is poisoning them.

 

[muminlove]

I think that the law probably stands because of as you say 'in the old days' the things like giving them whiskey for teething but another big reason I would think would be for religious reasons? Red wine plays a part in a lot of religious traditions after all.

Bubbles, I think your comment that it's not like you would dose him up with drugs is a very interesting, and disturbing one. Alcohol is a drug. Period.
I think that the fact that people continue to ignore or deny this (However factual it is proven to be) Is the single biggest contributing factor to Alcohol abuse continuing to be such an issue in our society that continues to destroy so many lives and families.

There are no health benefits in a child - or indeed a teenager/young adult consuming ANY amount of alcohol. Obviously once they get to a certain age you don't have a say in these things but while you do...

And yes, in a lot of countries children drink wine or beer with their families at meal times and yes, in a lot of those countries binge drinking etc is not such a big problem but surely it is obvious that this has most to do with the fact that the culture of drinking is so different in these places and perhaps not so abused by those societies and so much less to do with from what age they began drinking?

 

[elm]

Just read through the whole thread. I think there's a big difference between not making alcohol some forbidden thing and poisoning your child.

When Elliot wants to know what I'm drinking then I'll tell him as is appropriate to his age and understanding. If at the age of five he wants to try some then I don't see anything wrong with him, for example, dipping his finger in and licking it just to get the taste. I also don't see the problem with explaining to a five year old that it'll make him ill (because you're only little if you drink it you'll be poorly for example). I've always thought that diluting wine later on when children are curious and want to try things out is fine, I love Sarahkka's memories

I think it's really important not to make alcohol some big taboo that children then use to rebel with later on.

I remember my gran giving me a little taste of whiskey when I asked about it as a child, I thought it was horrible!!!

 

[Dinoslass]

I think parents should be sensible enough to not let their children drink. Tasting just helps them stay away from it longer though. I remember my DH giving my son a sip of wine and he thought it was dreadful, still doesn't like wine now at the age of 16.
My children were allowed to drink a glass of apple cider (1 % alcohol) at special occassions (birthday, christmas) when they were 14. And beer or wine when they were 16. By law it is 16 I think over here that they can drink, but I am not too sure. All three of them don't really care about alcohol so much. But it is ridiculous these days. Children of 11-12 drinking breezers and shots like there is no tomorrow, children ending up in hospital in coma by alcohol every weekend. It is just awful.

 

[HannahGraceee]

Tbh my neice is 5 and she knows the affects of smoking and what it does to you!! so surely if someone explained to her what the affect of drinking is she would understand aswell?

I can understand that they know the effects of smoking but you wouldnt give her one to try .... so she doesnt need to try a drink to understand the risks of alcohol... xx

I know im just saying you dont need to give them something to understand the risks, if i told her Alcohol can make you very poorly and silly ect.. ect.. using words she could understand and not to have alcohol till shes allowed

 

[marley2580]

I don't have a problem with people giving a taste of alcohol to their children. We used to get a taste of my dad's beer. I think that, if they ask for it, a very watered down glass of wine with a meal is not going to do them lasting harm. I think that if you delay it too long and forbid it (or say it's just for grown ups) you add to the mystique and it can encourage kids to try it in an uncontrolled environment. I think we're forgetting that children as young as 8 are being admitted to hospital with alcohol poisoning because they are out with their pals getting hammered.

 

[HannahGraceee]

I don't have a problem with people giving a taste of alcohol to their children. We used to get a taste of my dad's beer. I think that, if they ask for it, a very watered down glass of wine with a meal is not going to do them lasting harm. I think that if you delay it too long and forbid it (or say it's just for grown ups) you add to the mystique and it can encourage kids to try it in an uncontrolled environment. I think we're forgetting that children as young as 8 are being admitted to hospital with alcohol poisoning because they are out with their pals getting hammered.

I toatally agree, i wouldnt give alcholol to my childrene every day but if they asked can i try a little bit, i would say yes, "as long as its not a spirt or somthing like that" more then likely there wont like it anyway- used to have 1 part campaigne and 10 parts orange juice at christmas cos it made me feel grown up in a little campaigne glass and i loved it - and to be honest i think because of that i dont or did not, get pissed out of my face every friday saturday like my friends bcos i knew that you dont always need alcholol to have fun ect..ect..

 

[mama2b]

I remember being allowed to taste alcohol when I was very, very young and have always been allowed to drink wine at meals and stuff. I am not a big drinker at all and no-one in my family is either. if I go out then yes I get drunk but im not one of these people that have a glass of wine everyday.

Whereas my oh would probably be classed as an alcoholic as he has a few cans of stella everyday and his dad was a very big drinker.

I wonder if genetics make up a big part of it not whether you've tried it at 5, 10 or 15.

I personally wouldn't give it to a 5 year old but I would water it down when they were older on special occasion meals.

One of my clients told me that in France, Spain etc it is the norm for children to have wine at meals and that is why they don't have so much of a problem with binge drinking as there is a more relaxed attitude.

 

[lozzy21]

But remeber girls, children as young as 5 are given waterd down wine with there eveening meal in places like france and spain yet they dont have the binge drinking problem we have.

Says some thing though dosent it.

 

[sparkswillfly]

I really dont think that giving my child alcohol age 5 will have any bearing on whether she binge drinks when shes older. I think theres other factors involved. She wont even remember being 5 so whats the point. I think its much better to teach a child of 13 plus about alcohol. A 5 year old will have no concept of the term drunk.

 

[lozzy21]

But how many of us have a bottle of wine on a friday or staurday night? Thats binge drinking.

You dont have to go out and get so drunk your puking to be binge drinking.

Binge drinking is drinking more than the weekly recomeneded amount of alchol in one go.

 

[sparkswillfly]

But how many of us have a bottle of wine on a friday or staurday night? Thats binge drinking.

You dont have to go out and get so drunk your puking to be binge drinking.

Binge drinking is drinking more than the weekly recomeneded amount of alchol in one go.

I dont really drink I dont like feeling drunk at all. Hopefully Meadow will feel the same.

I just think theres other ways of teaching them about alcohol than letting them drink it so young.