Why is it legal for children aged 5 to drink alcohol at home?

[DontMockMe]

Why is this the law? I really can't make sense of the age being so low.

I do know of someone who (shockingly) let's their 5 year old have the odd drink of beer! I wish it wasn't but this unfortunately is very much true. They are a good family who really care about their kids in all other departments, but in my opinion their thought process on doing this is massively skewed and I find it v upsetting.

I just can't believe this isn't against the law!

Because letting your 5yo have a sip of beer shouldn't be made a criminal act.

I often sipped my dad's beer from 4-5yo. It sure taught me to hate beer from a young age. Also took the mystique 'forbidden fruit' out of it. I didn't start drinking in any kind of regular way until I was 25.

I just think the law leaves it so open to be interpreted in many ways. What's to stop someone allowing a 5 year old to get drunk or consume a dangerous amount of alcohol. In the family that I'm aware of, it's not a sip and their son "loves the taste".

In Mediterranean countries they give a little wine with water for the children with meals.

It's modelling safe patterns.

It's taking the mystery out of something that would be a dangerous temptation otherwise.

It reinforces healthy behaviour in drinking only a little with food in a family environment.

To overindulge is not encouraged or modelled.

I believe countries that do this have much less alcohol abuse generally.

It's a much healthier approach to alcohol and one that I support myself.

If someone is neglectful enough to let a 5 year old get drunk then making it illegal isn’t going to stop them.

What's to stop someone allowing a 5 year old to get drunk or consume a dangerous amount of alcohol.

If you need a law to stop this, it would be the laws around child welfare.

I guess the reason you're allowed to give children alcohol in private is to do with personal/cultural parenting choices - some parents believe very strongly in demystifying alcohol from an early age to avoid teens being tempted to go crazy later.

I must admit it does seem like a strange law?

It's not one that bothers me but I'd love to know why it's legal for a 5 year old to be given booze.

Maybe it’s because of the old Gripe water recipe? Or Christmas puddings?

My dad's home made wine was served to everyone round the table on Sundays throughout my childhood. My sister and I had no qualms about asking for Shloer instead; my ever-optimistic father kept on proffering his gooseberry/blackberry/rhubarb/dandelion concoctions in the hope we'd acquire a taste for them.

I used to sit on my dad’s knee and dip my finger into the “cream” on his beer

I must admit I thought that the thinking that early introduction to drinking alcohol led to safer habits had been discredited and advice was now not to give under 18s alcohol at all?

Actually Fission I did hear it was something to do with medicine and alcohol content, but wasn't sure if it was true.

Periodic sips of alcohol as a kid to a glass with your Sunday roast as a teen has been shown to produce the best results.

Makes sense to me worra.

See I can understand it as a teen but not as a 5 year old?

So that no one can get done for letting their child have a portion of Christmas pudding or a couple of spoonfuls of sherry trifle.

What's to stop someone allowing a 5 year old to get drunk or consume a dangerous amount of alcohol

The same parental concern and the same laws about child welfare that are there to stop them from letting the child play on the motorway or walk around the town unaccompanied at midnight.

If a child consumes a dangerous amount of alcohol, the parents can be done for neglect just as they can if the child suffers any other damage to their wellbeing due to parental neglect. No problem there.

But letting a 10yo take First Communion will not result in prosecution because the quantities are not enough to cause any damage to the system.

I was given a small glass of blue nun or similar on Christmas day, when I was little. Warm. It was vile. Definitely took away the mystique.

From the age of 4-5 I used to be given a special thimble-sized glass of either sherry or dad's sloe gin, every Sunday lunch
This was normal in my parents' circle of (military) friends in 1960

As an adult, even at uni, I have always been a v light drinker, averaging just a small glass wine every couple of weeks
I have never in my life been tipsy, let alone drunk.
I have never on any occasion drunk more than 2 small glasses in a day

So for me, it was fine, but I appreciate YMMV

imo, it is role models that are important for future habits: I never saw my parents or their friends tipsy either

Certainly a taste puts the child off.
I 'allowed' my daughter to touch the 'hot' iron - it was warming up and I knew it wasn't hot enough to burn, but she'd been interested in touching it it even though I always told her 'no it's hot' and I thought one day she would touch it when it was too hot. She never asked again.
Likewise a sip of beer aged 5, and a bit of dilute wine, has put her off beer & wine for life.

Are you all sure it was having a sip that put you off, or do you think perhaps you just wouldn't like alcohol anyway?

I come from a large (not English) family where alcohol is a huge part of the culture and alcoholism is rife on both sides.

Admittedly more in the older generations, but they mostly all had sips of alcohol and even their dummies dipped in beer (from what they've told me), yet it didn't seem to put any of them off drinking as teens/adults.

Childhood exposure to alcohol hasn't put me off!

Religion? My kids sip wine at certain religious festivals.

It states children are allowed to drink alcohol in the home or other private premises.

It doesn't say they have to be your children - but yet it's illegal to purchase alcohol for under 18s

So if you invite teens to a party and knowingly buy them beer but it's drunk in the home - whichnlaw applies?

(DD at a friends gathering aged 14 - parent supplied fruit cider)

DMM/OP: the family your describing doesn't sound responsible or sensible. I am conservative in that I despair of trying to legislate against all stupidity, though.

I have plenty relatives (including a parent, siblings) who were/are alcoholics/drug addicts. Maybe I was doomed to be naturally-moderate for other reasons, but having sips of beer from young age took all the 'forbidden-fruit' out of it, so that could never be an appeal.

Although DC are allowed sips at home, they never ask.

It's said that the best way to stop kids from drugging/sex/anti-social behaviour is to give them self-esteem & aspiration to want to do better.

DC know I won't supply them with anything for a party < yr11 prom age.

I find British binge-drinking culture utterly baffling. The whole usually pent-up but huge anti-social release thing is weird.

Ariela that is my experience too. Aged 5 I really wanted one of my mum’s cigarettes. She let me puff on one and I really drew it down. I have never, ever smoked again. I was also allowed a babycham when I cam home from school at the same age, Also a little snowball or port and lemon. I hardly ever drink, if I do, I have one.

Doesn't work with heroin though, for anyone whose kids are desperate to try it

My dad is from a Mediterranean country.

Me and my brother have always been allowed wine. I'm talking a thimble full from about 3 up to half a glass in teens etc.

Neither of us went 'mental' on our 18th Birthday as drink wasn't a big thing for us.

My dad never sat in pubs knocking pints back or drank spirits but we always had wine on the table at meal times. He probably drank about 2 bottles a week.

It's up to individuals what they allow their kids to do but I'm not seeing the general model in this country to be doing a particularly spectacular job of it.