Do your children have to ask for a drink?

[ohoneohtwo]

Just musing really. I was having a bath earlier and the neighbours were in their garden. One of the kids asked if she could have a drink. She is 11.

I always provided mine with a drink until they were able to get their own independently, I'm guessing roughly 5 yo. They don't have to ask though. It never crossed don't mind to restrict drinks.

My 14 and 12 year olds help themselves to as much water, squash and juice as they want. However, they ask if they can have a fizzy drink. I dont buy them often. Thwyvdint really have to, I think it's just habit now

Have to force mine to drink anything

No. Mine (15) regularly asks if he can have stuff and I have been telling him he doesn't have to ask for at least 10 years. I've never said no, he naturally compliant (not like me whose naturally wayward and non-conforming).

No they don't ask...they help themselves or if they do ask me, it's because they want me to fetch it for them! I sometimes offer if I think they haven't drunk enough.

Although I once caught my son pouring himself a pint glass full of orange juice...take a sip and pour the rest down the sink! We had a little chat about the cost of things!

No. But we only have water anyway.

Although 13yr old DS keeps forgetting so I am trying to be nice and refill his bottle while he's doing schoolwork.

Here we have water, various vegan milks and pure juice. Two of them will only drink water anyway.

So are you going to bring this up with them op? About restricting drinks? Just wondering why you're asking really.

Mine do, but they don’t have to. It’s habit. We don’t have an exhaustive set of ‘rules’ but they still mainly check!

I provide mine with drinks, water is aloud but if the older ones want juice they ask (3and7) because they go crazy after too many juices.

@FunTimes2020

Maybe she was asking so her servant mum could get one for her!

This is what it's like in my house !

My 4 year old gets his own drink, the 2 year old has also been taught to use the steps to reach the tap after I caught him trying to fill up his cup from the toilet bowl

No, mines nearly 4 and i always makes sure she has a bottle of water available. When she can reach the sink or hold the water jug she's free to her own

For a drink, no.

And it irritates me when they ask tbh, since they are perfectly capable of getting it themselves. We have a nice dispenser at a low level in the fridge, always filled with very cold mineral water.

But they are older kids, 14 and 10. Under 7 I always used to get it for them, because they were always cack-handed before then.

For snacks and food, they have to ask even now. Otherwise they'd eat us out of house and home in two days flat.

My son is 2.5 so I offer throughout the day? Or if he asks I will get him one. When he's older water he can get whenever.

Those of us who made effective use of lockdown now ask our kids when WE want a drink. 8 year old makes a mean cuppa tea, but doesn't drink it herself.

DD is 18 months so it's a bit irrelevant for her. By that age I can't imagine expecting her to ask unless it was for a "treat" drink. In fact I think I'd be worried if she felt the need to ask!!

Mine can (6&7) but they still ask regularly as they’d far rather their slaves did it for them.

No, but they still do. Same with the toilet, don't have to ask but always do Dc2(9) told me it's so I no where they are in the event of a fire I'd take his point if we lived in a mansion but we're very definitely not.

Mine do - 9&6. Not because there is a limit on drinks but because the 9yo uses half a bottle of squash in his drinks and both of them manage to soak the kitchen in water when getting a drink.

Ds is six and will ask for a drink if it's something like milk or fresh juice but helps himself to water or squash (unless he can't be bothered to get it himself, he is then reminded that he knows where the tap is).

He would always ask in someone else's house though (if not already offered or needing a top up) because he has reasonably good manners.

DS is also 11 and he doesn’t have to ask, but he does 🤷‍♀️. I think it’s just for something to say, not that he doesn’t have enough to say the rest of the time 😂

Mine are still too little so I have fresh water/juice in a sports bottle but sometimes they ask for "more thirsty" 😂

I used to ask my DM all the time, drove her mad, I'm not sure why I did but I went through a stage of asking to go toilet kids are weird and lazy

Fizzy and tea yes but juice /water/milk whenever they want

You can help yourself in my house. But because my daughter likes being waited on hand and foot, she’ll ask for a drink. Not because she has to ask, but because she would rather I made it her.

Mine are 11 and 13. They can get water whenever they want but ask for others as squash/ juice/ crap are all treats due to the sugar (and we don't like sugar free because of the sweeteners). They are both starting to drink tea too which, as long as they don't have sugar, they can also help themselves to. I expect they were asking for some sugary treat.