What are your views on drinking alcohol around children?

[Char1997]

What are people’s general thoughts on alcohol around children? I personally don’t consume any alcohol around my children at all as I don’t like the idea of them seeing me tipsy/drunk but I have friends who will drink heavily socially around their children and just wanted to know what people’s feelings are! Thanks!☺️

I drink around my children and think its fine. Being drunk and disorderly would not be fine, but i am of an age where being that drunk is weird. But tipsy? I don't mind but I don't do it often.

I don’t drink a lot but will have a drink when my child is around, including when I’m in sole charge of him. We don’t often drink at home but I don’t see any reason not to have a glass of wine with a meal out just because he’s there.

Wine/beer with dinner/at a bbq with friends/in a restaurant, absolutely. We frequently do. Being drunk? Never. Generally I can’t have more than two of anything these days without a monster hangover so it’s a bit of a moot point but I wouldn’t go past a couple if my child was around

I drink around my child, but I've never been drunk around her. She's seen me have a glass of wine or two. I think one christmas I got slightly tipsy, but she still couldn't tell.
I don't see an issue with drinking around children, as long you aren't drunk and can take suitable action in an emergency.

No issue with it. Like others said, I wouldn't get really drunk in front of my kids....but they'll see me have wine with my dinner when we're out for a meal or a couple of cocktails on holiday. My parents did the same and I think it gave me quite a healthy relationship with alcohol to be honest....that the odd drink is fine and can be enjoyed but not getting hammered.

Me and DH had a glass of wine with dinner with our toddler and baby. I don’t think I’ve been properly drunk since we started trying for DD1 but that’s as much not being able to cope with hangovers anymore! I do think children should have at least one functioning adult available but that doesn’t have to mean legally sober enough to drive.

Surely it’s possible to drink around your children without being tipsy or drunk? Your OP makes it sound as though it’s all or nothing.
Teaching them to drink sensibly and in moderation by having the odd drink around then is fine.

I don't personally because i have the sort of child who you need to be on full alert with all the time. I don't judge others who do though.

Given that hundreds of millions of French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek etc people consider drinking wine around their children to be a perfectly normal everyday activity, have been doing likewise for countless generations and appear to have survived the experience, I wouldn’t get stressed about it.

Cheers! 🍷

This is what I was coming to say.

Why are you implying that everyone who has a drink of alcohol is going to get tipsy or drunk ?

Yeah pretty much this!

Never tipsy or drunk - but we do drink around children. Can't see the issue.

We've always had a drink around our children, in fact when they were babies, we'd meet with friends every weekend as we couldn't go out. We'd definitely have a few (hmm) but we're always in control.

I'd like to say they've never seen us drunk... but as the kids have got older, the gatherings have got messier so it's probably a given!

However at this point, the 'babies' are now in their 20s so are more drunk than most of us!!!

I don't have an issue with responsible drinking in the company of children.

As a single parent I don’t drink when I’m on my own with her incase of an emergency and I need to drive however at family gatherings there’s always a couple designated drivers and it used to be me but folk expected it so I stopped and I’ll have 2 drinks max. Expect a couple months ago i consumed a fair few cocktail cans but wasn’t remotely drunk but I did feel it next day. My partner was staying and driving so that was the only reason why I had them xx

^ This. They need to learn that having the odd drink or two is nothing to get excited about, and is part of everyday life for grown-ups.

No, you shouldn't get pissed and incapable, of course not, but if drinking is taboo and forbidden, they will start to think it is something to get excited about and will be desperate to drink as much of the stuff as possible as soon as they can get hold of some.

Children need role models and there's no reason why they shouldn't see adults drinking sensibly and in moderation.

It's an absolute no from me.

Who does it always get quoted what the French, Spanish or Italian do when it comes to drinking threads?

Is there evidence in those counties that they have healthier attitudes towards drinking/what they do leads to less alcohol dependency?

I’m not a big drinker at all, maybe drink once a month, if that.
I wouldn’t mind my kids seeing me drink small amounts once a week or so but obviously wouldn’t want them to see me getting tipsy on a regular basis, no.

Well, I grew up with parents that ran pubs and nightclubs so alcohol/smoking was always there. Oddly enough though I'm not really a drinker and never been a smoker - I think I saw too many people who had drank to excess and thought 'this is not a good look' or equivalent! 😂

I don't have alcohol in the house. I'll have a glass of wine with a meal but that would be it.

I rarely drink alcohol: so our son has only seen me drink a glass of wine less than a handful of times.

I think as long as you are behaving reasonably and there is at least one sober adult responsible for the kids, it’s ok to have a couple of drink as

I was brought up in a home where there was never any alcohol: my parents had stopped drinking before I was born. It didn’t make alcohol a forbidden fruit I was desperate to taste. I was quite ambivalent about it and I barely drink as an adult

We always drank around our kids, but we didn’t get drunk.

DH has about one drink every 10 years and I don’t drink often. We realized that our child was beginning to think alcohol was taboo, so I try to drink around her occasionally. I never have much and I definitely don’t get drunk. I just want to model that alcohol can be consumed in moderation. I don’t want her to think it is nothing or go crazy.

Drinking alcohol is part of our culture, for better or worse.

I don't shield my daughter from it. There's a huge gap between seeing parents get a bit more giggly than usual and finding them passed out in a pool of their own vomit and if you drink in moderation I don't see any reason for your children not to see that.

Morning! The post was in no means to bash anyone or to judge anyone who does enjoy a glass or two! ☺️
Just genuinely wanted to know people’s opinions on it as everyone is different.

I think it’s difficult because it is everyone’s personal opinions and choice for how their families are structured and what sort of behaviours they will allow around their children. My children are only 6 and 2 so not old enough (I personally feel) for me to be drinking around them.

I grew up in a household where parents heavily drank so expect that is where my feelings come from (a natural protection of my children from things I went through I guess!)

Dont get me wrong as a teenager and a young adult I enjoyed going out and having a casual drink but it’s not something I enjoy anymore and would rather stay completely sober than even have a glass of wine or two.

Like I said, post was in no way to judge! Just interested ☺️