Shortly before Christmas I was standing outside Prezzo's restaurant in Farnham, Surrey when I noticed a couple sitting with a young child in the window table. As I watched, the woman offered her glass of wine to the child, who cannot have been more than two. The child took a large slug and beamed broadly. Over the next few minutes, the child clamoured for more wine and the woman allowed it to have two further large slugs. The man seemed unconcerned by this, but I was horrified.
I'm all for inculcating a responsible attitude to drinking, perhaps even allowing a teenager to drink in carefully-monitored moderation, but surely booze should not be given to babies? The amount the child drank must have had an effect on such a tiny body, and it seems clear that there is a link between childhood drinking and alcoholism in later life.
Since then, I have been berating myself: I should have been brave enough to go in and say something to the child's mother. My only hope now is that she might recognise herself and question the wisdom of her actions. What do other mums think?