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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Giving a two year old beer... <Mortified Face>

101 replies

FrothyDragon · 15/09/2012 18:00

My judgey pants are hoiked up so far, they've covered my head, here...

Anyway, on a few occasions I've caught DB allowing DNephew, who's just turned 2, a few sips of beer. It seems, where friends are concerned, it's "Oh so funny", but it's seriously making me wince even thinking about it.

Both DB and DSil are very liberal when it comes to alcohol. DNiece, aged 7, has been allowed bacardi breezers on special occasions, and my concerns regarding this, and giving DNephew beer, have been shot down with claims I need to learn to "chill" a bit.

AIBU? Over-reacting? Or have I missed a way to broach the issue with them?

OP posts:

redwhiteandblueeyedsusan · 15/09/2012 18:03

i thought that children had to be 5 before they were allowed alcohol in their own homes... (willing to be corrected)

can't imagine it is goood for their immature livers...

TubbyDuffs · 15/09/2012 18:04

I too would be concerned. Bacardi breezers at 7!!! I would google some websites re effects of alcohol on children and print some stuff out for them.

Being liberal is one thing, being downright negligent is another.

MrsRajeshKoothrappali · 15/09/2012 18:05

I consider myself liberal with alcohol and I would NEVER give a 7 year old a bicardi breezer!!

OMFG!!

A few sips here and there is fine, but that is seriously bad parenting!

Sexolette · 15/09/2012 18:05

Speechless!!

YANBU!!!

IawnCont · 15/09/2012 18:05

I think it's okay to give them sips of beer or wine, because it's flavour is too full-on and it puts them off thinking there's anything cool about it. The bacardi breezer for a 7-yr-old- That is silly. Bacardi Breezers are just like pop, and she will think they're cool.

ChestyNut · 15/09/2012 18:06

YANBU.

Totally ridiculous

Hate to think what alcohol does to their immature organs.

Socknickingpixie · 15/09/2012 18:07

if they are in the uk they are commiting a crime as its against the law to give a under 5 alcohol of any description unless its on the advice of a dr/medical emergency (i could have made up the dr bit and i cant for the life of me think what medical emergency would be fixed by beer)

Original poster

FrothyDragon · 15/09/2012 18:07

That's the rules. My brother fights it off with "Our house, our rules". I've said DS would have to be 14 before I'd even consider it.

OP posts:

MrDobalina · 15/09/2012 18:07

sips of beer for 22 year old= fine IMO

a whole bacardi breezer at 7 year old??? i would have thought that not ok

squeakytoy · 15/09/2012 18:08

A few sips is not going to do them any harm.. a whole can would be a different ball game.

ProudNeathGirl · 15/09/2012 18:08

Children's livers can't cope with alcohol. They will end up with health issues if they drink too much too young.

MrDobalina · 15/09/2012 18:08

2 year old!

SilveryMoon · 15/09/2012 18:08

I think YABU.
firstly, it's not your child, therefore non of your business, secondly, a sip or 2 isn't going to hurt him, it won't turn him into a 3 year old alcoholic and third, bacardi breezers aren't very strong and I don't see the problem with letting a child have a small drink on a special occasion as long as it's not too often.
A bit of freedom can often go a way to limit the need for huge rebellion during teens.
I think the place to learn about alcohol, it's effects and it's purpose (sensible use) is at home.
I was allowed to have the odd martini and lemonade or a lager shady when I was a child. I will probably allow mine to when they are a bit older.
Both mine (now 5 and 3) have both tasted wine, and lager, they don't like it, now if i say "do you want to try mummy's drink?" they say no I don't like it.

RedBlanket · 15/09/2012 18:09

Well I was going to say 'stop being so hysterical, couple of sips won't kill anyone' but ffs a Bacardi breezer for a 7 year old. Ffs what wrong with people.

RubyFakeNails · 15/09/2012 18:10

Bacardi breezers at that age is not ok but the sips of beer thing wouldn't bother me.

My dc have had sips of everything from as soon as they could walk. Probably even younger. Be it red bull, beer, wine whatever I really couldn't get worked up about it but I certainly at 7 wouldn't provide them with an entire drink.

Maybe about 9 my dcs started having little mimosa/bucks fizz type things when we celebrated but 7 and the described situation seems quite irresponsible.

Plus I wouldn't give breezers to the sink let alone a child. They're foul.

Original poster

FrothyDragon · 15/09/2012 18:11

Socknicking, I thought that'd be the case.

Sigh, I'm the "hysterical" one in the family, that everyone thinks is getting wound up over nothing. This harks back to the day DB was babysitting DS ( under 2 at the time) I've turned up to collect him, and DS came toddling through with DB's beer, which he'd taken off the table whilst DB answered the door. Angry didn't cover it then, and even where it was my own child, I was "over-reacting".

OP posts:

PomBearWithAnOFRS · 15/09/2012 18:11

Methanol poisoning is fixed by giving copious amounts of ethanol, so say if a child drank lots of meths by accident, but it's strictly controlled as the ethanol is poisonous too - I think the idea is that they can deal with ethanol poisoning more easily. (Nothing to do with thread, but pixie did ask and my inner nerd unleashed )

MNhoneydragonHQ · 15/09/2012 18:16

UABU

When they are 11 they could perhaps try a little bit of sex too? And try a little bit of pregnancy.

At 7 why not have a joint instead of a Bacardi Breezer.

Ffs if a child wants fizzy pop as a treat give them fizzy pop with a load of chemical stimulants in it that will turn their brain to mush.

Startailoforangeandgold · 15/09/2012 18:17

DD1 got given the odd sip of wine by the youngsters from DHs work at that age, which I didn't know about until afterwards.

I was just enjoying the novelty of adult conversation while other people played with her. DD1 was an exhausting child always vanishing and messing with or climbing things she shouldn't.

Non of them had DCs and they were amused she liked it. I wasn't going to be cross I'd had far to nice a day.

Alchopops and fruit cider are quite another matter, far too younger children will drink far to much of them.

Socknickingpixie · 15/09/2012 18:17

gutted the 22 was a typo because that made me giggle.

ive never had any issues with my over 5yo kids having small drinks at certain times and none of my older kids are fussed at all about wanting to get drunk with mates they just arnt intrested,but never in a million years would i let anybody give any of my under 5's even a sip. for some reason several people seam to think its ok and have offered the tinys a sip or dunked a finger but it drives me mad.if they do it they dont get to socialise with my kids again.

a few family members have tried to guilt me over not letting them but afaic its against the law so is not happening

NopofacehaveI · 15/09/2012 18:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hattymattie · 15/09/2012 18:22

No no no! Their livers are not developed and they are cultivating a taste for alcohol. I have never let my children have alcohol and are 16 and 14 now and find the taste disgusting. They also tell DH and me that we drink far too much

MyLastDuchess · 15/09/2012 18:23

My OH asked a few weeks back if DS (2) could try his beer. I went OFF at him. I am not really against kids having a tiny sip here and there, but given the fact that I only stopped breastfeeding 6 months ago and until then I was meant to be soooooooo careful to avoid giving DS any alcohol through my milk, I just saw red.

Socknickingpixie · 15/09/2012 18:26

pom indeed i did ask thank you kindly for that as my brain has been wondering about that for ages.

when i was 10 i lept over some bushes to show off about how high i could jump promptly fell got thorns all over me my mum gave me a bit of wiskey so she could get the thorns out without me punching her. in those days i thought you had to be a actual grown up and was never sure if that qualified as a medical emergency. funnyly enough every time i smell wiskey it makes me shudder

balia · 15/09/2012 18:27

It is perfectly normal in my family's culture to have water and wine on the dinner table and let children have watered wine (very diluted for younger ones); as someone else has said, I think it creates a much healthier attitude to alcohol and makes them less inclined to go mad when they are older and allowed to. So I have a much more relaxed attitude than many of my (english) friends to alcohol for children. But even I would be unhappy with Bacardi Breezers simply because they are so sweet and like pop and deliberately designed to appeal to underage drinkers

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