would you have mentioned this?

[Rightorwrongtomention]

I have name changed for this as I don't want to be outed.
If you were collecting your DCs from school and a parent right next to you in the playground smelt as if they had been drinking a lot of alcohol would you mention it to the teachers? I'm aware that there are medical conditions that can cause this.

No, not unless they appeared drunk. I work four long days. On my day off dh and I used to go for lunch and I would have a glass of wine, occasionally two. He would go back to work and I would collect ds3 from school and (obviously) walk home. This was normally my only alcohol in the week as it was the only night I didn't need to drive. I would have been furious if I found out that I had been reported to the school.

I no longer do this as ds now goes to Beavers that evening so I need to drive.

I have reported this before but only because it happened daily and i knew the woman in question had a drink problem.
On a one off no unless as said above she was driving then it is the police that need contacting. It is quite possible as a parent to have one or two drinks socially of a lunch time and be able to look after their children

Not unless they appeared drunk. Dh works in a pub so smells of alcohol a lot. Maybe this parent does too?

I was out for lunch with my eldest, I was drinking coke she had lager, only the one, unfortunately she knocked her glass over and it went on me so I smelt of lager till I could get home and change. Heaven only knows what people thought of me that day. Thing is there are a thousand and one perfectly innocent reasons why someone can smell of alcohol and the fact you only noticed the smell and not associated behaviours would suggest its not an issue but keep an eye on things to get a better picture just in case.

What are the medical conditions which cause you to smell like alcohol? I'm interested.

Mike that's rather dramatic.

Having a glass of wine with lunch does not make you a child beating and starving neglectful parent.

Thank you saucy and sockreturnetc I'm not hysterical. I'm just saying you cannot possibly have a fair picture of someone from seeing them a couple of times on the school run, and it's probably nothing. BUT it could be something, and you would never know. If you tell the school, then your one piece of info can be ignored if it's nothing, or can be pieced together with a lot of other small pieces of info from various sources, if it is something.

No, I think that's really overstepping the mark tbh. Chances are school would already be aware if alcohol was an issue.

Home off perfume does smell like alcohol! That's my excuse on a sunny Friday afternoon and I'm sticking to it.

That's utter bollocks.

Of course when children are being mistreated or parents are being neglectful or badly behaved or actually doing something wrong then yes.

But not when they are doing nothing wrong.for a few puzzle pieces to make a picture that's any use to anybody at all each bit has to be of a failing of some sort. Not perfectly acceptable normal behaviour.

Reporting something as a concern when its something like in the op( no noticed actual drunkenness or odd behaviour no child being harmed) tends to lead to actual issues being ignored.

Not unless I was sure they had been drinking and were about to drive.

Oh yes kim147 forgot about that. Thanks.