Can't believe what I am reading...

[SmileItsANewYear]

Some people think that it's ok to give a child alcohol (as long as over the age of 5)

What the actual fuck?

Joules funnily enough, I'm not in the UK myself.

Still find it funny to think if the french do it, it must be ok!

The legal age is 5 for religious reasons, Jewish and catholic, I think.
Alcohol in our day was heavily moderated, pubs and clubs closed early, you could only buy alcohol at off licences now you can get it everywhere at any time.
Alcoholism with multiply in years to come if they don't change the rules back.

From about age 11 I was allowed a can of cider (classy) with Sunday lunch. We then moved to France and it changed to wine and this was not unsual over there). In fact, at a street party in my village all the children were offered eau de vie (paint stripper) When I went off to uni (back in UK) age 18 at the same time as a neighbours's daughter I always remember my mum telling me on the phone that the neighbour's daughter had to have her stomach pumped in the first week. The neighbour couldn't believe it because her daughter didn't drink. 'Exactly' my mum said. Didn't go down well. I think she was right though, there was no mystery there for me. I pushed boundaries of course but never to the extent others did.

My seven year old loves his 'poke of wine'; he dips his finger in and licks it. C'est ça, ça suffit

As a child we always had white wine watered down with lemonade at special occasions/family gatherings. I think I discovered port and lemonade at Christmas in my early teens. Neve did me any harm and I rarely drink now. Dh bought me eight little bottles of babycham at Christmas and six are still nestled in the fridge! They will last me until at least Easter!

In comparison, my stepfathers niece was never allowed alcohol. Her mother never had alcohol in the house and was very anal about it. She is now an alcoholic, with a damaged liver at the ripe old age of 30. She went crazy on alcohol as soon as she could.

YABU!

What do you think will actually happen op?

What does the thread about the four year old in m and s have to do with alchol?

It's a thread about a thread.

I am the poster that let my 8 year old DD have a small measure of Baileys with ice on Christmas Day.

OP of this thread didn't get the reaction she wanted on the othe thread, so has started her own.

Go for it, I don't care. My child, my home (well MILs home to be exact) and my rules (well, the rules of the UK to be exact).

I had the odd glass of wine as a child. It wasn't every night or anything, but it happened and I have lived to tell the tale. My youngest daughter (11 now) was allowed a bucks fizz at breakfast time on Christmas Day this year. Oh dear, I must be such a negligent mum!!

For years whilst I was growing up my parents even brewed their own wine in large demijohn containers which made many bottles each. We were used to having it around us and having a glass each with our Sunday dinners and neither my sister nor I have turned into alcoholic adults.

I was another one who was occasionally given dilute brandy in my bottle as a baby. A number of health visitors even advised it in those dim and distant days apparently - a teaspoonful of brandy, a teaspoonful of sugar and the rest of the bottle topped up with boiled water. You'd be labelled an abusive parent for doing that now, and possibly reported to social services, I don't doubt. I can safely say though, that I am unharmed, living and breathing.

I think YaNBU.

Why do 5 and 6 year olds need to have a wine spritzer or a shandy. Its ridiculous, sorry.

If you want to introduce alcohol and make it normal then why not start at say 12.

Op? Where are you?

LtEve don't think op is getting the reaction on this thread she wanted either

I do think starting a thread to comment on someones post is low though.

Why not just start a general discussion.

Well nobody actually needs alcohol really, do they?

It's not illegal so it's down to personal choice as a parent.

I also think a wee taste of baileys at 8 as a one off treat isnt so bad

Its the idea that the adults are having wine therefore the 5 year old must also that I think is daft.

I guess I first tasted alcohol about 8. The odd sip of wine, Bailey's or Advocaat

My Great Aunt once ran out of Ribbena, her treat for GN being Ribenna and lemonade, so cave me and my cousins port instead.

I guess my DDs have had the odd sip, half one of my little liqueur glasses from 8/9. DD2(12) doesn't much like most things DD1(15) often does. (Same as food, DD2 is very fussy, DD1 much more adventurous.)

I see absolutely nothing wrong with DCs trying alcohol, having the odd drink when older with family if they understand the difference between drinking something because it goes with a meal and/or it tastes nice and is a treat in moderation.

And drinking as a social activity and deliberately or accidentally getting drunk.

A glass of wine with dinner, or in my case an 'after dinner drink' on one day of the year is NOT going to harm a child. There were 16 of us at the dinner table. 15 adults and DD. All the women (and one of the men) had a Baileys with their desert (the men decided on port). DD asked if she could have one. I poured her a small measure, added ice, and she drank it over the next hour or so as we were nattering.

So shoot me. Or PM me and I'll give you my full name and address and you can report me to Social Services. Go for it.

Anyway have said my piece. Am not getting into a bunfight on behalf of an OP who has buggered off.

I live in a country where like France it is normal to have beer and wine at the dinner table. It is normal for children to have the odd sip of wine etc.

I also live in a student town where students get drunk, lose consciousness, get picked up by police, end having their stomach pumped in hosptial, just like students all over the world.

I have also worked in hospitals here and have seen many people sick with the effects of long term alcohol abuse.

Just because there may not be any mystery surrounding alcohol, does not automatically prevent alcohol related problems in society.

I said I didnt think the baileys was that bad LtEve.

Baileys is far too nice to give to children!

As for watered down beer/ wine - I struggle to get too worked up about it tbh.

Am off to have some in fact

I'll oblige. I think giving an 8 year old their own glass of baileys is wrong. Sorry Lt Eve. I feel bad as I usually agree with you/ am neutral about what you say.

Not aimed at you Fanjo, aimed at OP

I was always allowed little tastes of different drinks as a child, and it hasn't turned me into an alcoholic or pickled my liver. In fact I've never been properly drunk in my life, unlike most people it seems, so I can't see a problem at all really. Children follow by example and sharing a small tot of something during a family christmas is a lot different to seeing your parents roaring drunk every weekend. My parents were responsible drinkers and so am I. My children grew up in a pub (until they were 9 and 5) but have never seen either of their parents the worse for drink and have no interest in it themselves, but if they asked to try something I was drinking I'd certainly let them.

When I say 'never been properly drunk', I must admit to one time when it was a close thing. An elderly neighbour would always invite our family and some of the other neighbours for christmas drinks and a dodgy buffet 'nibbles'. One year when I was about 10 and my sister was 8 she gave us some glasses of very tasty 'lemonade' and we got a bit silly. My mum was horrified when she tasted it and realised it was half full of whisky but we'd had most of it by then .