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?

I remember my grandmother forgetting about a bottle of advocat...for 3 years...it didn't look appealing...

Hahahaha at the Johnny Cash song

At least you made his final hours as comfortable as possible Binky, that's so lovely.

I've not got Ring of fire playing in my head. Damn you all!!!!

No problem with a small amount of alcohol imo and there's some evidence that treating it as something forbidden makes it more attractive.

I was going to make the point about the French. Someone dismissed it, but the fact that a whole european country accepts it as normal is at least an indication that it's not intrinsically evil.

I hadn't thought about communion wine, but of course the church considers it fine for children to take alcohol. I think the OP is outnumbered.

I've always gave mines a small watered down glass at special occasions and now there teenagers and very street wise they have never been pissed like half there friends!!

Real Sangria in Spain as a child. It was the forerunner to alcopops and my parents, not being drinkers had no idea how lethal it was - all that fruit etc.

Absolutely hammered aged ten.

Communion wine was vile. I used to spit it back in

do we really care that much about what they do in France?

Well I certainly do, I live here.

Not sure we're looking to emulate their phenomenal rates of liver disease.
What, lower than the UK?
Or if you're looking solely at alcohol-related liver disease, about the same.

I got tipsy at a Greek wedding in Cyprus aged 18 months. No one gave me the booze though. I was just going around the tables, nicking the champagne.

Apparently I slept well all afternoon.

madasfish I knew we had some French MNers, glad you could clarify.

Cheers Fenton. A family member was 'playing up' and another was quite ill, so it just didn't seem right to have an evening of vodka games going on at the same time. Me and the SILs were quite disappointed, but it was still great to be there.

Did the op flounce?
I am very depressed, am poorly and alcohol free and this thread means I need a baileys and cant :(

It's taken me AGES to read primas thread and now I'm not sure it was worth it!

I am actually trying to remember if my DC were as old as 8 when we let them have alcohol at Christmas.

We let them have small glasses of wine, shandies, spritzers. They didn't like snowballs , but liked a weak Martini and lemonade. Both DH and I were allowed it as children, so we passed on the tradition.

When they got to 14&15 if they went to parties, where they were supervised, we allowed them to take 3 or 4 bottles of beer or lager.

They are 19&17 now. Neither are big drinkers. They have never come home falling down, puking drunk. DS1 might have got like that in Malia, I expect he did tbh, but that was one week of his life.

The kids who go out on a weekly basis chucking alcohol down their necks until they puke, are the ones who had it hidden away, who weren't allowed it, who were made to believe it was bad.

I am happy with the decisions that DH and I made regarding our DC and alcohol.

You never see French kids on 'What Happens in Kavos'...

The op did quite a spectacular flounce now back to important things how do you make flavoured vodka in a dishwasher.

I haven't got a dishwasher.

I have been happy to let my DC have a small sip of wine.

They all hate it.

Hurhur at the Flounce, oh dearie me OP. Egg/face.

Belgian children all seem to do sport and worthy activities. You don't see them pissed in bars or hanging round bus stops.

Yep depends on child's age, how much etc. How should we (serious question) introduce them to alcoholic drinks, surely just waving them off down the pub aged 18 for their first drink is a bit, don't know, odd? Isn't it better to let them have a responsible drink at home as long as not too much?

Genuine question

Is there any evidence that being given moderate amounts of alcohol in childhood means that your children won't be necking it in a park or vice versa. Or is it just in our experiences?

I say that as someone who has let their children have a sip of alcohol, has given her nearly 15 year old snowballs this Christmas (he loves them) and was allowed babycham and snowballs at special occasions when she was in her mid teens. And did not drink in a bib way til she was well into her 30's

So no axe to bring just curious

Op is flouncing over this thread? But nobody even said DFOTAD :(

I remember my dad giving me a glass of cider (classy!) with my Sunday roast each week when I would've been under 10.

I was never one for going to "the woods" (as was the local hangout) & getting outrageously drunk. Tbh I've never really been a huge drinker & now rarely drink.

Alcohol was never "glamorous" or something "only adults" drank therefore didn't have a secretive appeal.

My DD is 2 but I'll let her try alcohol under my supervision, I want her attitude to it to be like mine and DH's (he's a "rarely" drinker too).

Jacks, all my flavoured vodkas are sweetie based. Just bash up boiled sweets (rhubarb and custard, kola cube, Werthers etc) add to a bottle 3/4 full of vodka and put in the dishwasher on the hottest wash. The sweets dissolve into the vodka and it ends up tasting fab! The more sweets you add the thicker the drink, and if you put it in the freezer afterwards it goes like a liqueur.