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AIBU?

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Original poster

I want to stop DS drinking so much coffee

40 replies

legolicious · 05/05/2014 15:26

DH and I drink nice coffee in the morning. We grind beans and make it in a stove-top coffee maker - it's very strong. We would usually have 2 pots each in the morning (the pot is described as 3 cup) We don't like instant coffee so haven't got any. DS is 16 and has started hammering the coffee - he gets in from school and has one pot, then he has another about an hour or so later. It doesn't seem to stop him sleeping but it really doesn't seem healthy to me - I think he would have 5 pots a day if we let him. Are there any ill-effects?

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 05/05/2014 15:43

Is it true it stunts your growth? No idea. I know it can cause the malabsorption of some vitamins. Some people are more affected by caffeine in terms of sleep. I am and my DB is not for example. Not a fantastic thing that he needs to chug stimulants. Although, better than the Red Bull some of his contemporaries will be drinking.

Nancy66 · 05/05/2014 15:46

3 cup is only one mug though isn't it? I think that's ok...

HearMyRoar · 05/05/2014 15:50

Goodness, at 16 he could be doing a lot worse then knocking back a few mugs of coffee. I think you are over reacting a bit to be honest.

FatalCabbage · 05/05/2014 15:53

Given that a tin of Monster contains the same caffeine levels as four cups of real coffee, I'd say his habit was pretty healthy - at least no bloody taurine or other oddities.

Could you get some tasty decaff grounds? Adult tastes are fine but I vaguely think the caffeine isn't good for them.

FatalCabbage · 05/05/2014 15:54

Hang on, you have the equivalent of six cups each on the morning?!

FatalCabbage · 05/05/2014 15:54

*in the morning

Shock buggered spelling.

Nancy66 · 05/05/2014 15:57

the 'cup' measurement they give is for teeny espresso cups.

it's not really six cups - more like mug and a half

500internalerror · 05/05/2014 15:57

He's obviously learning from you, consciously or not! 2 pits each in the morning?!

500internalerror · 05/05/2014 15:58

X-post. So he's having 1.5 mugs a day. The same as you.

expatinscotland · 05/05/2014 15:59

I've drunk loads of coffee from 16. Still here and healthy at 43. Would have just gone and got it behind my nagging ,um's back if she got on my wick about it at that age.

quietbatperson · 05/05/2014 15:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Theodorous · 05/05/2014 16:00

It's preposterous, at his age he ought to be smoking dope.

Only joking and he will probably get bored of it but in a minute lots of people are going to:

  1. Call you a terrible parent
  2. Say coffee is a poison
  3. Suggest that you offer an alternative. Probably watered down milk or something equally vile.
  4. Judge you for drinking coffee
  5. Say that he will fail his GCSEs and never thrive.

Good luck!

expatinscotland · 05/05/2014 16:00

I smoked behind her back at that age, was having sex, drinking. Honestly, coffee isno big deal.

FatalCabbage · 05/05/2014 16:01

I suggested a decaff alternative of his own - at his age he's unlikely to have developed the sensitive tastes for fully caffeinated.

FatalCabbage · 05/05/2014 16:03

That is, I doubt he can tell the difference

expatinscotland · 05/05/2014 16:05

Bullshit! I was a full on connoisseur at that age. He'll just turn to Monster or Red Bull instead. This is small potatoes.

The chemical process to decaffeinate coffee is far worse than the real thing.

expatinscotland · 05/05/2014 16:05

I have half a pot in the morning.

expatinscotland · 05/05/2014 16:08

PMSL @ 'tasty' decaf.

FatalCabbage · 05/05/2014 16:08

Is it? Scary, but I suppose unsurprising.

PrincessBabyCat · 05/05/2014 16:12

Instant coffee is not coffee

I'm getting confused on the pot measurements. How many cups of coffee is he drinking daily?

Healthy amount is about 3 cups (300mg) because of the caffeine. Different beans have different caffeine amounts. If he was having too much coffee, he wouldn't be able to sleep (is he often tired?). The only dangers coffee poses is because of the caffeine itself. It will stain your teeth though (so will tea. pick your poison).

Anyway too much can cause irritability, anxiety, heart palpation... Here's some info on caffeine

The important question is, is he drinking it because he's tired or because he enjoys the taste? If it's just the taste, you could mix the beans with decaf so that it's half and half to reduce the caffeine intake. My mom does that and it's blasphemy because she's sensitive to caffeine. Or you could just do decaf at night if it's making him tired.

Theodorous You forgot: 6. Have a talk to pick apart his inner psyche to see what's causing this problem. :)

Theodorous · 05/05/2014 16:13

He is probably basking in the attention and grown up ness of it, he will probably forget all about it soon. Maybe not perfect but could be sooooo worse

Theodorous · 05/05/2014 16:14

Can't believe I forgot 6!

expatinscotland · 05/05/2014 16:16

Maybe he likes it! I did by that age. Still do. Even now, so enjoy sharing a couple of pots of coffee with my folks over breakfast and after dinner. Dad and I used to go out for a smoke together.

PrincessBabyCat · 05/05/2014 16:16

Oh yeah. I have a couple cousins that drank coffee from a young age and they grew up to be 6'. Purely anecdotal evidence that caffeine doesn't stunt growth.

expatinscotland · 05/05/2014 16:20

The emperor during JS Bach's time tried to convince people that too much coffee made you sterile, in order to put the kibosh on coffee houses.

So Bach, a father of 22, wrote his Ode to Coffee.

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