to refuse to serve coffee to a 10 year old?

[ScarlettDarling]

Ds just been to an outdoor sledging place for his birthday party. Three of his best friends have come back here and as they're all freezing I offered them hot chocolate. One said he didn't like it and asked could he have coffee instead.I was a bit taken aback and made a joke about how coffee wasn't a children's drink, but he looked a bit miffed and said he had it all the time at home. I ended up giving him hot apple stuff instead but now Im wondering if I was being unreasonable...I don't think coffee is an appropriate drink for children, but I happily served hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows to the others which, let's face it, isn't exactly healthy!!

[minifingers]

YABU!

My 9 and 11 year old love a latte.

They'll only drink real coffee though. ;-) They'd be appalled and offended by your refusal.

[SoupDragon]

So, the others got a treat of hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and he got apple instead because he likes coffee?

[PunkrockerGirl]

Yabu. I always hated hot chocolate (still do) - sweet and sickly, just revolting. I was always allowed coffee, never went hyper on the caffeine. If he'd asked for Red Bull, you may have had a point.

[Marcelinewhyareyousomean]

I think it's fine to drink the occasional coffee at 10.

[squoosh]

Let's pray that the child copes with having being denied his coffee.

[jumbo79]

YABU

Would you police other stuff like Coke, or tea?

I'd assume he'd meant decaff if I were you though (and served that), admittedly.

[Nolim]

Yabu. Its coffee not beer.

[Pooka]

YABU!

I drank coffee/tea when I was that age.

Dd is 11 and partial to a cup of tea.

[christmaspies]

I drank tea from an early and would have been allowed coffee as well but didn't like it. Its not illegal for children to be given tea or coffee Now if he'd asked for a pint of beer I might have raised my eyebrows

[tobysmum77]

yabu chocolate has caffeine in it. I really dont understand this 'adult drink' stuff, well unless he'd requested a g&t

[Fullpleatherjacket]

YABU.

It's an acquired taste and he's obviously acquired it. It wouldn't have occurred to me not to TBH.

[Britbird]

I always though hot chocolate has quite a bit of caffeine in it so YABU.

[iklboo]

To chickens get their coffee from Starbeaks?

[ScarlettDarling]

Guess I am being unreasonable then. Honestly don't know what my reasons were for saying no, it came out before I really thought about it. Just struck me as not being a children's drink! It was only afterwards as I saw the others guzzling hot chocolate that I second guessed myself and wondered if I was being silly! Guess I was!

[Aeroflotgirl]

YABvvvu, at senior school (boarding school) we used to be served coffee, its not alcohol.

[o0]

Iklboo

[53Dragon]

I suppose the obvious answer would be to get your phone out and say 'I'd better just check with your mum'.

[TheReluctantCountess]

Op, I'm with you on this one. I fully get what people are saying about sugar, and about Cola having caffeine in too, but coffee just seems wrong.

[Dumbledoresgirl]

My eldest fell in love with cappacinos while on school camp in Yr 6. When he came home and raved on about them, I bought some of powder and he got the next youngest loving it too. Neither of them drink it now ( in their late teens). I don't think it would have harmed the boy, whether he had it at home or not. Aren't experiences outside the home supposed to give you new experiences?

[Dumbledoresgirl]

Aargh! Stupid last sentence in my last post, but you know what I mean.

[springalong]

Wow, I would have said no as well. Tea OK-ish, but not coffee.

But then I don't offer sweet sickly fizzy drinks either.

DS age 9 here keeps trying for coffee.

[ginmakesitallok]

Check with his mum? Why? What harm was a coffee going to do to a 10 year old? My 5 year old loves a cup of tea/coffee.

[jumbo79]

coffee just seems wrong.

But it's not up to you what other people should or should not, or can and cannot, drink.

I find fruit teas revolting, and yet many people enjoy them perfectly well.

Who am I to say any different? Or you?

In fact, maybe there's a lesson about succumbing to advertising/etc here - coffee is usually marketed as an adult drink. And another example G&Ts are typically "feminine", so are alco-pops.

Maybe this is a good point to be more observant about our own silly innner biases, note them, and ignore them

[emotionsecho]

What an odd reaction on your part, OP, perhaps you ought to educate the mass of parents on the Continent who allow their children to imbibe what you call an 'adult' drink.

When was young almost all the children I knew regularly drank proper cups of tea before the age of 10.

Hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows is far worse than a cup of coffee imo.