AIBU to expect parents not to drink at sports day?!?!

[KCAREYW1987]

Have just returned from a very hot primary school sports day. A group of parents decided to crack open a few cold cans of pimms at about 11am. AIBU to think that this is totally out of order at a primary school sports day? I mean I know it's not cans of super brew but still I would never dream of watching my little ones in the sack race while getting sloshed in the sun! Would love to hear other opinions on this.

Mercime

Erm, we really don't. However, it's sort of traditional that Pimms is drank during the summer on a hot day. I'm pretty sure it's one of the drinks of Wimbledon and the flower show.

I'm not push but even my mum and dad used to get it during the summer if we were having a garden party.

It's nothing to do with 'our relationship with alcohol' - it's everything to do with sitting for several hours in the blazing sun, watching kids do 'sport'. You're talking like parents are shooting up in the car park!

I have spent many hours watching kids do sport and have never once wanted a drink. I think it's banned at our primary anyway. If you want my honest opinion I think it's a crappy example to set for kids. Having friends round for a bbq in the garden, fine.

I'm not sure I'd be bothered if I saw it but not something I would do. I kind of think that I'd only drink alcohol at school if I'd bought it on site.

Actually since ours was at 9.30, I would have noticed!

I wish my school had a pimm's tent.. We are more of a super brew area here.

Yes ours starts at 9!! We live rurally so everyone has to drive anyway. All these Pimms drinkers must walk to school I guess.

Yes ours starts at 9!! We live rurally so everyone has to drive anyway. All these Pimms drinkers must walk to school I guess

We're semi rural. We drive to school, as does virtually every parent. They're also capable of arranging car shares/stopping after one small drink etc.

There's some very black and white responses on this thread extrapolating a pleasant summer experience into rampant alcoholism. Very odd.

No. Not rampant alcoholism. But quite a dependent attitude if you think it's totally normal to drink alcohol at a primary school event.

Not really - it's not like you're forced to partake - as I said earlier the Pimms tent also does strawberries and cream and free soft drinks.

Wow, anyone who cracks open a cold one at that time of the morning is rough as f

My daughter's previous primary and her current one both had licensed PTA volunteers to run the bar at school events. Never saw anyone drunk, although I got a bit tiddly after a Pimms or 2 at the summer fair on an empty stomach.

Mercime

Yes, it's fine actually. Probably better than treating alcohol like it's the devil's brew. In my experience, kids that are brought up not knowing that a bit of alcohol in moderation is perfectly OK are usually a complete mess for a few years when they discover it in their teens.

It's not like they're cracking open the Vodka, is it? One glass of Pimms isn't going to do any harm.

It's all this minimising...

"I had a lager at 4.00 yesterday...does that mean I've got a drinking problem?"

Is just not the point.

The point is that alcohol invades SO much of our lives...it's everywhere!

There's really no need and considering the following statistics, it really needs looking at

In 2014/15 there were 1.1 million estimated admissions where an alcohol-related disease, injury or condition was the primary reason for admission or a secondary diagnosis. This is 3% more than 2013/14.

There were 333 thousand estimated admissions where an alcohol-related disease, injury or condition was the primary diagnosis or there was an alcohol-related external cause. This is similar to 2013/14 and 32% higher than 2004/05

In 2014, there were 6,831 deaths which were related to the consumption of alcohol. This is an increase of 4% on 2013 and an increase of 13% on 2004.

The total Net Ingredient Cost (NIC) for items prescribed for alcohol dependence in 2015 was £3.93 million which is 15% higher than in 2014.

We had pimms and chanpagne tent at my school sports days.

It was always a compitition between the parents who could pack the best picnic.

We even had faux pimms for the kids. The lemonade all the fruit with a dash of balsamic in.

Wow how the other half live eh. I live in a rough town and drinking at school sports day would probably have you on the school safeguarding list!

First page response summed it up for me!

In my experience, kids that are brought up not knowing that a bit of alcohol in moderation is perfectly OK are usually a complete mess for a few years when they discover it in their teens.

This is the received mumsnet wisdom yes. I don't happen to believe it in the slightest.

At the private schools my dc attend we usually get served alcoholic cocktails at the start of the day, then can buy wine/spirits/beer by the bottle or the glass. Some events even have a full bar service.

Nobody gets drunk.

Mercime me either. My friend's family always had a glass of wine with dinner...she was allowed one with water from about 12...then by 15 she could have a glass with no water.

She's a functioning alcoholic.

I'm NOT saying it's because she had wine as a child but the idea that this will "Stave off" alcoholim is bull.

I think the uk has a strange relationship with alcohol and many people see it as a way to get pissed as opposed to a drink to enjoy. The idea of an open bar e.g. at a wedding is usually met with cries of horror because it's expected that people will overdo it and it would cost too much. In other countries, where a certain amount of alcohol is seen as completely normal, there is no such thing as a pay bar, it would be considered rude.
It's a bit like the naughty but nice attitude towards cakes and biscuits, something you shouldn't really have so when you do, go for it.

Our school had recently merged the sports day with the summer fair and as such, has a Pimms stall. Is very civilised and nobody drinks too much. Parents cracking open their own booze and getting drunk would be very different and not at all appropriate. I suppose there's a fuzzy middle ground but thankfully we haven't entered into that - through luck more than anything else, I suspect.

"a pleasant summer experience into rampant alcoholism. Very odd."

It isn't odd to suggest that once you've got to the stage of hiding alcohol in your handbag so you can drink it on the QT at places where you know it won't available or acceptable, then you've got a bit of a problem with knowing where to draw the line.

There've been a lot of jokes on this thread about hiding vodka in travel mugs, and it's all very funny and ha ha when you're posting on an internet site- but actually the reality of a person who's reached that stage with their drinking is bit of a sad mess TBH.

The fact that some school fundraisers have licensed beer tents for weekend/afternoon events doesn't bear any relation to the situation described in the OP.

No problem with a beer tent. I love a beer tent just as much as anyone else.

Mince pies at a carol service? Can people not go 2 hours without having a snack FFS? And don't you know mince pies are bad for you and sugar is a drug?

I think Pimms tent at sports day is an awesome idea.

I can't work out how to do links but this is an interesting blog post bearing in mind the Fun Pimms drinkers (rampant alcoholics) V responcable adults (total squares) argument this thread has thrown up.

coaisathing.com/2017/06/19/wackaging-wine-and-the-codification-of-alcohol-advertising-%EF%BB%BF/

Hold tight everyone, the fun police are here.

Has nobody felt a bit shocked at the figures I posted?

Alcohol related diseases on the rise?