To think my MIL is a drama queen?

[gladstonefive]

In laws came round last night for Sunday dinner.

Made G+Ts when they got here, and DD1 (14) asked if she could have one. We said yes. Then DD2 (12) asked- me and DP looked at each other and thought about it for a moment and he agreed.

The drink we made her was literally a splash of gin in a large wine glass topped up with tonic water filled with ice and lemon. I would say it was approx 10% gin and the rest tonic water/ice/lemon. She didn’t act any differently after drinking 60-70% of it. We made the same for DD1 who has had it a few times when we have had friends over etc- id say 3/4 times in the past year or so.

MIL went on a rant about it and we ended up asking her to leave because she was turning it into a full blown argument.

AIBU?

Oliver’smummy the research was done at the university not in the town, it wasn’t anecdotal

First up, there's no way in hell I'd give my 12yr old anything stronger than a sip of my drink (and only wine/beer, not spirits).

More generally, I'm afraid I don't get this thing about "demystifying" alcohol, and "introducing it in a safe environment". It wasn't alcohol per se that I was interested in, as a teenager, it was getting drunk.
Do teenagers really sit around in the park with their mates, refusing their turn with the cider bottle because they already know what it tastes like?

I presume PPs aren't saying that they're introducing their kids to getting excessively drunk in order to put them off? Because, frankly, that's the only thing that would have been relevant to me. And actually, even being sick as a dog many many times didn't stop me either. I can't see how alcohol at home with my parents or not would have had any relevance to my decision to drink with friends.

Wait..are some people here really saying giving alcohol to 12 and 14 year olds is OK?

' Takes away the mystery of of it '...or alternatively normalises it and gives them a taste for it at an early age.

I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no need whatsoever to be giving children alcohol.

I think that is fine imo. I’d let my 13 and 14 year old have a very small weak gin. Lady Friday my 13 year old was offered a bottle of fruit cider to drink with dinner. She had a small amount, a similar amount the following night and has just asked me if she is allowed to finish the rest of the 500ml bottle. The answer is yes. I’m here, her drink is controlled and she is very sensible. Possibly because her dad is a functioning alcoholic who we no longer live with. I chose not to make alcohol the forbidden fruit

This is insane

Either the St Andrews study was done for new students before freshers week or someone has massaged the figures. Or some were telling porky pies.

Quote from someone who went there

you “leave St Andrews in one of two states: either married or an alcoholic

Oliversmummy, the research wasn’t done in St. Andrews, do you seriously not understand that if a research fellow at a university conducts research they don’t actually research in the university city news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/scottish-teenagers-drinking-less/

I was reading this survey which given the amount of people surveyed seemed to correspond more to the intake of St Andrews university itself than the wider population.
Also we would have to take into consideration that a proportion probably around 400 of the 2200 surveyed if it was based on the intake are American and wouldn't have drunk anyway. As well as other students from other tee total religions.
This would account for virtually the 20% who don't drink.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/students-drinking-university-teetotal-freshers-week-nus-alcohol-consumption-a8549381.html%3famp

A study over a number of years and a wider area of 15 year olds has shown the decrease of drinking in teens is far more substantial and has decreased to just 11% that leaves nearly 90% not drinking whereas before it was 60%