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?

I agree with your MIL. You need to learn to say no to your children. Gin is not for children.

I really don’t get the fuss over a spot of gin, it’s not illegal and where is the harm.

The idea that allowing kids to drink in a controlled home environment helps them to regulate their drinking once they become an adult is bollocks.

As is the 'really watered down' theory. They are enduring myths.

My alcoholic father used to let us drink in a very middle class way, tasting wine on a Sunday, a baileys at Christmas. I would say that I and my 3 siblings all have a weird relationship with alcohol. I'm tea total because I became the biggest binge drinker out between the ages of 18 and 30.

Kids don't need alcohol. It's no different to sticking a fag in their mouths.

Less and less children are growing up and drinking though, teenagers aren’t drinking anywhere near what 50 year olds did during the 1980s. So what’s going right then?

😱gin at 12 and 14!! Way too strong

Id never give a 12 year old gin.

I might have allowed a tiny sip but not given either of them a whole glass - you’re getting them used to drinking alcohol and it’s no good for anyone’s liver, never mind a young’uns! I think yabu

I wish my parents had ntrodiced me to alcohol in a safe environment.

We were necking Woodpecker on playing fields en masse aged 14 and it was shit!

It was ‘you can’t drink yet’, but of course we wanted to try it. All sorts of dangerous, pissed-up debauchery took place instead.

You are not being unreasonable.

I think had my parents introduced me to a glass when they were having one and not made it into something I explored the crap way, I wouldn’t wince at the memories!!!

introduced

Sorry but there's no way I'll be giving my children gin at age 12&14.

I don't see the issue with it personally- it was an 'occasion' and done under supervision at home. It was very dilute and with a meal.

My eleven year old will be having an alcoholic drink with her Christmas dinner next month.

Better than having kids that dabble in goodness-knows-what outside the home at this age (I clearly remember being eleven/twelve years old and it was not an innocent age!).

Why do you want to teach your child to drink alcohol and to associate it with having a good time?

I would not give a 12 or 14 year old gin. If they want to join the grown ups just a glass of tonic with ice and lemon would look just the same. There is plenty of evidence of the harm alcohol causes (apart from drunkenness) particularly for young developing bodies.

MN is a strange place sometimes.

On this thread 12 year olds are drinking gin and 11 year olds will be having alcohol at Christmas.

On other threads an 11 year old is made to eat from the kids menu, while another one needs to be supervised getting changed for swimming.

YABVU. If a 12yo pupil told me they'd been drinking gin I would report it to my HT and it would be recorded as a red flag. Children's bodies aren't designed to cope with alcohol at such a young age. There's a legal age limit for a good reason.

Leeee. How sad that is already preparing to give your 11 year old daughter an alcoholic drink with their Christmas dinner. Do you think you are a ‘cool’ parent ? You are bloody irresponsible in my book. 11 and 12 is an innocent age, people like you take away innocence by giving 11 year olds alcohol!!! What’s she going to be doing at 15? Actually - don’t answer that.

Gin and tonic for 14 & 12 year old. I don’t often side with the MIL but on this occasion I do. Giving alcohol to children is not only illegal it’s irresponsible

No way here too. No need for such young kids to have alcohol.

Yes you are being completely ridiculous

I agree with your mother in law

I was given wine as a kid, l used to pour whiskey and lemonade for my mum and gran and would have a sip. By 17 I was a raging alcoholic and took 10 years to stop.
There is no way I'll be giving my kids alcohol, even when they are 18!

Why give spirits to a child ? I'm on the side of your m I l, not good parenting or are you joking with us?

Sorry just read it is not illegal, well blow me
Still wouldn’t do it...16 with a very dilute drink to take the allure away from not being allowed to do it but I stand by what is said about 14 and 12 with gin

Peachdribble high fructose corn syrup has the same affect on the liver as alcohol, but no one is up in arms about giving children products with this substance in

Lustig is a renowned endocrinologist and you can find him on sugar the bitter truth, if you want to watch the full hour and a half talk