AIBU to say no to drinking tea?

[SnowSurprise]

DD, 9, had a sip of my tea yesterday and said she liked it and asked to be allowed to drink some more often. I'm not sure. It was after walking back from an activity to the car, so I'm inclined to think it was a warm drink she was after rather than "tea".

I let her drink fruit "teas" which are technically infusions, but not black tea or coffee.

AIBU to think she is too young for proper tea? My main concerns are caffeine, teeth staining, iron absorption.

YABU: let the poor child drink some tea!
YANBU: She is too young, no tea for her!

Our 11 year old drinks decaff, red bush or mint tea. There are plenty of caffeine free hot drink options around.

My kids have tea if they want some. I even put sugar in it. Probably better than a hot chocolate which is the other thing they ask for on a cold day. Maybe once a month during the summer months, 2-3x a week in winter

My kids have all had the odd cup of decaf tea since they were toddlers. Their teeth and health are fine and they love dunking biscuits in it. Round where we live (north west) everyone drinks tea whatever their age!

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing it’s not incredibly precious at all to hate having the day interrupted by spending up to half an hour wandering around trying to find somewhere to sit and have a cup of tea. Just wait till you get home!

I don’t want my kids being reliant on anything. Nothing to do with personal taste, I don’t care if they eat and drink stuff I don’t like (which they do). But there’s a weird culture around hot drinks that I dislike. Especially the disbelief that you’re fine with water and then have to spend 5 minutes insisting that you really don’t want a cup of tea THANKS.

It’s so funny to me what some people get so het up about. Who cares? Honestly, your children are very likely going to grow up to have one (or more ) ‘addictions’ of this type...liking a hot drink and having that easy, accessible ritual that calms and soothes you and lets you find your inner balance really isn’t a bad thing. What a thing to be so adamant about.

My children drink tea, one brings it to school in a flask sometimes. It is decaf tea though.

Apparently I used to drink tea out a bottle when I was small.

Always had a nice warm cup of tea as a small child in the 70s. Also coffee. However coffee in the UK back then was one teaspoon of rubbish instant, not double espressos made with proper stuff.

This seems to be quite a recent thing to worry about.

It was normal, we all survived perfectly happily. I know this isn't necessarily an argument, everybody I knew at that age also survived rattling around in the back seat of a car without a seatbelt in sight.

@DigOlBick it is unbelievably precious and controlling to resent people wanting to stop for a cup of tea, or whatever else (even if parsnips) that makes the day enjoyable for them.

I really would hate a day out with someone who thought a bit flexibility ruined the day!

If you're worried about iron absorption, just don't serve tea with meals.
Though I grew up healthy in the 60s/70s when tea was of course the normal drink with 'high tea' which was the main evening meal.

Always had a nice warm cup of tea as a small child in the 70s. Also coffee. However coffee in the UK back then was one teaspoon of rubbish instant

Mellow Birds!

The occasional cup of weak tea won't be an issue but I wouldn't make it a regular thing, especially if you've got known issues with iron absorption.

For those thinking decaf is better - iron absorption issues come from the tannins in the tea, which is present in both caf and decaf.

Goodness. I have never come across anyone so morally superior about drinking hot drinks before.

For the record I don't tend to stop for a coffee while out. I wait until I get home, but I am not as mean spirited as @DigOlBick to begrudge someone wanting a hot drink

Oh, and yesterday I bought a homeless person a large hot chocolate. It was 4 degrees and he was cold. I suppose you would have just pointed him in the direction of a water fountain.

I used to have tea in my bottle when I was very small. I'm an absolute tea belly. Teeth are fine, I'm considerably taller than my expected height at age 2.5 and I am presumably benefitting from the antioxidant properties of the tea.

I was weaned on it 😍

I drink tea like people drink water. No teeth staining issues (I like it strong but milky) and no anaemia. Drank it since I was an older child

I’d let her have decaf tea - better than her asking for coke!

Back in the day children user to drink tea practically from birth ,I remember drinking tea from a very early age with six sugers🤮
I don't like tea or coffee now so my boys have never had tea but that's just because we don't have it in the house .

Tea puts the 'great' into Great Britain. Let the poor girl have a cup and make it a decent cup too. None of this milky weak shite.

Unless you're worried about her developing a caffeine habit when she's a teen, and you have no issue with having a perfectly normal tea drinking habit when she's older, I don't think it's a problem.

My 8 yo dd likes tea but the last thing she needs is caffeine so I make her redbush/rooibos tea since you can put milk in it.
It's a really good dupe for 'real' tea. She even asks for redbush tea sometimes but it hasn't become an habitual thing.

I'm pretty sure I remember having tea in a sippy cup at my DG's house when I was a wee toot

@thenightsky

Always had a nice warm cup of tea as a small child in the 70s. Also coffee. However coffee in the UK back then was one teaspoon of rubbish instant

Mellow Birds!

I had forgotten about mellow bird 😂 I wonder if they still sell it 🤔

At the age of about 10 or 11, after a very long, cold and rainy walk with my gran, she was horrified to learn I didn't drink tea yet. So she made me a milky one and I've been hooked ever since. Although not as much as I am hooked on parsnips, obviously.

Definitely agree with suggestions for decaf or rooibis!

@thenightsky

Always had a nice warm cup of tea as a small child in the 70s. Also coffee. However coffee in the UK back then was one teaspoon of rubbish instant

Mellow Birds!

Mellow Birds!!! I just came over all nostalgic when I read that and got instant smell/taste memories. These days I drink black fresh coffee but I could go for a cup of milky sweet 'rubbish instant' right now.

Caffeine is excellent 👍

We weren't allowed coffee until older but I remember tea from my earliest memories. Milky sweet tea is amazing in winter

My 2yo sometimes asks for cup of tea when he sees me having one. I mostly drink decaf at the moment as I'm pregnant, so I make him a small very milky cup.

She'll be fine. Better tea as a warm drink than coffee or hot chocolate.

Well i must be a terrible mother, my 3 year old has half a cup of milky tea every Saturday morning!,