11/12 year old drinking

[McCrispy]

at a family party
allowed 2 drinks with water in between whilst adult is monitoring

yanbu - that’s not on abs will lead to alcohol issues and associated dangers

yabu - it’s legal and allows kids to learn about drinking sensibly

I don't have kids, so not sure how much my opinion counts. But this would be a no from me! I just can't see the need?

I had one Bacardi Breezer aged 11 with my Christmas meal. I was fine, and still am fine. It was fun (and didn't do anything)

Kids that young don't need alcohol

That sounds the sort of level you would use with a 14/15yo.

Big fat nope from me. I started drinking (lightly!) around 13 and decades later I haven't stopped, I wish to God I'd never started!

No way should a CHILD this age be drinking, not even a sip from someone else's glass, never mind a drink of their own.

What drinks? To me seems too young but would depend on the type of alcohol and the frequency.

Why on earth do you think a child of that age needs alcohol?!

Absolutely not - I’ve always allowed my son to try a bit of alcohol, and say in France they give them a tiny bit of wine with lots of water at the dinner table but no way a proper glass / measure of alcohol at that age.
small sips / try’s only.

Too young IMO

There's drinks and drinks...two half larger shandies or two double vodka and cokes?

11 is a bit young for my liking but at 12, Ds2 has a drink at a (very) special occasion. Ds1 who's two years older has two.

It's a no from me until mine are 18. There is just no need.

I'm not sure what the drink was but when you say two do you mean two full sized drinks of whatever it was?

Like a gun and tonic or a beer bottle or glass of wine?!

Either way 11 is far too young.

Gin*!

Definitely not!

legal drinking age is 18 for a reason, we allowed ours to have some alcohol at 16 and now that they are 19 and 21 neither drink much.

11-12 is just stupidity!

it Was about 8-9%

And if someone thinks it means the child is learning to drink sensibly then that is just fucking stupid tbh.
It won't teach them that, it'll just let them develop a taste for alcohol at a younger age.
And it's too much for their liver to deal with.

Why would you(they) even risk this?

I personally think 11/12 is too young for more than a sip. I would think it would be more appropriate for 15/16 year old.

Thank you - just checking in not going crazy!

my dc has about 3 friends where the parents allow drinking one brought them a bottle of apple sours

8-9% what the fuck?
Someone should call social services.

I think it depends. I would let my kids that age have a glass of prosecco to make a toast - it would make them feel grown up and help them to feel part of a celebration. I wouldn't let them have spirits, just drinking for the sake of it, because I think you're teaching them that they need alcohol to have fun. I wouldn't let them have 2 because that would probably make them tipsy even with water in between.

Nope from me, even though my parents did similar . Drinking is so normalised in society and thus contributes.

Everyone always cites the European way of drinking where children are introduced to a bit of wine in moderation at the table, but British drinking culture is different.

Theres a lot of toxic messaging around alcohol that children are vulnerable to picking up.

So what are you going to do about it?

Maybe watered down wine with a meal, as they do in France but nothing stronger. Madness.

waaaayyyy too young!! Maybe do this with a 13-14 year old, as you know they're going to start encountering alcohol soon anyway, but 11/12? It's a huge no from me.

Yeah I don't buy that argument either. Would people give their kids a bit of cocaine cannabis to teach them to take drugs sensibly?