To judge mum who smells of alcohol at 10am

[Aliceisagooddog]

Is this a safeguarding concern? I get bad vibes from this woman anyway, but to reek of alcohol in the morning, surely its awful for a child?

The boiled sweet prize for lack of reading comprehension goes to...

I think you're the one clutching at straws here, tbh.

How so?

I second your astonishment at this thread.

WTF?

The only explanation for the many, many suggestions of wildly implausible reasons for this woman to smell of alcohol in the morning is that many here have somehow accepted that heavy drinking is a normal part of life.

Pretty much all your posts, including the one I quoted - "a lot of people have bloated faces...".

Seriously?

It’s the Christmas season. People have nights out. That is normal, and nothing to worry about. There’s NO indication that this woman is a regular heavy drinker. It’s a massive MN/style over reaction. IRL no one in their right mind would report this to a headteacher, they’d just think “Someone had a heavy night last night”

@Rosscameasdoody not the person you asked, but Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille smells exactly like boozy Christmas cake imo

Will have a look/smell !! Thank you.

Nope. Some of us have posted perfectly sensible alternatives, any one of which could be the reason, given that OP knows next to nothing about this woman and is making assumptions. OP didn’t post in support, she posted in judgment. As did you.

Yep, the weight off OP’s shoulders and straight onto that of a mum who may have done nothing more than drop her child off at school after having had a few drinks the night before - possibly a works Christmas night out or similar. OP has only observed it once, and it’s ridiculous to report on that basis. I wouldn’t be able to tell what’s stale alcohol and what’s ‘fresh’ and I suspect neither would the OP if she was pressed.

It's definitely concerning to smell alcohol on someone early in the morning, especially if they’re responsible for a child. That said, it’s hard to know the full story. There could be a reasonable explanation, but if you're getting consistently bad vibes or think the child might be at risk, it could be worth discreetly keeping an eye on the situation. If it feels serious, reaching out to a safeguarding professional for advice might be a good step.

Thank you. Sounds fab.

Always better to be on the side of safeguarding a child than to worry about a mum being offended by school contact.

Not on one instance.

In that case the OP would be even more unreasonable if the woman just had a general waft of alcohol, and it wasn't coming from her breath. There could, as others have suggested, be another source for the smell.

But realistically, OP didn't need to specify breath because where does the smell of alcohol on a person come from? Their breath. I don't know anyone who chucks it round themselves.
I worked for a long time in bars and never smelled of alcohol unless I was drinking it.

Drinkers’ bloat is on the face.

Working ina pub doesn't make you smell of alcohol.

https://www.baritzlaw.com/blog/2021/10/yes-diabetes-does-mimic-intoxication/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20conditions%20that,of%20sugar%20in%20your%20blood.

Maybe she works nights and has a drink when she comes home from work to unwind before going to bed like a lot of people who works days do. My friends dad did permanent nights and had his Sunday dinner Monday morning with a few cans of beer with it when he finished work before going to bed

Could she be diabetic? This might be why you think you can smell alcohol, I think it's to do with high blood sugars levels.

The school wouldn’t contact her. They would record it. It may be an ongoing concern or it may just be one of the suggestions made. I’d report a parent who smelt of alcohol. No guilt.

Some mouthwashes have an alcoholic smell. She could simply be practising good oral hygiene and be oblivious to the effect. Or she could be Atkinsing to rid herself of the fat you have judged her for and be ketone-heavy. Or she may have ABS and her body is producing alcohol. Or her perfume has a gin note in it. Or she had a night out (oh the shame of it!) and may be suffering the after-effects. Or ... or ... or.

Good God.

I work nights, my 10pm is your 10am. Sometimes I have a drink after work before I go to bed. We don't all live the same life.

I have done the same when I worked nights but i went straight to bed after having a drink I didn't go out with my kids did you?

Ok. That wasn't the point I was trying to make.