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Original poster

Letting kids "have a drink" at christmas

49 replies

Imsofat · 10/12/2007 14:24

What is the youngest you would allow a 'child' to have a glass of lager at christmas?

DP reckons we should let our 10 year old have a bottle of beer on christmas day.

I disagree.

OP posts:
mylittleponey · 10/12/2007 14:25

disagree as well - what about some fruit juice mixed with sparkling water

themulledsnowmanneredjanitor · 10/12/2007 14:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sensiblehead · 10/12/2007 14:27

I think that making alcohol normal is important, however I think a full bottle of beer is too much. At 10 I would say a lager shandy (ie 1 part lager 3 or 4 parts lemonade) would be enough, the same for wine etc. TBH I would actually take the approach of buying their own beer for them - it would be one of those bottles of shandy that is about 0.5%. They get to feel grown up with no chance of getting drunk (unless they manage to drink 4 or 5 litres )

YuleLoveHekateAtSolstice · 10/12/2007 14:28

I think that to occasionally have a glass of wine with a meal from early teens is fine.

I personally wouldn't want to see a child drinking a bottle of beer, tbh.

sensiblehead · 10/12/2007 14:28

hmm - I am a minority then

EmsMum · 10/12/2007 14:29

Not a bottle of beer. A small sip (which he'll probably hate anyway).

DoesntChristmasDragOn · 10/12/2007 14:29

Your DH is a loon.

dragonstitcher · 10/12/2007 14:30

As far as I know, the legal minimum age for drinking alcohol in your own home is 5yo. I would imagine a small glass of light wine or a weak shandy would be fine.

NineWurlysDancing · 10/12/2007 14:30

ds1 who is 8 doesnt have any interest in alcohol at all,

DumbledoreWithBoughsOfHolly · 10/12/2007 14:31

I actually don't see much wrong with this. I am completely teetotal and abhor the damage alcohol does to the body and society as a whole, but I do accept it is a normal part of life and think children should be allowed to drink it in moderation in order to normalise it.

I do think a bottle of beer is too much though. A half pint of shandy for a 10 year old would not bother me. My ds1 who is 11 has had the occasional sip of dh's beer but he does not like it.

EmsMum · 10/12/2007 14:31

Better shandy than beer but the problem with shandy is that it actually tastes nice and sweet - its gluggable.

HuwEdwards · 10/12/2007 14:33

Does you DS want a beer?

sensiblehead · 10/12/2007 14:33

Ahh yes, but they can glug one glass - as long as they know that is all they are getting, IMO the same as Cola - it is not good so you get one glass as a treat, glug it or save it, either way you are not getting more!

rudolphdoesntneedbratnav · 10/12/2007 14:34

We were always allowed a glass of 'wine' which was 1 part wine and 3/4 parts water for Christmas dinner, from about the age of 7/8.

I think 'normalising' alcohol is a great idea, but perhaps a whole bottle of beer is a bit much?

Hulababy · 10/12/2007 14:35

Posted on other thread.

I see nothing wrong with a mouthful, or even some made into a shandy with some lemonade. (DD is only 5 but is allowed a tiny mouthful of champagne, or a bit of wine in lots of lemonade - just enough to tint the lemonade pink)

But wouldn't give a 10yo his own bottle.

myrrhthamoo · 10/12/2007 14:35

I'm sure I posted on this thread. Am I drunk?

bossykate · 10/12/2007 14:36

i agree with you, especially as i have noted the context from your other thread.

JodieG1 · 10/12/2007 14:36

I wouldn't give mine any at all until a least later teens but like I said on the other thread, 10 years old is far too young for a whole bottle of beer.

dosydot · 10/12/2007 14:36

This is makin me remember we were always given a babycham or snowball on xmas eve at about 6pm - (im sure so we would sleep well) this happened from about age 6

I cant imagine doing this with my DC BUT if they ever ask for a try of mummys drink I wouldn't say no but I think a sip is enough.

ELR · 10/12/2007 14:36

we let dd have a bit of wine or beer watered down 1 part wine to about 10 parts water she is 5 a whole beer is way too much

allIWannaBeForChristmas · 10/12/2007 14:36

I don't actually think there's anything wrong with allowing children to taste alcohol. when we were little we were allowed bucks fiz and snowballs at christmas and family weddings. were allowed to taste drink, i.e. dad's beer for as long as I could remember and tbh thought it was vile stuff . But IMO a whole bottle is just a bit much - I would go with shandy/white wine with lemonade and make it a one shot deal iyswim.

LoveAngelGabriel · 10/12/2007 14:37

No way to a full glass of beer! A few sips out my glass maybe, but even then I'm not happy about 10 yr olds having alcohol.

ComeOVenReadyturkey · 10/12/2007 14:37

marthamoo, none of the posts on this thread and the other thread the OP started are appearing if you do a search. Searching OP name also brings out 0 posts. Yet the search facililty is working!!!!

hippipotTEDCHRISTMASTREEami · 10/12/2007 14:38

Not a whole bottle of beer, absolutely not! But half a shandy is absolutely fine imo. Both dh and I had parents who allowed us small amounts of alcohol (shandy or wine mixed with lemonade) from the age of about 10 or 11 at special occasions. As a result we both as adults hardly ever drink, and neither of us have ever binge-drunk, not even at nights out in our youth!
Even now, we (dh and I, not the dc)may share a bottle of wine on a Saturday night, but that is all. Our eldest is now 8, and has the occasional sip of wine or lager from our glass. But that is all. Will think about a very weak quarter of shandy for him next year.

allIWannaBeForChristmas · 10/12/2007 14:39

and just to add, I am predominantly teetotal now - can't stand the taste of most of it still, so having access to alcohol as a child certainly didn't turn me into an alcoholic as an adult