Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Flip

1 2

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:

myrrhthamoo · 10/12/2007 14:40

Thanks ReadyTurkeyWhatnot (is that ComeOVeneer?) - I thought I was cracking up.

MrsBadger · 10/12/2007 14:41

am all for normalising alcohol
but
I spent a previous Christmas with a brattish 8yo who'd cottoned on to the fact that alcohol was cool and grown-up and she was allowed it as a treat, like nail varnish.
She did the rounds of a large family party saying 'Mummy, can I have a teeny bit of champagne?' 'Daddy, can I have...' 'Auntie Caro...' 'Granny...'. Each one poured her a small glass without consulting the others. She ended up miserable and sick.

Alcohol isn't for kids.

BeeWiseMen · 10/12/2007 14:44

i'm also in the minority as I think in general giving a 10 year old a small bottle of beer on christmas day is ok. However, in the context of your dp's behaviour on your other thread I would put my foot down and say no. In your circumstances, giving your ds beer is part of your dp's pattern of provoking behaviour not an attempt to introduce your ds to alcohol in an intelligent manner.

dosydot, ah snowballs. my nan used to give us a snowball every boxing day from when we were about 7 or 8 I think. But then my nan is on a lifelong mission to convert the world to the joy of advocaat.

ChopsterRoastingOnAnOpenFire · 10/12/2007 14:46

I also want to know if he actually wants it.

I offered my (7.5) year old dd her first ever taste of wine the other day. She wrinkled up her nose at me and refused! As far as she is concerned wine is disgusting grown up drink.

sensiblehead · 10/12/2007 14:51

Ok, perhaps I would review if I had other information - from what has been said there are other things here.

How about, I think...(as I said before) ... provided it is done in a sensible manner with sensible advise and information as a side order...

What has DP done?

MerryAnnSinglemas · 10/12/2007 14:52

ds is ten and with his supper at weekends when we all eat together he will often have a quarter of a small glass of beer- decent stuff too -Adnams or some stout,which is full of iron - or a sip or two of wine. I was brought up this way,esp. the stout as my great aunt loved it and I'd drink hers so in the end she'd bring me my own bottle of ,Mackeson.

CharlieAndLolasMummy · 10/12/2007 14:53

No I don't think its a great idea really.

I don't think its that common for kids brought up teetotal to become alcholics or anything. I grew up in an odd family, my dad had, until recently, real problems with alcohol. My mum doesn't really drink and never has. We NEVER drank as kids, it was never offered. Alcohol was not a normal thing. Result? Me and my brother bascially don't drink-we're not teetotal, but we would neither of us ever really drink more than a glass of wine in about a month.

I think the issue here is what the OP's kid wants. Does he want to drink beer, or is his dad pushing it on him? THAT, imo, is the real issue.

FlamesparodyOfAChristmasName · 10/12/2007 14:54

I'm with sensiblehead

(Read the "they said I was OVERREACTING thread" )

Hulababy · 10/12/2007 14:55

MrsBadger - in our family it is very much the rule that no one bar me or DH is to give DD stuff like alcohol. That will be the case for a long time until she is an older teen.

MerryAnnSinglemas · 10/12/2007 14:56

Adding to my last post - it's always with food as I think that's important to show it as something that can accompany a meal, not just drinking for the sake of it.

Tanktop · 10/12/2007 15:15

On the continent it's quite the norm for kids to be allowed a wine mixed with water/fruit juice with a meal and to be honest the attitude to alcohol in coutries such as France/spain Italy is far healthier than in the uk.

TenLordsaLapin · 10/12/2007 15:19

I would not allow a child under 12 to have any alcohol, but after that, we'll do the old "wine with water" thing with meals. My parents did that with me, and when I went to uni, I had a much more normal attitude to alcohol than lots of my friends.

ABudafulSightWereHappyTonight · 10/12/2007 15:23

In answer to the question of age - prob 12/13 for a taste of wine. Nothing any younger and certainly not a bottle of beer at 10.

In fact I find the whole idea disturbing tbh.

Marina · 10/12/2007 15:27

Given the other things that your dh thinks it is reasonable to do, I would not let your little boy drink with him.
Your partner sounds a nightmare, I'm so sorry.
Our ds is nearly nine and more interested in getting his juvenile mitts on a coffee than any alcohol.

PortAndLemonaid · 10/12/2007 15:30

DS can have lager when he can buy it himself . Bitter is far preferable IMO and IDHO, and it's unusual to find anyone who likes bitter until they are well into their late teens or early twenties. I would let a 10-year-old have a sip of my beer but not have their own. I would also let a 10-year-old have one small glass of half-and-half water and wine with a meal at Christmas.

sensiblehead · 10/12/2007 15:58

I am surprised how many of you hace said no to lager/beer, but have said wine with water i fine. Wine is stronger so I would have expected that it would be less likely than beer!

PortAndLemonaid · 10/12/2007 16:09

I am surprised how many of you hace said no to lager/beer, but have said wine with water i fine. Wine is stronger so I would have expected that it would be less likely than beer!

Bottle of Beer: Beer -- say 5% (some stronger, some weaker, but the stuff we'd be likely to have around is 5%). One bottle = 330ml. So equivalent of 16.5 ml of alcohol.

Small glass of half-and-half water and wine: Wine -- say 14% (again, will vary). One small glass = 125ml. One small glass of half-and-half water and wine = 62.5ml of wine. So equivalent of 8.75 ml of alcohol.

LadyOfWassail · 10/12/2007 16:13

I'd be suprised if a 10yr old drank a whole bottle of beer, it tastes gross at that age for some reason. I was always allowed whatever drinkwise at Christmas but it was usually a tiny bit of red wine, or a few sips of beer.

sensiblehead · 10/12/2007 16:21

I was talking about them both being mixed (ie wine with water/lomoneade and beer with lemonade), as in my post earlier, this seems to be what mot people have said, I can do maths and I was not trying to be argumentative.

StarofBethleCam · 10/12/2007 16:24

No to alcohol for children.

PortAndLemonaid · 10/12/2007 16:37

I can't see anyone on this thread who has said no to lager/beer in small quantities mixed with lemonade but that wine in small quantities mixed with water/lemonade is fine, though.

Plenty of people no to a whole bottle of beer (as suggested in the OP) but that a small quantity of wine mixed with water/lemonade is fine, and plenty of people have expanded beyond the original question and said no to a whole bottle of beer but that wine with water/lemonade or a small amount of beer with lemonade are both fine.

EmilyDavidson · 10/12/2007 16:42

I would never offer alcohol to anyone under 18. However if someone under 18 actually asks for it then I judge on merit ie is it at a party ?

I would think a sip of your dads pint is ok at any age. Anymore than that and they might be sick

mumeeee · 10/12/2007 18:40

Our DDs are now 20,18 and 15. They were allowed to have a sip of wine or beer from the age of 10. But definatly would not let them have a botle of beer r a whole glass of wine at that age.
Tey were allowed a glass of wine from the age of 15 if they wanted one. But in fact niether the 15 or 18 year old likes wine.

sensiblehead · 10/12/2007 22:36

there are at least two saying no to alcohol under 18! I think that counts

Flip

1 2