I can’t have alcohol because it’s for grownups – JD, 4
See the lovely glass of wine in this pic? It’s blackcurrant cordial! Why? Well Mark and I don’t drink. That’s to say, Mark never drinks and hates the taste, and I very occasionally have a glass with a very special dinner or on a special occasion, but that’s it. Maybe one or two units a month, if that. Boring? Maybe.
JD knows vaguely what alcohol is insofar as he knows that it’s something that isn’t suitable for children, but he’s got it mixed up with ideas of fizzy drinks and caffeine, which he’s not allowed either. I haven’t had to tell him it can feel good, or alter your mood, or make you very ill yet – I don’t relish having to. And the thought of Miss J rolling in tipsy from a teenage night out – EEEK!
Of course, there will come a day when they start asking more questions about it, and I want to be prepared. I want to have good, sensible answers that equip them to make their own sensible decisions when I can no longer have eyes on them 24 hours a day.
That’s why I’m happy to introduce this video to you from Drink Aware. It gives you a bit of a ‘practice run’ into talking with your child about drinking, shows how awkward it is, and raises some interesting questions.
According to Drink Aware’s “children and alcohol” microsite, the majority of children aged 9-17 would turn to their parents first for information and advice on drinking alcohol.
How did you deal with it when your child first showed an interest in drinking? And how old were they when you let them have their first sip?
Disclosure: this post has been sponsored by Drink Aware, but all thoughts and words are my own.
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My boys are grown up now, but I don’t remember any problem discussing alcohol with them. The eldest was just too interested and wanted a taste of whisky on a distillery tour when he was about 10! He didn’t get one. They would be about 13 or 14 before they started to have a some beer and then would have some wine with a meal in their later teens. That was the drinking that we could supervise. The difficulty is when they are drinking with their friends which it much more difficult to manage and there is a lot of peer pressure.
I’m really glad you posted this, and I think it is brilliant to be armed in advance of the questions. We always have a glass of wine with a family meal, so it is probably regarded as the norm for adults in our house. However we don’t overdo it, and the one or 2 occasions where I’ve had too much to drink in front of the kids have mortified me so I wouldn’t do it again.
My 8 year old daughter has already sipped wine, because she was curious, and didn’t like it. I have also allowed her to taste champagne, which she liked for the bubbles only. Now if we are drinking at a celebration I will give the children Bottle Green sparkling elderflower and they pretend. I don’t even know if that is bad.
It certainly isn’t as bad as my parents giving me wine with lemonade, which I remember happening from a very young age!
Me and my partner don’t drink either, we did used to, a lot but haven’t done for the last six years. We were discussing it the other day and weren’t sure whether not doing it at all would make Iyla more likely to rebel as if we make out like it’s bad then it might make it more desirable. I think I will probably have the occasional drink when she is older, just so she learns that it is possible to have a healthy relationship with alcohol. I never want her to see me drunk though, both my parents used to drink heavily and I used to hate it when I was little, in fact I still hate seeing my Dad really drunk now. I am just going to be really honest with her I think and tell her about the dangers, then just hope she is sensible enough to make the right decision. Kind of dreading it though! x