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Children and Alcohol
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,767Administrator, Moderator
    I am a cheapo, let me say that first. I recycle plastic drink bottles instead of
    spending $ on drinks.

    So I poured some sweet iced tea in a power-aid bottle and took it with me down to the pool, where my gf and I and our kids were playing. At some point,
    I'm taking a swig, and I set it down by the pool's edge and hop on in. My toddler walks up and grabs my bottle and gets him a drink.

    At which point, her DD starts screaming OMG he's drinking your drink!

    I immediately knew what she was thinking, because I KNOW her Daddy, and I said, "It's ok, it's just real tea. There's nothing else in there."

    Reflecting on that, my DD has grabbed up a non-kid-friendly drink that was left out before. Spit it out, made a face, and never touched a glass that wasn't her own again.

    My other gf however, had this thought that maybe if she let her DS taste her beer, he would see that it was nasty and stop trying to mess with it. Let's just say that didn't work out quite so well, and now they keep their beer in a fridge in the garage with a padlock.

    How do you other SM's who drink (see the distinction there?) handle it when your children may be present and/or curious ?

    community-manager


  • VegasmommyVegasmommy
    Posts: 1,748Member
    I don't usually drink when DD is around but on the occasion that I have and she asks for some, I just say "This is for mommy." and divert her attention to her own cup. It works usually and she moves on. But because she is becoming more and more curious about things and is REALLY into doing/eating/wearing the dame things I am, I've stopped having a glass of wine or whatever in her presence.
  • NikkiNikki
    Posts: 1,791Member
    I tell my son there is asparagus in beer/alcohol. That's all it took for him to not want to be within 10 feet of it. I looooove asparagus and he sees me eating it all the time so he knows I like it (thus, why I enjoy beer). A lie, yes. But when he's old enough I'll tell him the truth and have the "alochol/drugs talk" with him.
  • irishlassirishlass
    Posts: 6,726Member
    So far its been fine to tell DS that its really really yucky juice and he wouldnt like it. But so far in DS life, alcohol has been a presence with his dad being an alcoholic, but he has been able to differentiate, and calls it 'daddys juice' but when he sees bilboards out he will get all excited and shout 'daddys juice!' i think hes got an unhealthy attitude to alcohol so far, hes exposed to it too much.
    "Be who you are and say what you feel. Because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter." - Dr. Seuss
  • AnonUser24
    Posts: 2,607Guest
    My daughter still drinks from a sippy cup (she's two) so there is a distinction between her drinks and mommy's or daddy's. Although it is rare that she is awake if we are having a drink anyways, usually I will only have one when I can actually sit down and relax and enjoy it.
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    I don't drink enough to even qualify for this discussion but....I love strawberry daquaris! (no, not a wuss. I've done shots too lol) of course the kids want some because it looks yummy. Sometimes we fix virgin daquaris for them & let them know this is your cup, this is mine. But if there is heavy drinking going on, the kids are already in bed or not with me.
  • OtakuHimeOtakuHime
    Posts: 357Member
    I don't drink, or have alcohol in my home, probably because the kids dad drinks all the time.
  • sanityseekersanityseeker
    Posts: 2,367Member
    my dd loves to taste new stuff when I get it and I dont have a problem letting her have a sip of something....if its heavy duty then i let her stick her finger in and taste. ds doesnt really care one way or the other but if he does im sure i'll let him taste too. I think it takes the curiosity out of the equation and they can move on and leave my drink alone!!!
    Biting's excellent. It's like kissing. Only there's a winner.
    "Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure.” -Dobby
    Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.
  • OmgmetooOmgmetoo
    Posts: 579Member
    My oldest (16) will drink a glass of wine with me from time to time. They never really gave me much trouble when they were little. If I had a drink and they wanted some I would just tell them it was only for big people and then I'd get them their own drink and they were fine with it.
  • ut_mommyut_mommy
    Posts: 315Member
    @Nikki hahahahaha

    I don't let my kids have soda either so they know about grown up drinks. They don't seem to care. I grew up overseas so my mom would let me have a drink (which inreality was like 2 or 3 sips of wine) since I was like 13. I believe making alcohol taboo is what leads to sneaking around and binge drinking in teens. JMHO
  • Anonymous
    Posts: 29,315
    I saw the title and thought "Yes, one does lead to the other, though not necessarily in that order." Ba rump ch!

    My 3 yo wanted some of my "tool-ay" once - he thought my glass of wine was Kool Aid. My first thought was "We've never had Kool Aid at the house, how does he even know what tool-ay is?" Then I realized that my husband grew up on it, so he likely gets it at the in-laws (they also think that all juice is healthy, so I don't know why I'm shocked).

    I let him take a sip and after the look of horror dissipated, I said "Some drinks are only for grown ups, OK?" That was all it took. We've avoided any issues since. Sometimes the truth works best.
  • MotherMayIMotherMayI
    Posts: 65Member
    My boys are older so if I am having a drink I explain this for adults but when they were younger I would put them high up so they couldn't reach.

    So far no accidents :)
  • shelleykitten
    Posts: 119Member
    my eldest has a glass of wine now and again and has been known to have a cider at barbeques (she is 6months off 18 the legal age in uk) the youngest is 15 and has a beer at xmas watered down so little more than shandy really i dont see the harm as we all know once legal they going to be drinking and going out with friends! i believe i have given them the morals to do what is right and as they have seen me drinking in moderation (and the inevitable hangovers from the not so moderate when they absent lol) i hope they realise that drinking is not really the big rebellion in our world!!
  • ImWendyImWendy
    Posts: 6,561Member
    I just don't make a big deal of it. I let them taste it if they want to, but only a tiny sip. It's not a big deal to me, so it's not a big deal to them. My two oldest don't even bother anymore, but the 3yo still likes to taste it. I rarely drink, though. My parents raised me the same way, and since it wasn't a big deal, I never felt the need to sneak off to drink.
    deus ex machina
  • why
    Posts: 48Member
    Mine are too small but it's the same as when my toddler wants my coke or coffee...it's for adults, honey. He gets the idea and moves on.
  • OmgmetooOmgmetoo
    Posts: 579Member
    My 16 year old told me the other day he wanted to invite a friend over to sleep over and I would need to buy a couple of bottles of wine for them. I paused for a minute before say, "oh HELL no!" He laughed and said he was just testing the waters. Funny boy. I don't mind if he has a glass with me on occasion but I will not provide alcohol to his friends!
  • ImWendyImWendy
    Posts: 6,561Member
    I love how he said you'll "need" to. Lol
    deus ex machina
  • OmgmetooOmgmetoo
    Posts: 579Member
    Yeah, he's a riot. We have a really close relationship and I love it. I'm going to miss him so much when he goes off to college next year :(
  • Anonymous
    Posts: 29,315
    I don't drink at all, so I would like to ask, why are any of you drinking with children around????? That's the opposite of responsible parenting. WTF?
  • OmgmetooOmgmetoo
    Posts: 579Member
    In your opinion. :) do you believe your children will never drink because you don't?
  • MotherMayIMotherMayI
    Posts: 65Member
    Really? So if there's a family bbq and you have a glass of wine or a margaritas that's irresponsible?

    No one said anything about getting drunk that's a different story.
  • ImWendyImWendy
    Posts: 6,561Member
    I feel that having a drink around my kids teaches them what responsible drinking is. Just because I have a glass of wine or a vodka tonic doesn't make me an irresponsible parent. It's not like I drink to get drunk, or like I'd ever out them in the car when I've had a drink.

    deus ex machina
  • VegasmommyVegasmommy
    Posts: 1,748Member
    Co-signing with some of the PP, getting shit faced around your children is "irresponsible" having a glass of wine is not.
  • ImWendyImWendy
    Posts: 6,561Member
    Maybe having a drive.k sometimes even makes me a MORE responsible parent. There are times I'm so stressed out I'm afraid I'll explode. Good thing I can relax a little and actually enjoy my kids rather than blowing up at them. :)
    deus ex machina
  • ImWendyImWendy
    Posts: 6,561Member
    *drink not drive. Auto correct is kicking my butt tonight.
    deus ex machina
  • fuegofuego
    Posts: 1,593Member
    Are you sure it's auto correct and not all that alcohol you've been chugging in front of your poor innocent children? ; )
  • ImWendyImWendy
    Posts: 6,561Member
    Bwahaha! Oh you're ON to me!
    deus ex machina
  • loveitloveit
    Posts: 1,738Member
    My de knows beer is for adults. Just like juice boxes are for kids! She does like a sip of mimosa but has never wanted to try anything else. I agree with pp that when u make it taboo that's when they are wanting it!! Also...my parents never drank ever. I always thought it made them weird, not responsible.
  • loveitloveit
    Posts: 1,738Member
    ooops! dd not de
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,767Administrator, Moderator
    dun dun DUN!

    well crap. this wasn't it.

    community-manager


  • sanityseekersanityseeker
    Posts: 2,367Member
    LMAO I love all these old threads popping up! I was going to post this on the spam thread but this is even better!

    went to store with dd last night and found pumpkin pie liquer, wondered out loud what it would be good mixed with or if it would be better straight up. She pipes up with "OHHHHHHHHHH mix it with the whipped vodka and then you'll have pumpkin pie with whipped cream yummm!" *facepalm* I shouldn't really be getting drink advice from my 13 year old, but the kid DOES have a point LMAO 
    Biting's excellent. It's like kissing. Only there's a winner.
    "Dobby never meant to kill! Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure.” -Dobby
    Genealogy: Where you confuse the dead and irritate the living.
  • kysmommykysmommy
    Posts: 522Member
    wow this one's old!!! lol!!!

    Lucky me, I have a DD who has retained some manners. (Some being the key word there). Anyway she knows she needs to ask for whatever she wants if it isn't hers. She'll ask, Mommy can I have some of your (insert word here: juice, lemonade, tea, etc.) and my response will be No Sweetheart, that's a MOMMY drink. She just goes, OOOHHH ok thank you. and walks away lol!!!
  • scotiamama
    Posts: 1,213Member
    When DD was younger, I let her try a tiny sip of beer, thinking she would be disgusted... And she thought it was great! She got the runs after that, don't think it was from the sip but that's what I told her "no you can't drink that, it'll give you the poops" lol
    Really they never ever ask or try to drink it. If we ever had a mixed drink that may be different tho, we only ever buy beer
  • MarySunshineMarySunshine
    Posts: 5,446Member
    My sister and I practically grew up in the firehouse my parents were members of and it was commonplace to have a beer after a fire call. We went to wet downs (how they "christen" a station's new firetruck) and there would be kegs and kegs of beer, and yuck birch beer, and honestly we never gave it second thought. I grabbed someone else's cup of beer thinking it was my ginger ale and spit it out. LOL

    Our parents were always responsible at these functions, which would last all day with tons of food, and made sure we knew where our drinks were and where the grown up drinks were.

    Now, with DS almost 2 insisting on trying anything I put in my mouth, we'd have be careful. But, I'm 26 weeks pregnant and DH doesn't drink at home, if he does drink it's when we're out and it's a beer for the night. But we're not going to be naive, we did our fair share of drinking in college, we've already started discussing how we're going to handle the kids come late middle school-high
    school when the fun starts. :-)
    I'm as sexy as a burp mid-kiss. Watch out!

  • mericksmom
    Posts: 388Member
    My DS is super cautious to begin with and knowing that it is illegal for anyone under 21 he WILL NOT take a sip.  Now saying that my Mom would give my son sips of wine while he was teething.
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