What Age Should Children Be When They're Allowed To Drink Alcohol At Family Meals?

[humbersloop]

Your thoughts?

[Canary42]

18

[Zacs-Master]

14

[daffy654]

Why would you force alcohol on a child? There is no need for anyone to have alcohol with meals, let alone a child.

[humbersloop]

I wasn't thinking of force feeding them daffy, just offering them the opportunity to make responsible choices in adult company

[Bbbananas]

About 14 ?
Wine, with a meal, in a sensible controlled environment,

[gness]

I would say from about fourteen children could be offered a little wine or bubbly for a toast or a special meal. I did that with my two....neither liked the taste and were in their twenties before they started to drink wine or beer. I'm not sure they are mine...:-(
Do the French give watered down wine to their youngsters at family meals?

[ummmm]

Yes, they do Gness.

[Zacs-Master]

Yes they do.

[rsvp]

a hard one to answer humbersloop - one school of thought will say one thing and another will have the opposite opinion. I rather think it depends on individual circumstances and whether or not we are taling 8/9 or 15/16. Having said that I'm sure there are very few teenages (and younger) who have drunk alcohol. On the continent even quite young children are allowed watered down wine with a meal and I'm sure the cases of alcohol abuse are less abroad than they are here. I believe we have one of the worst records in the world. My thoughts are..... I'm really pleased my 'children' are now adults! Sorry can't be of more help.

[gness]

I thought so...and it has to be a very personal decision by people who know their children I suppose.

[Sparkles62]

Same as gness, mine were allowed from about 14,
they didn't really like it,
when they were a year or so older they would have a glass of wine and lemonade with a special family meal, but not every meal. X

[Ellipsis]

In our household ...

One wine glass of cider (about 20-25cl) with Sunday lunch from about 14

For toasts, half a glass of bubbly from about the same age

If they want it - not forced upon them in any way.

[AlwaysConfused]

It really depends on the individual, their environment around them, and the parents and childs attitude towards alcohol. 14 is a good age, but I'd make it a lower alcoholic wine.

14 is about the age that many teenagers start rebelling, drinking in parks etc. I allowed my step daughter to have the occasional drink. She is 19 now and has never been drunk. She is happy and confident enough to enjoy a night out on just one malibu and a few glasses of lemonade

[humbersloop]

my bads, I was taking "children" in this context as sixteen or under - I think the horse may well have bolted by 18 canary :)

[jomifl]

As long as they cut down on the vodka in the park they should be fine.

[coccinelle]

I remember years ago as a kid (around 10) we were allowed a shandy on Sundays, this was rather lemonade with a bit of beer but called shandy nevertheless.
I'd think a celebration drink of bubbly could be given to a child who is quite capable of sitting down and drinking it, not gulping it down and going off to play....
French kids do drink a bit of red wine with water at Sunday family meals but mainly to learn the different tastes of wines; the French are quite capable of telling you what wine it is without seeing the bottle.
I notice in Germany and Austria the kids and women drink a spritzer (white wine and fizzy water) as that is accepted.

[Old_Geezer]

When they ask, and if they are too young they won't ask again for a for years.

I guess there should be a limit, you'd not give a 3 year old a glass of cognac for instance, but generally speaking it's best to cultivate a sensible attitude to booze than see it as something adult and illicit and desirable. Most youngsters will prefer something sweet like juice or squash anyway.

I'd be expecting them to be in their teens when they decide they'd like to join the older family members imbibing wine.

[Sycamore3House]

My kids were around 10 when we allowed them to have a really really weak shandy on Sundays with lunch. As the years went by they tried watered down wine. They grew up in pubs (as I was a manager) they never did the cider In the park and if they were going to parties they never used to hide the fact that they were. Now they are grown up they still have an drink but not to the excesses of binge drinking every weekend.

[DTCwordfan]

Sorry folk I lived in France too long.

They start at 3, the tiniest smidge of wine in a glass or cut with water, a slow increase over time, the education of what wine is all about over time.......and they don't have the problems the UK has. No forcing - my eldest loves her wine and is pretty knowledgeable, the younger one has no interest what so ever.

And before anybody jumps down my throat, how many have you have had babies with colic.....and what did you give them - many of you going for gripe water....well that's a smidge of ethanol - and then the old teething trick of a touch of Scotch or Drambuie.......tut, you hypocrites.

In summary, treat and educate with respect and you don't end up with the vodka-fuelled idiots we see down here on the streets of Newquay falling off cliffs or murdering each other, never mind the street cleaning that is needed each summer morning to wash the stinking cube bits away.