Teaching your kids about drinking...

[Royal]

Doesn't matter if you allow it or not. The kids are going to drink if they really want to. But totally lienient(sp?) parents are pretty bad. I know a brother and sister here who have alcohol bought for them(weed too) by their parents and they throw the best parties here. The brother managed not to get too fucked up(hes 16) but his sister a different story. The girl is totally out of control. Shes had sex tons of times and lost it when she was 11 to someone who was over 21.

[MrW]

Two key factors apply here in my opinion.

Take away the mystery.
If they ask, let them try it. Drinking is part of most cultures so why not let them be a part of it. Better you teach them then Tom, Dick and Harry. Most often they'll try to fuck her too.

Teaching them to make informed and rational decisions.
This goes beyond drinking alcohol. Explain to them the consequences of drinking. The pros and the cons. Teach them to think rationally and they'll make the correct decision for whatever situation arises. Hopefully.

Other than that, what else can you do?

[Kuya]

I don't have a solid opinion on it, but i can comment on how futile and ridiculous it is to constantly market sex and alcohol to adults and expect children and teenagers not to see this. With the mantra that it's okay at this age but not as this other age with little to no explanation for it. Is it really any surprise that they indulge in it when we hypocritically make it okay?

[Elesirdur]

I think MrW put it best and his second point is pretty much how I personally feel about all facets of parenting.

But I will also agree that shit is situational and a lot depends on the society and subculture where you and your kids are. I can recall going into restaurants in Montreal and Quebec City and seeing six year-olds getting their own small glass of table wine with their parents. However it's not like restaurants are going to serve underage people by themselves, but in Quebec it's pretty common for kids to have wine with their meals (similar to Continental French) because it's something that the entire family enjoys.

But then again, it does depend on the kid. If you have a child that, by 10 or 12 has demonstrated that he or she can make informed decisions and understand the repercussions of their actions then there's no reason they can't be allowed to explore more "adult" things as they become teenagers. However, if for one reason or another the child does not seem to be exhibiting the ability to make those kind of decisions (everyone is different, some develop in certain aspects faster or slower) then and more sheltered approach is probably wise.

[Kayu]

my sister used to slip me some crappy drinks and let me have them like those useless things called "coolers" wich they didnt have much alchool content anyway, now i am just a regular drinker and i havent got wasted at all and never will, always controlling the ammount entering my system.
is better to do it with them and controllig them than them doing it at your back, since we know young people always will want to know the "what if" of a situation.

[Osede]

To me, it just really about the self control. eerrr.......... I've seen that my friends never able to control themselve on drinking.


But yea, I don't like beer, but maybe wine. But not on the situation where got bunch of ppl that drinking non-stop, mostly and occaionally when having some dinner with some condition >.>

And usually I just give them a bad warning with bad face that I DONT LIKE TO DRINK.

[Shuemue]

I think it's naive to expect a child to lead a life of abstinence and then instantly become a responsible drinker once they reach their majority. I certainly won't encourage my kids to drink alcohol, but I'll let them try it if they ask, and I'll explain the broader consequences of drinking.

[Baha]

Let them drink champagne/cava or wine at family gatherings or whenever there's occasion for it when they show interest.
Let them drink when they start going out at 15ish, laugh when they throw up or have their first hangovers.
Try to dissuade them from stuff like Baccardi Breezer and other alcopops. Beer go~

[isladar]

In my roaring teens, it came down to this: did I want to get shit-faced on crap American beer with a bunch of stupid fucks, or have cocktails with my parents? Not a hard decision, there.

[sephir]

I personally would take the more European style approach to it. Have a glass of wine or bottle of beer at dinner if they want (after 10-12 so that they can handle it). That way I can really see their relation to it and watch just to make sure they dont just drink to get wasted.
Drinking socially is accepted in most cultures, and it is important for them to understand the effects it can have on you early on so that they dont end up in the hospital with poisoning.

Back in Frosh week in Uni you could tell who had drank before and who hadn't. it really seperated everyone the first night as those that understood and could hold ourselves managed to chill out and have fun all night. The others usually passed out in some ditch or in the middle of the baseball diamond, it was pretty sad (one kid managed to get on top of the University centre which is 6 stories high and all the doors are locked above the 4th floor-its still a mystery how he did it)

[Day]

In my roaring teens, it came down to this: did I want to get shit-faced on crap American beer with a bunch of stupid fucks, or have cocktails with my parents? Not a hard decision, there.

So... how was the beer?

[Dmitry]

My dad never drank around us, but there was always alcohol around the house (like bottles of wine if I remember correctly). Occasionally there was beer in the fridge, but I assume now that it was probably for when he had people over (went to mom's for the weekend custody BS). Since he never did when I was around, it's probably why I don't think "OMG LET'S GET DRUNK" like most teenagers around here.

Although at my one cousin's wedding in October, I was having fun making another cousin get me drinks at the open bar, even though noone carded me.

[Siniroth]

My parents always let me have a glass of wine or two when there's celebrations going on, and my friend's mom let us underage drink as long as it was at her house, her policy being that if we didn't drink there we'd drink somewhere else, and there we'd have supervision if it came down to it

[Mizango]

I think it's naive to expect a child to lead a life of abstinence and then instantly become a responsible drinker once they reach their majority. I certainly won't encourage my kids to drink alcohol, but I'll let them try it if they ask, and I'll explain the broader consequences of drinking.

Exactly. Shue, teh proud papa.

[Shalyn]

My parents let us have wine with dinner if we felt like it, have sips of their alcoholic beverages, etc. The first time I got drunk was with my sister They always said that if you're going to drink, especially under the age, do it at home.. Though I did end up drinking out of the home a lot under the age, I also didn't think it was a big deal, and it wasn't. Today I barely drink at all; I barely drank through university which should say enough. I never made it out to be some big thing that I was being denied. Maybe that has something to do with being of age at 19. I'm not going to get into the stupidity of having a legal age to drink at 21, but I do believe having it at 19 helped in the belief that drinking wasn't this awesome thing that people didn't want me to do because I wasn't an 'adult' and, thus, not responsible.
I'll be doing what my parents did.

[Hellfury]

Two key factors apply here in my opinion.

Take away the mystery.
If they ask, let them try it. Drinking is part of most cultures so why not let them be a part of it. Better you teach them then Tom, Dick and Harry. Most often they'll try to fuck her too.

Teaching them to make informed and rational decisions.
This goes beyond drinking alcohol. Explain to them the consequences of drinking. The pros and the cons. Teach them to think rationally and they'll make the correct decision for whatever situation arises. Hopefully.

Other than that, what else can you do?

This is what my parents did to me, they even bought the stuff for me (they preferred that, so at least they knew I got quality goods ).
I still get drunk on occasions like everyone else, but I had a lot more of a relaxed attitude towards it than a lot of the people I grew up with with more restricting parents, and never really went through the whole "omg this is so cool and exciting"-part a lot of people seem to have with the "forbidden" aspect.

Your kid is going to get hold of it and get drunk, and have sex, no matter WHAT you do most likely. You're better off helping them make informed decisions instead.

[Nyima]

My parents tend to drink a lot and when I was a kid I was always allowed to try whatever they were drinking and after drinking a coke wine tastes like garbage. I've since never had any urge to drink unless I actually want to get buzzed or drunk at a party, even then it's still a hurdle to get over the god awful taste.

[fstfrk13]

If your kid is curious about drinking then for their first time just have them drink like half a handle of the cheapest, nastiest liquor and then they will puke the whole night and they will never drink again, same with smoking. smoke a whole pack the first time you try it and you will never smoke again. Its how your body is supposed to react to poison.

[Mizango]

I keep bottles of finely aged Night Train on hand for that very reason.

Stay classy.

[Penthesilea]

When your kid asks you for a glass of water, give him a glass of vodka or white tequila instead. Scar them for life, then they'll learn moderation.

hahaha i remember asking for a sip of my grandfather's "water" only to find out that it was vodka. after that, i made it a point to request the olive out of it whenever he was having his "water"