"Letting kids drink early reduces binging." Opinions

[mommyd]

Author: Letting kids drink early reduces binging

What's your take on this article?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/09/27/kid.drinking/index.html

[mizunderstood]

ummm well.... heres my take on underage drinking. Just my opinion.
There is a legal limit for a reason I believe that like all other legal limits they should be followed. HAVING SAID THAT, I know that kids are going to drink underage, because its what kids do. And I agree that if you can teach them at a young age that you don't need to go out and get sh**faced to have a good time then great. I know when we were kids (17 and 18 years old) if my mother knew that there was going to be drinking at a party or whatever she would tell us, why don't you all come here instead. If you must drink, at least do it where there is adult supervision. I thought that was great. But my worry is what about the parents that allow their kids to drink at home but with no one there to keep an eye on the situation?I think if it can be closely monitored then great.. If it is something that will spiral out of control then NO. I know growing up it was weird to have my mom there watching me drink, so I am sure it did influence how I drink as an adult. I rarely drink (maybe 3 times a year) and I do not go out and get "drunk", I have 1 or 2 drinks with friends. To each their own i guess, but Iworry about the longterm effects. Brains are not fully developed and neither are bodies until 20+ years old.

[trinity]

I'd let kids do it; any time you make something forbidden completely is when it becomes most tempting. How else would someone find out what moderation is? If I had kids, I would rather they learned about drinking as part of a positive dining experience rather than as an illicit experience at a dangerous location. I don't believe in total abstinence, even the Christians have to allow that wine was part of Jesus' life. I was never interested in drinking as a teen, I had occasionally tasted my father's beer when he left it sitting around and thought it was nasty, I had been allowed to have a small amount of wine at Christmas for a toast and thought it was awful too. For me, beer and wine were on the same level as other nasty things adults ate like green beens and broccoli. I didn't develop a taste for wine until my late 20s, and still hate beer. I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I have had too much to drink to drive, and even then it was never the "over the edge totally hammered" experience, more of a "probably shouldn't drive" as opposed to too plastered to find the car. I can honestly say I've never woken up to say "What happened last night?"

[heres2u]

Underage drinking is against the law. Yes most children are going to experiment but I don't want to teach them that going against the law is right. (not that I believe that the court system is perfect) but this is one I do agree with. I think that some people are more prone to binge drinking and monitoring them is not going to help. I personally can't stand the taste of beer but I know others who drink regularly not binge but I know they have had their days( or nights I should say). Monitoring will help for that time maybe but we are not with them 24/7 and I don't want my children or other children to think that it is O.K to go against the law especially if I don't think it will help. We aren't with our children in college unfortunately :( What then?? Do I think we should keep our children locked up in there rooms when there is a party going on?? No but should we have rules and curfews?? Definitely.

[Lady_Athena]

I disagree for my family personally. I live an alcohol free life and so does my spouse. This is because of a history of alcoholism on both sides. Due to concerns with a genetic link I could never allow drinking in my home. I am no prude, and realize that kids are rebellious, but I this is one issue I will stand strong on. I would go so far as to enroll my own teenager in a substance abuse program if I suspected he was drinking. Even if it meant dragging him by his ear and staying by his side the whole time to make sure he attended.

I am not trying to force my bias on anyone else, but giving my opinion. Alcohol turns some people into evil creatures and it is really scary! Not everyone, but I couldn't take a chance of opening the door to alcoholism for my child!

I can also say I was never forbidden from anything as a child and was always honest. If I wanted to go to a party I would tell the truth instead of sneaking out. I was always the sober friend at the party who had carry around her very drunk best friend (oh fun!:p) However, as I got older I learned how to take advantage of this trust in little ways. Looking back I would have appreciated more structured discipline from my parents.

[sarahnb]

It's against the law. Allowing kids to break this law teaches them what? Laws are therre to be broken. It's a mixed message. so go ahead and speed, drink and drive and while you are at it, try some drugs. As long as you don't get caught, it's all good.

[matthew_scott]

Not to stir anything up but I remember learning about the drinking ages in law class, thought I would throw this out there http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age

Edit: I can't find any definite government document online stating what that site says. Perhaps it's been changed or perhaps the government doesn't like to advertise it, but from memory, a minor can drink with a parent/guardian or spouse as long as they are 16 years old. However, please check with a police officer, lawyer or somebody else that knows the law and don't take my word for it.

[dan j]

This is just a personal observation and no way meant to be a judgement on how things actually are but growing up the kids in high school who were allowed to drink and were watched and taken care of by their parents have turned out to be much more responsible drinkers at adults compared to the kids who had to hide their drinking and had parents who were dead against it binged then and still binge today. Myself, I lived in a grey area. Kinda allowed to drink but if my parents caught me going too far I got in poo.

[sanstu]

The theory that by making alcohol the "forbidden fruit" is causing our children to drink, therefore we should let them drink,is in my opinion a flawed theory. If one was to raise a child using this theory, then it should also be extended to drugs and smoking,(ah yes, more forbidden fruit) should it not?
Raising healthy children is one of the hardest yet most rewarding challenges one will ever have. It is important as a parent to act as a guide, a teacher of sorts, by being a positive influence, by communicating, by being a great leader and by instilling values in our children. Sending mixed messages is confusing, yes, even to teenagers.
Introducing alcohol, as a normal part of a social function, ie. wine for Sunday Dinner is not wrong, however, letting your child drink on a Saturday nite with friends at your home because they're going to do it anyway, is in my opinion, using the wrong mind-set and is sending mixed messages. (just my 2 cents)

[The_Dave]

I feel this is up to each individual parent. They know their kids the best.

[Lady_Athena]

Not to stir anything up but I remember learning about the drinking ages in law class, thought I would throw this out there http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age

Edit: I can't find any definite government document online stating what that site says. Perhaps it's been changed or perhaps the government doesn't like to advertise it, but from memory, a minor can drink with a parent/guardian or spouse as long as they are 16 years old. However, please check with a police officer, lawyer or somebody else that knows the law and don't take my word for it.
Just from reading some of that wikipedia page it is obvious that the idea of supervised underage drinking is nothing new as many laws all over the world make exception for it. Whether it is right or wrong again would have to be a personal decision you make for your family.

It would be possible to examine statistics of underage binge drinking, alcoholism, alcohol related injuries and fatalities of those places that allow supervised drinking and compare that to those who do not. Although it is not something I am tempted to do. You would also have to look at cultural and sociological differences.

[sanstu]

I feel this is up to each individual parent. They know their kids the best.
As long as my child is not offered alcohol in another home by another parent you are absolutely correct!

[The_Dave]

As long as my child is not offered alcohol in another home by another parent you are absolutely correct!

Yes I would agree with you, I was taking only about parents and their own children, not other people's children.

That would be a totally different situation.

[Chinna Dah]

Very good post.

I disagree for my family personally. I live an alcohol free life and so does my spouse. This is because of a history of alcoholism on both sides. Due to concerns with a genetic link I could never allow drinking in my home. I am no prude, and realize that kids are rebellious, but I this is one issue I will stand strong on. I would go so far as to enroll my own teenager in a substance abuse program if I suspected he was drinking. Even if it meant dragging him by his ear and staying by his side the whole time to make sure he attended.

I am not trying to force my bias on anyone else, but giving my opinion. Alcohol turns some people into evil creatures and it is really scary! Not everyone, but I couldn't take a chance of opening the door to alcoholism for my child!

I can also say I was never forbidden from anything as a child and was always honest. If I wanted to go to a party I would tell the truth instead of sneaking out. I was always the sober friend at the party who had carry around her very drunk best friend (oh fun!:p) However, as I got older I learned how to take advantage of this trust in little ways. Looking back I would have appreciated more structured discipline from my parents.

[KRS]

This really depends on the culture you grew up in. Many European countries serve wine with important meals. This is not to say you give a child 4 glasses of wine but in moderation it is an acceptable way to socialize.

[trinity]

It's against the law. Allowing kids to break this law teaches them what? Laws are there to be broken. It's a mixed message. so go ahead and speed, drink and drive and while you are at it, try some drugs. As long as you don't get caught, it's all good.
I don't see it as the same thing at all, those other things are against the law in any country but in some countries the legal drinking age is either nonexistent or as low as 14.

[Oolong]

I was allowed to try beer on several occasions when I was very young... I seemed to like it then, but now I hardly touch the stuff.

[melissaanne]

Yikes, I don't know what I think of this really. I mean drinking limits are there for a reason, but i feel it depends on the person. I mean just b/c someone is 19 doesn't mean they are mature/responsible enough to drink. I know I was a very responsible underage drinker ( kinda an oxymoran eh?) I never drank and drove, never got in the car with someone who was, never drank so much I didn't know what I was doing..etc.

I would have to say that I would prefer to know if my son was out getting drunk or not. I would rather know he was at such-in-suches house getting drunk than have him lie to me. I don't know if I am going to be 100% cool with my underage son getting hammered, but at least I would hope he would be open enough to tell me.

I am so torn with this. I feel I would be a HUGE hypocrite if I disagreed with it, but in the same sense I am his mother, I can be a hypocrtie if I want to!!! I guess we will cross the bridge when it comes

[FutureChief88]

I feel the same way... I dont want to be a bad mother for letting my daughter drink.. But i dont want her to lie to me about where she is.. cause if something were to ever happen i wouldnt even know where to begin looking for her! The thought of it all scares me!

[Oolong]

Perhaps if kids had to be FORCED to imbibe alcohol, just like their veggies at the dinner table, they'd be less inclined to try the stuff later... :D

[FutureChief88]

Interesting point.. But still very scary! LOL

[Oolong]

Another idea: spike the booze with liquid laxatives.

However, this plan may backfire, so to speak, on a small percentage of kids.

[FutureChief88]

HAHAHAHAHA! I ACTUALLY laughed out loud at this one.. Serves me right when i should be working!

[Oolong]

The proverbial "lol" actually spelled out for once! Thank you, madam.

[FutureChief88]

YW.. YW.. Theres some more Abbreviations for ya!
LOL
Thanks for the good laugh!

[girdy]

I think teaching kids about responsible drinking is appropriate. In part, that's our own behaviour in not being drunk or having drunk friends around, not having them see drinking and driving, and not having them see inappropriate alcohol use. Inappopriate use is drinking while 4 wheeling, jet skiing, or hunting, for example. And I think a tool in aiding that is to introduce them slowly into drinking by having a glass of wine at important functions, or a son having a beer with the old man at appropriate times. That helps build the parent/child relationship, and it demonstrates a measure of trust and respect if you can share a beer with your 16 year old occasionally.

At the end of the day, we want our kids to do the right thing, which is don't drink and drive, don't be driven home by somebody who was drinking, and drink responsibly. They're going to make mistakes and not do the right thing more often than we'd wish. But you want your kid to be able to call and say "dad, come pick me up, I had a drink and I don't want to drive home", or "dad, my friend drove me to the party, he's drunk, please pick me up". If drinking is considered an absolute taboo in the house until they're 19, I'm not sure you can get to that place where your 17 year old is going to call out of the blue and ask you to drive him home. And your 17 year old needs to know he can do that without getting in trouble.

If you've had problems with alcoholism in your family, or you're completely opposed to drinking, by all means be true to your beliefs.