I agree more with the idea that parents should be able to allow their children a glass of wine if they want to do so. If they feel that they can teach their children better that way, great! What they do in their own homes is fine, as long as they make sure to stress that it is absolutely not ok outside the home while the children are still underage.
But then again from your description, she has negative views on drinking. Common in American families where children are not exposed to the concept of healthy alcohol consumption at a "young" age :)
For the record, on the rare occasions my family drank wine. (Usually Christmas and New Years) I got grape juice until I was 10 or so.
I also have a family filled with raging alcoholics, which is why you can be certain that my kids will be introduced to the concept of responsible alcohol consumption a younger than legal age.
Of course, odds are good I'll have also taught my kids how to responsibly handle pot and psychedelics before they hit college, so YMMV.
Shit, in my family, whiskey was rubbed on the gums of teething babies. But, to borrow a phrase from Judge Posner, shielding children even from exposure to people drinking alcohol is not just quixotic, but deforming. It leaves them unprepared to deal with the world as we know it.
Not to mention that it's a fucking stupid idea to set children up with even MORE forbidden fruit.
You know my opinion because we've had this conversation before. We, my brother and myself, were offered beer/wine with dinner when my father was partaking, and we turned out just fine.
People other than parents give children alcohol all the time. My first experience with alcohol was when I was 8. Guess why? Communion. I do believe that children should have the option (if their parents choose) to have a small amount of alcohol on certain occasions. If their parents give a good example in not having much alcohol and providing alcohol for their children in small amounts, I think the kids will be less likely to abuse alcohol or seek it outside the home. However, a glass may be a bit much. As a child, there are certain risks, they have lower body weights and lower tolerance for alcohol. Perhaps a small glass or a few sips of wine during a meal, but definitely not the same amount as an adult would drink.
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But then again from your description, she has negative views on drinking. Common in American families where children are not exposed to the concept of healthy alcohol consumption at a "young" age :)
For the record, on the rare occasions my family drank wine. (Usually Christmas and New Years) I got grape juice until I was 10 or so.
I also have a family filled with raging alcoholics, which is why you can be certain that my kids will be introduced to the concept of responsible alcohol consumption a younger than legal age.
Of course, odds are good I'll have also taught my kids how to responsibly handle pot and psychedelics before they hit college, so YMMV.
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Not to mention that it's a fucking stupid idea to set children up with even MORE forbidden fruit.
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I do believe that children should have the option (if their parents choose) to have a small amount of alcohol on certain occasions. If their parents give a good example in not having much alcohol and providing alcohol for their children in small amounts, I think the kids will be less likely to abuse alcohol or seek it outside the home.
However, a glass may be a bit much. As a child, there are certain risks, they have lower body weights and lower tolerance for alcohol. Perhaps a small glass or a few sips of wine during a meal, but definitely not the same amount as an adult would drink.
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