Do/Did you let your under aged kids drink alcohol?

[Dr_Zinj]

I did, when they reached their mid-teens.
But only while I or my wife was there to supervise them. Not at parties, and not if they had friends over. (Wouldn't have been fair to their friends, and I've always felt that if someone wanted their kids to drink, they're the ones to make that decision and take the responsibility and not me.)
Neither one really cared for beer, wine, or hard liquor until they were older and doing the social scene at college.
Of course I spent many years in various places in Europe and it seemed to me that demystifying alcohol and learning your limits with it was a lot safer than total prohibition for 21 years and then instantly anything goes. As parents, it's our job to teach kids to be safe. Impossible to do that if they can't drink until they're 21 and adults on their own.

Growing up, 14-18, it was nothing to have a beer or two at the cabin after being out all day deer hunting. Beer never caused any problems there. The beans on the other hand, whew! Open those doors and windows!

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would let our kids taste of alcohol if they wanted and at birthday parties for family, we might have some wine. Most of them didn't care much for alcohol or tobacco and none ever did drugs while at home. Cant say what they are doing now that they are all in their 30s-40s. Only one smokes tobacco(like his mother). Most don't use alcohol daily but only two are teetotalers.

 

[tcartwri]

I had my first Scotch and water at two.....

 

[jeff9366]

I could not have survived violent transition from adolescence to adulthood without alcohol. Maybe your kids are the same.

 

[Redneck in training]

Alcohol is easily obtainable legal substance. If you don't teach your children about alcohol at home where do you think they will learn how to handle it? When our children left home for college alcohol was not anything they had to explore unsupervised first time in life. It was not a big deal for them. We had no problems with them being drunk, drunk driving etc. When my wife was in college she told me stories about over protected girls who left home first time. She said you could see them totally drunk lying in the hallway. I heard a story about one that got drunk, lost virginity, got infected with STD and became pregnant all in the same day.

 

[nybirdman]

You aren't going to stop them if they are so inclined.We raised three,been thru the trials.Did we supply it,no.We were legal at 18 in our state,I think it's crazy to have to register for military service and not be able to drink.There are a lot more evils out there other than alcohol.

 

[nc redneck]

I would like to hear other parents input on this issue ? Answers somewhat surprise me.

 

[JMER817]

I grew up on a small farm. I was 14 -15 and when me and my cousins (same age) would come in after a long day of being out in the fields, my dad would put a couple beers on the table and tell us "work like a man and you can drink like a man" always preached that he didn't care if we had a couple beers at home, but to never drink and drive.

 

[Redneck in training]

Lead by example. It would be hard to tell them not to drink or smoke and seeing you smoking and drunk. They need to see you how you handle it. I am not talking about alcohol only. It is everything what you do. Live the way you preach. Set reasonable limits of behavior that they could live within without breaking them too often and when they do so do not back off so they learn that there consequences. We never told children to get up and go to school but if overslept and were late there were consequences. And my wife bought them very loud alarm clock. Believe me it happened only once. I have many stories to tell. The fact is we had almost zero problems with kids. All four are college educated and out of our payroll.

 

[cqaigy2]

When my son was young, my wife and i very rarely drank alcohol. I had a thing about being sober when responsible for the well being of a youngster. A few times I let my son try alcoholic beverages at special occasions and had him do a toast while he was at it, to celebrate the occasion. He's 35 now and he doesn't drink alcohol at all. Nor does he do drugs or tobacco.