Every event that gets put on at my daughters school seems to turn into a booze fest(middle class Cotswold village, green welly yummies). Christmas play-mountains of red going down. Spring duck race - jugs and jugs of pimms at 2pm on a weekday afternoon. Summer fair - full on bar with dads necking pints and mums quaffing from giant wine glasses, some serious stumbling later on, bit embarrassing. Flipping champagne at sports day!
I'm not against boozing(ok I don't drink) but lots of booze at events which are for the school kids only, and ofetn in school time, seems a bit off to me.
I might have to fire up a 6 skinner bifter at the leavers service.
King skin or standard?
Well seeing as I'm attempting to make a statement gotta be king! Full taper.
Bar at the school summer fete and fireworks here, nothing wrong with that IMHO - why shouldn't people have a drink at a normal social occasion on which plenty of people would usually choose to have a drink? Though to be fair nobody I've seen getting really pissed. Tea and soft drinks at the Christmas play and sports day (which was today) which are held during school hours.
Our kids school won't even serve softdrinks just healthy options of water and fruit juice.
I'm talking school hours here, apart from summer fair which was at 5 pm. Surely too much normalisation of boozing culture to very small kids is not a good thing. I might have to raise issue with the school. My other daughters school was no booze at school events, whatever the time of day. Then they put on parents only events where most got sozzled. Seemed a better approach.
I might have to raise issue with the school.
you go for it, Mr Popular!
Middle class alcoholism.
Actually I'd say that being introduced to drinking as a normal everyday activity is probably better. If it's all out in the open I think there's less chance of the kids going up the bus shelter / street corner / park and getting ****ted on white lightening or md tbh.
why shouldn't people have a drink at a normal social occasion on which plenty of people would usually choose to have a drink?
Well it is daytime at a school and there are rumours that sometimes folk get issues with alcohol.
I am pretty sure plenty of the parents would take some drugs at plenty of schools.
I also dont understand why every single social event has to involve alcohol
It amuses me that folk dont realise my ideal night out is NOT 4 -5 hours of watching folk get drunk then driving them home.
uselesshippy - Member
Middle class alcoholism.
This!
"why shouldn't people have a drink at a normal social occasion on which plenty of people would usually choose to have a drink?"
Well it is daytime at a school
Since you're quoting me, the ones I mention are Saturday afternoon and in the evening.
Middle class alcoholism.
No obvious sign of that at any of the events I've been to where alcohol has been available.
Middle class alcoholism.
+1
aracer - Member
No obvious sign of that at any of the events I've been to where alcohol has been available.
But what tang describes is what I would call middle class alcoholism where it is a social norm to drink half a bottle of wine or a few pints every day.
I must have missed his report of their daily alcohol consumption.
But what tang describes is what I would call middle class alcoholism where it is a social norm to drink half a bottle of wine or a few pints every day.
Sounds like people & family I know, fingers in ears...la la la I'm not listening.
I just don't like it. 'Time, place and circumstance' common sense rule should apply with intoxicants and children. Sure, show them it in the correct setting in a positive way. At school events in school time? Surely not the best idea. It's the creeping normalisation of alcohol consumption that offends me. What better advert for kids than most of their 'elders' knocking it back at school events. I must ad this is not in classrooms but in the shared village hall/field/church(has a bar at the back ffs) and organised by the parents.
I hope none of these parents drove to school, sends a chill down the spine thinking about it.
I suppose it depends on what the kids are seeing doesn't it? If it's a bunch of parents kicking back, relaxing and having fun, then is that such a problem? If it's a bunch of parents getting hammered and then the dads either kicking the shit out of each other or out of their wives, then, yes, this would be a worry.
A quick google image search for "alcohol sponsorship in sport" shows a more alarming normalisation of alcohol consumption in society (IMO).
The bar is a big earner at our school events and supports the local brewery.
Bar makes money for the school and makes potentially boring events bearable - so drink is on offer as it will attract more people.
When I last looked nobody was being forced to drink.
If you have another family or two round for a BBQ is drinking not allowed because the kids are present?
Let me know where it is as I would like to relocate!
These events are for the children's enjoyment/happiness. Good enough reason alone for me to go.
What? hic.
Always had a bar at my sons Primary School events, that's where we raised the most money. And very middle class, as mid-level Home Counties private school 😉
The bar is a big earner at our school events and supports the local brewery.
One of the parents works at the local brewery, and usually delivers the beer for events - I presume they get a good deal.
Just had parents evening at mini-doubleu's nursery. He's only 14 months so I had some baby curry, mrs-doulbleu had some baby pizza, then we had some red wine whilst sitting on the floor in the "sensory corner" (his favourite), whilst his key worker gave us the low down on his walking attempts.
My lads school is in a bit of a Channel4 shockumentary type area. Not unusual to see parents dropping off at 9am with a can of Special Brew on the go. (In PJ's / all-in-one suits obviously). Anyhow, they had a Pimms tent at last years summer fayre. The duffers serving had the Lemonade to Pimms ratio the wrong way round, so they ran out of Pimms somewhat early & ended up trying to sell just lemonade. The aforementioned clientele were not too impressed with this. I feigned indifference & pressed ahead with the Tombola regardless.
I say good on the OP's school.
It's this year's fayre on Thursday, & they are actually selling Beer this year. I'm in attendance, on the Tombola again. I'd offered to give laps of the feild on the back of the cargo-bike but the Headmaster said no.
define "middle class alcoholism" I have read about this in the papers,
and how do I join this lovely cult of cake making
ladies?
Nobodies forcing you to drink alcohol, Are they? Will you be forced to have a fight outside the organic locally sourced kebab stall later? With Baz, who's missus runs the tanning shop, and drives that hideously vulgar Range Rover? Were you forced to fend off baz's other halves unwelcome, cocktail fuelled advances?
Dear lord. Get over yourself Susan!
deffo want a pissed cake fight susan....
Now I'm concerned that we don't have an organic locally sourced kebab stall at our school fete. Not to mention the lack of advances from Baz's other half.
I think its wrong too, just shows how normalised booze has become in society.
[quote=FunkyDunc ]I think its wrong too, just shows how normalised booze has become in society.
Yep nobody ever drank years ago, we just used to do it in pubs.
You'd like my son's school, Tang. I've never seen an alcoholic drink in the place. Parents are never invited to anything other than "réunions d'information" after the kids have left. The facade has more steel bars and security equal to the local prison but that doesn't stop many kids taking Mary Jane in with them.
I suppose it depends on what the kids are seeing doesn't it? If it's a bunch of parents kicking back, relaxing and having fun, then is that such a problem?
It's just weird that the kind of having fun you're modelling to the kids involves the consumption of drugs. Is it such a problem for people to take an interest in their kids' education and socialize without drinking?
I don't have a problem with alcohol being available at out of hours school events.
I do have an issue with the 'lets get slaughtered' 'eatings cheatin' 'you are a girl if you can't drink 10 pints' attitude this country excels at.
It's just weird that the kind of having fun you're modelling to the kids involves the consumption of drugs. Is it such a problem for people to take an interest in their kids' education and socialize without drinking?
If I'd said that, you might just have a point.
I do have an issue with the 'lets get slaughtered' 'eatings cheatin' 'you are a girl if you can't drink 10 pints' attitude this country excels at.
This country or a few individuals that the media loves to hype up about binge drinking culture.
I was disappointed that our kids prospective school was serving bottled larger at the school fete, particularly damning when you consider how many fine craft brewerys are within a 15 mile radius.
I may have to write a letter to the head!
It's just weird that the kind of having fun you're modelling to the kids involves the consumption of drugs. Is it such a problem for people to take an interest in their kids' education and socialize without drinking?
Not a problem, but unnecessary - having a beer is a perfectly normal adult activity, and I can't see any reason it should be hidden from kids.
My other half is the Deputy Head of a primary school in Manchester.
Strict no booze rule 100% of the time anywhere on the property. Otherwise parents turn up to sports day walking down the street with a can of lager!
Rest of the time the kids are only allowed to bring water in. No fizzy drinks or even squash is allowed and they have water fountains dotted around.
The water only thing is relaxed for events like the school fete, but still no energy drinks, eg Monster, Red Bull, etc.
Seems to work well and sets the right example. If the parents could drink and also set a good example then the rules might be different. But even so probably not. It's a primary school - plenty of time for drinking in the rest of your life!
She does feel bad when she has to take a bottle of orange squash from a kid with well meaning parents. They have to draw the line somewhere though as parents were filling bottles with what looked like squash but was in fact a sugar laden soft drink that had been decanted so their kid could get the sugar hit they "need"!
It's just weird that the kind of having fun you're modelling to the kids involves the consumption of drugs. Is it such a problem for people to take an interest in their kids' education and socialize without drinking?
Does that also apply to other social occasions away from school? Should I avoid taking them out to the pub for a meal, or should I just drink coke if we do go? Do I need to keep them well away from the beer tent and anybody drinking at the village fete, or should we just not go? Or maybe I should also complain to the organisors of the village fete that they have a beer tent?
I think that to be on the safe side, anyone who has children, or may possibly come into contact with any children, should practice complete abstinence. It seems perfectly reasonable to me
Anything short of this and we'll be corrupting an entire generation, surely leading them down a path to alcoholism and destitution.
Rest of the time the kids are only allowed to bring water in. No fizzy drinks or even squash is allowed and they have water fountains dotted around.
She does feel bad when she has to take a bottle of orange squash from a kid with well meaning parents. They have to draw the line somewhere though as parents were filling bottles with what looked like squash but was in fact a sugar laden soft drink that had been decanted so their kid could get the sugar hit they "need"!
Im sorry this pisses me of so much, teachers are there to teach, im there to ensure my child has a balanced diet..
