“Families which draw clear boundaries, which establish values, which
don’t bring children into drink-fuelled environments, are families where children are more likely to grow up not drinking at all, or drinking responsibly,” he said.

Yahoo article

I don’t remember my parents ever having alcohol in the house, except at xmas, so I never formed the idea that drinking was something one did. My wife and I rarely drank either, yet out kids both consume it to excess at times

ah, but did YOUR parents have drink in the house SFB?

If you were my father, I’d drink to excess as well 🙂

My parents always had drink in the house and wasn’t unknown for them pour me little but of stout.

No harm done here.

I lived in a house that didnt drink much too, also had a few adventures with alcohol, but at least I was able to see it should be a rare occasion and not something you do nightly. I think some live in a situation where they’d not realise its abnormal to be drinking nightly etc.

ah, but did YOUR parents have drink in the house SFB?

as I believe I already said, no

f you were my father, I’d drink to excess as well

understandable, as I ignore you and never hug you or give you prezzies 🙁

No harm done here.

how can you know that ? You might have been cleverer/healthier/handsomer without it

My 2.5yr old son was walking past Hebden Bridge co-op yesterday with me. In the window are some big posters, and there’s one with a two wine glasses clinking together – “That’s you daddy” he said… hmmm…

It’s not really about families is it. It’s all about the culture.

It’s all about the culture

or anti-culture ?

how can you know that ? You might have been cleverer/healthier/handsomer without it

Impossible.

Impossible.

OK then – more modest 🙂

OK then – more modest

Possibly but that would be no fun.

My parents always had alcohol around but rarely drank it – they used to smoke around me too. The result…….I would drink their alcohol to get drunk before I went out as it was cheaper and smoking, yeah I’ve smoked but I don’t anymore!

My parents rarely got drunk. They needed to be sober to deal with me and my borthers and sisters. Dad used to get in crappy little tins of rubbish lager past their sell by date. So we used to buy bottles of sherry and drink them on the park cos it was the most cost effective way of getting smashed. It wasn’t about what went on in the house so much as what we got up to with our mates outside the house. And getting trashed seemed to be the done thing where I grew up.

I think if we’d had responsible access to Thwaites Wainwright or Lancaster Bomber in the house, things may have been very different. Well probably not.

Anyway, I’ve been adding alcohol to food that naturally goes with alcohol for my daughter to eat since way back.

Do the Government really think that tellling a teenager they can’t drink will be effective? Have any of them ever met a teenager?

I’ll continue to let my kids have the occasional small glass of champagne at Christmas etc. I hope they don’t find out about when my two year old ate the rum truffle. I could be in big trouble.

We all know that the best way to reduce a teenagers curiosity about something, be it booze, sex, drugs, etc etc is to deny that the thing exists and hope that they just lose interest. Discussing these things with them from an early age, so they are informed and educated to the perils and pitfalls of indulging irresponsibly, is obviously a ridiculous thing to do and will lead to no good at all.

Discussing these things with them from an early age,

I don’t know that it would be a very interesting discussion: “Alcohol is a pointless and dangerous waste of time and money”, more or less says it all…

Discussing these things with them from an early age,

I don’t know that it would be a very interesting discussion: “Alcohol is a pointless and dangerous waste of time and money”, more or less says it all…

yet out kids both consume it to excess at times

Perhaps your approach doesn’t work?

Perhaps your approach doesn’t work?

I didn’t say we had that discussion. I’ve seen it argued convincingly that children pay scant attention to the blatherings of their parents and acquire much of their culture from other kids. It may be a vain hope to expect whatever you do to have any effect on how they later choose to behave.

LOL @ matthewjb.

Agree with IHN. Open, two way discussion from an early age is the way forward.

I don’t know that it would be a very interesting discussion

That’s because you tend to have discussions at people, rather than with them.

Alcohol: it’s quite nice, but too much of it is no substitute for being interesting.

🙂

Of course the Daily Mash take on it is far more entertaining than the Yahoo article…

A chap quoted on the Beeb:

“Parents can take control by taking the mystique out of it by giving them a taste and educating their children about alcohol and abuse of alcohol.”

Egg-fuggin-zactly

children pay scant attention to the blatherings of their parents

I’m sure that’s true. I was just pointing out that your blanket view, ‘all alcohol is bad’, may have pushed them to try it.

Moderation in all things except for flying planes.

I reckon it’s 90% down to peer pressure. If kids are in with other kids who see getting smashed as the be all and end all and that’s the scene they move in, that’s what they’re likely to do.

I guess the challenge as parents is to channel kids into activities where they are hanging out with kids who don’t see getting smashed as the whole purpose of life? Easy huh?

No different than adults really…

Like most government advice it boils down to,
Don’t think,
Don’t ****,
Don’t have fun.

That’s because you tend to have discussions at people, rather than with them.

That’s often true you know, SFB. You’re worse than me.

my folks have always had alcohol… normally no more than a glass or 2 of white wine with their sunday meal. and my dad a bottle of beer on a friday.

He smoked like a chimney too.

But, while i enjoy a drink – i like it in moderation, and never enjoyed ‘being drunk’ and certainly i hated smoking, the same with my sister.

My folks were open about drink. I remember trying a sip of my dad’s pint of bitter, when i was 8 or 9 and it put me off completely for years, till i was about 19.

On the otherhand, my dad drinks tea like a fish…. and so do i.

That’s because you tend to have discussions at people, rather than with them.

I think I am able to have a discussion however it’s harder to imagine one with a child who is now and adult…

“Parents can take control by taking the mystique out of it by giving them a taste and educating their children about alcohol and abuse of alcohol.”

strangely this is not done with heroin, cocaine or cannabis…

I remember trying a sip of my dad’s pint of bitter

my reaction is still much the same – how can anyone like that ghastly shite ?

my reaction is still much the same – how can anyone like that ghastly shite ?

you learn to like beer though, probably much the same as you learn to like any food

you learn to like beer though, probably much the same as you learn to like any food

but depending how horrible it is, a degree of motivation is required. Hunger can be a powerful incentive, the desire to become stupid perhaps not.

Well, people learn to like olives, broccoli and other “ghastly shite”, when they could sate their hunger by eating cheesy wotsits.

🙂

the desire to become stupid perhaps not.

Something you often excel at, so no desire required! 😉

This is more about parenting skills than it is about banning children from drinking.

Something you often excel at, so no desire required!

perhaps that’s why I don’t need to drink ?

Why do you need to pontificate about it quite so much?

This is more about parenting skills than it is about banning children from drinking.

has anyone mentioned banning ?

Why do you need to pontificate about it quite so much?

because I see it as a significant ill of current society, and it’s slightly more interesting than tyres

Stuff like this isn’t aimed at the vast majority of folk who are more than capable of both teaching, and looking after their children. Stuff like this is aimed at the teeny tiny minority of “Chaotic” families, who genuinely don’t have the skill, or awareness to realise that drinking 15 pints a night in front of little Dwain, or Chardonnay, then having a massive bust up, whilst at the same time not bothering to feed them, could maybe have a detrimental effect on their upbringing.

Simon, we all know you don’t like drinking, you manage to tell us nearly every week. It’s dull now. Stop.

Stuff like this isn’t aimed at the vast majority of folk who are more than capable of both teaching, and looking after their children.

We have a third of a million 11-15 years old on a typical weekend drinking alcohol.

a third of a million sounds quite vast to me

It’s dull now. Stop.

that’s what I think about people rattling on about their boozing 🙂