Serving Drinks at Kid's Party

[Anonymous]

DD is turning 3 and we are having a party for her with a few of her buddies from daycare, as well as our family and friends. Party is during lunch time--should we serve mimosas, and/or beer/wine? If it were just close friends and family we would, but we don't know the parents of the other kids well and don't want to look like total lushes. What's appropriate?

[Anonymous]

I went to a 4yo's party this weekend where there was beer, wine and someone making margaritas. No one overindulged and no one judged them for having them.

[Anonymous]

Are you kidding? I would LOVE your party, OP!

[Anonymous]

I think it sort of depends on the rest of the context. A 90 minute party with a clown and cake? No booze. A cookout where kids are playing lawn games and stuff? Sure, imbibe.

[Anonymous]

You're serving lunch; serving alcohol is fine.

[Anonymous]

I did in exactly that situation but party was at 10:30. The mimosas were definitely popular! You'll get some people with very strong opinions that it is inappropriate on here but I think most people enjoy an adult beverage at a party!

[Anonymous]

We served sangria and beer at DD's 5th birthday. Since we had a couple of parents we don't socialize with, we offered drinks by saying we have Coke, juice, sangria, virgin pina coladas, and beer. Every single parent had one sangria or beer.

[Anonymous]

What time should I be there????

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a fun party! I'd just make sure you have some non-alcoholic drink choices as well, like iced tea or soda or something.

[Anonymous]

Get a keg.

[Anonymous]

Have never been to a kid's party that didn't have beer and wine.

[Anonymous]

We do at our preschoolers parties, and I had the same concern once we started inviting preschool families we don't know well. It didn't stop us though. I just downplayed the alcohol - there was a spot on the deck with a couple of coolers, and one of them happened to contain beer and wine. We do backyard BBQ type parties though, which I agree are a little more favorable towards adult beverages than the clown and cake scenario. In your case, I don't think it would be totally inappropriate to have a pitcher of mimosas and an ice bucket with some bottles of beer and wine along with all the other refreshments if that's what you want to do. The daycare parents are free to judge if that's their thing.

[Anonymous]

As long as kids party's require parent attendance, I will be serving booze.

[Anonymous]

This is how you make new parent friends.

[Anonymous]

I think that alcohol should be made mandatory at every child's party. There needs to be a law passed to this effect. With proper enforcement (availability and not consumption). That one glass of wine while toddlers team around like out of control human rodeo race is great.

Spin off: maybe that's what all those people complaining about a lack of RSVPs are missing.

Indeed, the new "mandatory grog and children's party" law should also address some emerging nutritional deficiencies too. Run with your carrots and gorgeous looking fruit kebabs. But it's also important to integrate chips, pizza with suspicious looking synthetic cheese and small high-saturated-fat COSTCO savouries. I don't care whether the kids eat them but it's a PARTY! not a slippery slope towards obesity.

I don't drink all that much and I don't drink and drive. But I absolutely cannot stand those sanctimonious, prohibition-hung-over, uptight idiots who act like a glass of something with alcohol in it represents some huge moral failing or an inevitable path to alcoholism. It's judgemental, immature and stinks of 'tea-partyesque' "I'm more socially adequate than you because I abstain BS..."

I don't think I would be such a good mom without my wine/whine buddies who are totally comfortable sharing the up-and-down experiences of motherhood over kiddy-dinners, spontaneous front-step gatherings and a non-judgemental attitude. The only problem we have is someone that has a problem with seeing us sitting in the sun with a Riesling while the kids get to play right there without someone hovering..