I mean, my kids are preschoolers and I guess I'm "teaching" them to drink now, in that they know that alcohol is for grownups only, and that they see us never have more than one or two drinks, and usually in social occasions (like when we have friends or family for dinner or a party).

I'll start letting them have tastes probably around 12 (as my dad did) and their own drink once they seem to be done growing, around 15-17. With us, at home only.

OP, are you an alcoholic in recovery? I know a few alcoholics in recovery (my husband and his AA friends) who believe they should teach their children how to drink, so they know what being drunk feels like.

I don’t agree, so DH and I argued about it a lot before our kids left for college.

You don’t explicitly “teach” them how to drink.

You model healthy consumption and have open, honest discussions about alcohol.

You let them know they can always call you for a judgement-free ride home if they drink too much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Larla, you're gonna wanna grease up your stomach befofe you chug some beers. Pizza or sumin. Now, you wanna drink enough so that you have a good time, but not so much that the lights go out and you wake up with Tommy Pumpernickel's d i c k in your mouth. You know what I mean?

Wish someone gave me that advice

Sadly, that is basically what my alcoholic mom told me when I was 16. That and her drunken abuse put me off of drinking at all. I'm sorry for both of us.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable. The kids I worry about most are those like my own—not big partiers at all, but a little shy and reserved, and lacking a rich social life in high school. These are the kids who can go a little crazy when they leave home and realize that alcohol makes it easy to talk to people and feel like they’re having fun. It is fun at first, but it can get dangerous quickly if they don’t know when they’ve crossed a line.

Anonymous wrote:Larla, you're gonna wanna grease up your stomach befofe you chug some beers. Pizza or sumin. Now, you wanna drink enough so that you have a good time, but not so much that the lights go out and you wake up with Tommy Pumpernickel's d i c k in your mouth. You know what I mean?

Wish someone gave me that advice

Anonymous wrote:Here's what I told my heading to college kid:

1. Never drink alone
2. Try not to have more than 2 drinks (hard for college kids, I know, but I am trying to instill "rules for not becoming an alcoholic")
3. Never drink and drive
4. Avoid any drug made in a lab.
5. Avoid any drug with severe addictive properties (cocaine, heroin)
5. Watch marijuana intake. Too much pot takes away ambition and puts you in neutral.

and do you imagine they listened?

Here's what I told my heading to college kid:

1. Never drink alone
2. Try not to have more than 2 drinks (hard for college kids, I know, but I am trying to instill "rules for not becoming an alcoholic")
3. Never drink and drive
4. Avoid any drug made in a lab.
5. Avoid any drug with severe addictive properties (cocaine, heroin)
5. Watch marijuana intake. Too much pot takes away ambition and puts you in neutral.

Relatedly, should you teach them how to smoke? Have sex?

Don't try to be a cool mom, you just come across as creepy as eff.

Being realistic but protective (ie, turning a blind eye to experimenting, but watching like a hawk for drunk driving, etc.) is okay, but c'mon teach them? You just look pathetic and no one thinks you're helping.

Anonymous wrote:Popping my popcorn now

The trolls have been running wild here lately.

Larla, you're gonna wanna grease up your stomach befofe you chug some beers. Pizza or sumin. Now, you wanna drink enough so that you have a good time, but not so much that the lights go out and you wake up with Tommy Pumpernickel's d i c k in your mouth. You know what I mean?

We let our 16 year old drink when he’s with us. Flame away.

Older kids are 20 and 22 and in college or just out of.

This is something kids figure out through trial and error. Hopefully without errors that can't be undone.

Popping my popcorn now

What age do you teach your kids how to drink? Is it a good idea? If they are going to college how to tell them when is enough?