This thread is baffling. My mom was a control freak when I was growing up...and to this day, she basically thinks alcohol is the devil. She visibly tenses when any of my siblings orders alcohol...and I'm 40!

Nonetheless, she would have been fine with all of this. I actually see the mocktails as exactly the opposite. Instead of glamorizing drinking alcohol, it demonstrates that you can have fun and enjoy drinks without alcohol! Because it's about the fun mix of the juice flavors and the bright colors, nice glasses. Why should only alcohol drinkers get nice glasses...that's so weird! My kids drink milk out of twisty straws and bright colored cups. Yeah, these are all things aimed at kids, but the point is that fun cups and straws are fun! You don't want your kids thinking that the only way they can have fun beverages is by drinking alcohol...what an odd lesson to teach.

Or is this secretly a DCUM anti-juice thing?

23:42 again. I also am fine with this party, and think OP is overreacting. But I needed to address the “serve your kids alcohol now to demystify it” thing, because I’ve seen it often and there is no evidence to support it (quite the opposite actually).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I’m inadvertently preparing my kids (13 and 10) to be future alcoholics or underage drinkers because kiddie cocktails and virgin pina coladas/margaritas are easily their favorite things to order at restaurants and we’ve never stopped them. It never even crossed my mind, really. Do I need to start researching AA meetings right now?

Research shows the opposite, you are demystifying alcohol and teaching them to understand socialization vs hiding and binging.

It’s 2018 and people still believe this? Oh, dear.

You are confusing belief with research. But, I’m always happy to review new information. Please share peer reviewed journals sharing to the contrary.

The “if you let them drink as teens they’ll learn moderation” myth is just that. A myth. And is not supported by research. In fact, the research shows that it may actually lead to more problems with alcohol down the road.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110428065615.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1381379/Letting-children-drink-home-makes-teens-likely-develop-alcohol-problems.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4108600/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3103453/

If you have evidence that shows the opposite, I’m always happy to review new information. Please share peer review journals sharing to the contrary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I’m inadvertently preparing my kids (13 and 10) to be future alcoholics or underage drinkers because kiddie cocktails and virgin pina coladas/margaritas are easily their favorite things to order at restaurants and we’ve never stopped them. It never even crossed my mind, really. Do I need to start researching AA meetings right now?

Research shows the opposite, you are demystifying alcohol and teaching them to understand socialization vs hiding and binging.

It’s 2018 and people still believe this? Oh, dear.

You are confusing belief with research. But, I’m always happy to review new information. Please share peer reviewed journals sharing to the contrary.

NP here and I am not on OP's side, I think she's overreacting to this party, which involved only mocktails. But, there is definitely (peer-reviewed) evidence that parents who provide kids with actual alcohol do them no favors. Here's one recent study
www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/national/health-science/letting-teens-imbibe-a-little-to-teach-responsible-drinking-seems-to-backfire-study-finds/2018/02/16/95190c12-128c-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I’m inadvertently preparing my kids (13 and 10) to be future alcoholics or underage drinkers because kiddie cocktails and virgin pina coladas/margaritas are easily their favorite things to order at restaurants and we’ve never stopped them. It never even crossed my mind, really. Do I need to start researching AA meetings right now?

Research shows the opposite, you are demystifying alcohol and teaching them to understand socialization vs hiding and binging.

It’s 2018 and people still believe this? Oh, dear.

You are confusing belief with research. But, I’m always happy to review new information. Please share peer reviewed journals sharing to the contrary.

I would have gone along with it all and then dealt with my Mother's sighs, dissapointment and concern that I had embarrassed her.

Anonymous wrote:I would have hated this party as a 13 yo. I hate having people apply make up on me and getting pressured into doing stuff to my hair.

And?

Anonymous wrote:I would have hated this party as a 13 yo. I hate having people apply make up on me and getting pressured into doing stuff to my hair.

That's fine. OP's daughter had fun.

I think part of OP's problem is that her DD enjoyed herself doing these things.

I would have hated this party as a 13 yo. I hate having people apply make up on me and getting pressured into doing stuff to my hair.

I had strict parents OP who had lots of rules and all of my siblings and I turned out fine. None of us went off the deep end with experimentation.

Jeez. This seems like such a typical 13yo party (minus the professionals there). Why the heck would you be concerned?!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I’m inadvertently preparing my kids (13 and 10) to be future alcoholics or underage drinkers because kiddie cocktails and virgin pina coladas/margaritas are easily their favorite things to order at restaurants and we’ve never stopped them. It never even crossed my mind, really. Do I need to start researching AA meetings right now?

Research shows the opposite, you are demystifying alcohol and teaching them to understand socialization vs hiding and binging.

It’s 2018 and people still believe this? Oh, dear.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make up and temporary hair dye? No biggie.

Mocktails at a 13 year old's party? Were they mixed in shakers and served in cocktail glasses? That would definitely bother me. Frozen virgin pina coladas or strawberry daiquiris served in a plastic cup with a fun straw similar to a starbucks frappachino or a smoothie at a restaurant? Not a big deal.

I am generally conservative but am fine with adult drinking, host parties with alcohol and am not anti fun drinks for kids.

Virgin frozen margaritas and pina coladas and a drink the bday girl created. All were frozen and served in plastic glasses (like plastic margarita and plastic colada glasses).

I think the mocktails are really what angered me most. I just see it as glamorizing drinking which I don’t believe in. There’s alcoholism on my side of the family so we’ve always discussed alcohol with them and the seriousness of it. Most of this evening was spent talking about drinking and alcohol because she’s just absolutely enthralled with the mocktails.

OP, I'm with you on the mocktails. My DC was served mocktails at a party prior to freshman year homecoming dance, and I thought it glamorized drinking too. The kids should have had cans of soda, sparkling water, etc.

Soda? Complaining about smoothies because it’s in a fake cocktail glass but your fat ass kid gets soda? That’s America.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make up and temporary hair dye? No biggie.

Mocktails at a 13 year old's party? Were they mixed in shakers and served in cocktail glasses? That would definitely bother me. Frozen virgin pina coladas or strawberry daiquiris served in a plastic cup with a fun straw similar to a starbucks frappachino or a smoothie at a restaurant? Not a big deal.

I am generally conservative but am fine with adult drinking, host parties with alcohol and am not anti fun drinks for kids.

Virgin frozen margaritas and pina coladas and a drink the bday girl created. All were frozen and served in plastic glasses (like plastic margarita and plastic colada glasses).

I think the mocktails are really what angered me most. I just see it as glamorizing drinking which I don’t believe in. There’s alcoholism on my side of the family so we’ve always discussed alcohol with them and the seriousness of it. Most of this evening was spent talking about drinking and alcohol because she’s just absolutely enthralled with the mocktails.

OP, I'm with you on the mocktails. My DC was served mocktails at a party prior to freshman year homecoming dance, and I thought it glamorized drinking too. The kids should have had cans of soda, sparkling water, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I’m inadvertently preparing my kids (13 and 10) to be future alcoholics or underage drinkers because kiddie cocktails and virgin pina coladas/margaritas are easily their favorite things to order at restaurants and we’ve never stopped them. It never even crossed my mind, really. Do I need to start researching AA meetings right now?

Research shows the opposite, you are demystifying alcohol and teaching them to understand socialization vs hiding and binging.