21.

Anonymous wrote:We're not quite there yet but probably once the son goes off to college (he's a HS junior now). We're parents of friends who have let their kids drink since 16 on camping trips. One of my son's childhood friends- not close anymore- has been going to bars with his parents since 14.

Here's a little wrinkle to throw you DC folks in a tizzy- in Wisconsin it is legal for a tavern to serve alcohol to a minor with a parent present and consenting. Chew on that one.

I posted earlier that I thought 16ish was fine...and I'm from Wisconsin. I was a bartender at age 18 - and the "house" expert on microbrews by 19, so really by the time I was legal, there was no mystery to alcohol for me. Also, this was only about 15 years ago, and it was the norm for high school kids to go to taverns with their parents. Freshman year in college seemed to be the unofficial drinking age for most of WI anyway.

I let my 15 year old have a couple of sips of wine at Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving dinner.

honestly do you NEED to give your child alcohol at all?

just coz its legal, don't make it safe...

Anonymous wrote:I was allowed to have wine or Cider ( hard Cider, grew up in England) in my mid teens with a meal, special occasion or Sunday dinner type of meal.
I intend to allow my child to do the same.

I did not grow up like this but I wish I did. Alcohol was instead treated like a magical mystery elixir that was quite literally hidden behind a lock and key and discussed as a Super Special Fun Thing That WE Can Do, But YOU Cannot. nah nah nah nah. !!! However, When You're 21, You Can Have As Much As You Want And Good Luck With That!!

I also intend to raise DS as PP says. A 2.5 oz glass of red wine with a one-hour proper meal at the table in my home is not a crime when you're 14, and no one will convince me otherwise.

when i noticed the empty bottle of vodka

21

Too much alcoholism in my family.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When would/did you start to allow your DC to have an occasional alcoholic beverage (beer, wine, etc) to drink with you and other of-age relatives in your home? How did you come to your decision? When did your parents allow you to drink alcohol in their presence?

21 unless enlisted.

Huh?

You've never heard that saying before? Old enough to serve but not old enough to drink?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When would/did you start to allow your DC to have an occasional alcoholic beverage (beer, wine, etc) to drink with you and other of-age relatives in your home? How did you come to your decision? When did your parents allow you to drink alcohol in their presence?

21 unless enlisted.

Huh?

Wine at Christmas and holidays:4-5
Actual cider/beer when finished working: 12-13ish

Anything more? Probably at least 16 but we rarely had hard liquor when the kids were little, so not an opportunity.

We just moved from Ohio where parents/guardians could legally permit their own children to drink under their direct supervision... we allowed a taste of what we were drinking at any age, a splash in their own glass for toasts at family events at age 8 (literally a splash, no more than 2-3 sips), a very small drink around half a glass (with a meal) at 13, and one regular size drink (with food of some sort) at age 16.

At some point I have to check MD law to see if it's the same as Ohio law. If so, we will follow this same pattern with the younger two kids that we followed with eldest DD, otherwise we will comply with the law of wherever we happen to be at the time if it is more restrictive.

Sips until 17 or so and then an occasional drink on special occasions. After going off to college, they can have drinks whenever. When we were traveling in Europe our college age child ordered wine along with us in restaurants.

I don't know where these statistics come from but I was of the belief the British (I am one) had outdone the French in terms of consumption of alcohol and instances of "alcoholism"

Its called Binge Britain after all.

Bloody shambles. Can't bear to see these photos. On New Year's eve growing up in London, I was always afraid to be outside in case I saw a fight or people collapsing, now its all the time.

Anonymous wrote:When we visit the in-laws in Europe, the law states 16 years old in public. Its younger than that in private homes.

We will comply over there with their laws.

Over here? Its just silly, frankly.

The problem is European policies are really bad and unhealthy. Europeans have a really bad relationship with alcohol. Alcoholism is rampant in many countries, loutishness and the extreme binge- drinking. The last thing we should do is strive to imitate the Europeans. We're much more sensible in this country.