Alcohol Free beer for Kids-Bad parenting?

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Don't see a problem what so ever with giving a child of any age alcohol free beer. The problem I would have is that most children wouldn't like the taste.

You also have to factor in the differant cultures, it's not uncommon to find a vending machine in the workplace in Germany, why? Because they don't have a problem with alcohol like the Irish and British do. Plenty of people on the continent have a beer with their lunch or dinner, do that here and you're an alcoholic.

I think sometimes parents shelter their children too much, which, in my opinion and experience, can be very bad too.

Nevyn

I think it depends on the age of the child and also most alcohol "free" beer does have alcohol in it but just a very reduced ammount.

di11on

Personal take on this is that your kids are going to be way more influenced by your attitude to drink and what they see you doing than by whether or not you give them alcohol free beer.

If they see alcohol as a taboo free part of everyday life, being consumed sensibly at the dinner table, then I really think there is no harm at all in letting a 15 year old have a glass of wine.

However, if they see you downing pints and drinking half a bottle of wine with your dinner, then I don't think it really matters what you give them with their dinner. Likewise, if alcohol is strictly taboo in the house, it's probably likely to be just as bad, when it comes to their perception of what is normal.

cynder

i remember when i was younger than 8 buying cans of shandy in the local shops. i would even give my kids shandy. had my first can when i was 13 (only 1 can allowed here and there) glass of wine at 16. and guess what i very rarely drink. i was out the other night first time since november and had 5 tia maria's and milk. i dont drink in the house didnt even have a glass of wine over x mas and sometimes when i do go out i dont drink at all - in fact i dont like the taste ( i do like tia-maria). i got drunk once in the last 10 years and that was on my hen night.

when mine turn into teenagers i will probably give them a glass here and there and will teach them to respect it and not use it to get drunk. my eldest is diabetic so she cant drink(get drunk) anyways but a glass here and there wont do any harm.

CrazyRabbit

I drank very excessively as a young teen. It was forbidden and hence very attractive to a rebellious teenager.

I wish I had been given a better, more responsible introduction to alcohol!

Cabaal

damonjewel wrote: »

I remember in Ireland you could get cans of shandy which had a minimal amount of alcohol in it, I´m sure most boardsies that are 30 plus would remember it too. I also remember my parents dissapproving if I asked for it when we were out shopping. However shandy was sweet and nothing like real beer unlike alcohol free beers.

Yeah remember those, Club Shandy

Crea

A young persons attitude to alcohol is most likely developed by seeing how the people around them treat alcohol. If they see Mum and Dad polishing off a bottle of wine with Sunday lunch and getting a bit tipsy, or going to a Christening/wedding/communion and all the adults getting sloshed then they will learn that you drink alcohol to get drunk. They will learn moderation from their parents having ONE glass of wine with dinner and then putting the bottle away or having 1 beer in the pub watching the match and coming home sober.
Then their binge drinking friends will undo all your good work:p

cynder

very true, im 29 with 3 kids and when im out (very rare) my friends say here have another, have another. i say no, you can line them up in front of me and i will leave them there.

no only do 15 year olds do it but 30+ do it as well. you have to have a very strong stance to say no. i like being the odd one out and saying no. i laugh at them when they get drunk and be thankful i am not the one with the hangover the next day or the one still over the drink drive limit the next day.

parsi

DubDani wrote: »

Was it real alcohol free beer, like for example Becks or was it the so called "Dunkelbier"?

Dunkelbier is quite a common drink in germany, and not seen as an "alcoholic" drink and mostly consumed by kids..

Or it could be the real McCoy (which is tasty ) - http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkelbier

LegacyUser

When I was a young kid we always had root beer and root beer floats, we drank it from beer mugs, with a big foamy heads. It was a novelty and we enjoyed sitting at the table with the adults drinking 'beers' with them. And we enjoyed kiddie cocktails too. My grandpa always gave me the first sip when I brought him a can (Hamm's or Old Style!) and even though I liked the taste the carbonation burned my throat so I always went cheerfully back to the kid stuff. When I was old enough to appreciate the difference between soda and beer (13?) they gave me the occasional small glass. My dad and granddad both were dedicated beer drinkers and enjoyed it as a hobby, and taught me that whether good or bad, habits are habits and something you should strive to control.

When I was in my mid-teens, my friends would steal a beer from their dad's fridge and sneak out behind the garage to pass it around. I said no thanks, thats cheap beer and whats the big deal anyway.

I live in Germany now, partly for work and partly for the beer as I'm an aficionado now.