Kids and Alcohol
averyschmidt
I'm interested in what you all think about alcohol in general and
kids and alcohol in particular. I know of unschoolers who don't
partake and expect their children to never partake either, and I
know of unschoolers who serve their (older) children beer or wine
with dinner.
I'm not sure where I stand, but I think that as my children get
older I'm inclined toward the latter. I believe that the U.S. has
the highest drinking age in the world, and I can't help but wonder
if that correlates directly to the amount of sneaky binge drinking
that goes on among teens. If the legal drinking age is 21, an age
where many kids have moved out on their own, then where is the time
to learn to drink responsibly under your parent's supervision? It
doesn't make sense to me. On the one hand kids are legal adults at
18 and can go to war even, but they can't order a beer at a
restaurant- isn't it a bit screwy? Meanwhile, most adults drink
socially and drinking is glamorized in the media. Talk about "do as
I say, not as I do".
I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately as my son is
turning 13, an age close to when I embarked on binge drinking with
my friends (behind my parents' backs of course) which continued
through college. There has to be a more sensible way.
Some links that have me thinking:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html
http://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/state
(you might find like I did that there are exceptions to underage
drinking laws in your state)
Please know that I'm not talking about getting five year olds drunk,
I'm talking about a natural progression with older kids and teens
(as oppposed to doing a shot each in every bar in town when one
FINALLY turns 21.)
Thoughts?
Patti
kids and alcohol in particular. I know of unschoolers who don't
partake and expect their children to never partake either, and I
know of unschoolers who serve their (older) children beer or wine
with dinner.
I'm not sure where I stand, but I think that as my children get
older I'm inclined toward the latter. I believe that the U.S. has
the highest drinking age in the world, and I can't help but wonder
if that correlates directly to the amount of sneaky binge drinking
that goes on among teens. If the legal drinking age is 21, an age
where many kids have moved out on their own, then where is the time
to learn to drink responsibly under your parent's supervision? It
doesn't make sense to me. On the one hand kids are legal adults at
18 and can go to war even, but they can't order a beer at a
restaurant- isn't it a bit screwy? Meanwhile, most adults drink
socially and drinking is glamorized in the media. Talk about "do as
I say, not as I do".
I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately as my son is
turning 13, an age close to when I embarked on binge drinking with
my friends (behind my parents' backs of course) which continued
through college. There has to be a more sensible way.
Some links that have me thinking:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html
http://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/state
(you might find like I did that there are exceptions to underage
drinking laws in your state)
Please know that I'm not talking about getting five year olds drunk,
I'm talking about a natural progression with older kids and teens
(as oppposed to doing a shot each in every bar in town when one
FINALLY turns 21.)
Thoughts?
Patti
Bling Williams
I don't drink but my kids have had wine or lite beer at mealtimes for ages. At Hesfes Heather (13 then) certainly drank to try it out and she tried grass. She said she liked the alcopops, didn't like grass and thought people behaved stupidly when drunk.
I think if I'd been less open she wouldn't have told me and experimented in secret which is way more worrying than having some in someone's tent and then coming to tell me her experiences.
We've sat down and talked about how alcohol ruins your judgement and she's seen first hand how the boys plied it on the girls. She's also experienced being called a 'sissy' when she didn't want any and was able to deal with that.
I guess we're lucky that Hesfes (and other HE camps) gives teens a very safe environment to try stuff. She likes to try some drinks with her friends.
While i don't like alcohol and wish no-one ever drank, I don't own her or her body so its up to her what she does. But we do talk about safe situations.
This year at Hesfes she'll be 14 so now I'm wowrrying about boys and condoms! We've talked about sex and alcohol, safety and only doing when you want too, not cos someone has pressurised you into doing it (and HE boys are like males anywhere. If they can, they will!).
She'll experiment but I hope she can always talk it tthrough with me and share anything thats bugging her.
Shyrley
averyschmidt <patti.schmidt2@...> wrote:
I'm interested in what you all think about alcohol in general and
kids and alcohol in particular. I know of unschoolers who don't
partake and expect their children to never partake either, and I
know of unschoolers who serve their (older) children beer or wine
with dinner.
I'm not sure where I stand, but I think that as my children get
older I'm inclined toward the latter. I believe that the U.S. has
the highest drinking age in the world, and I can't help but wonder
if that correlates directly to the amount of sneaky binge drinking
that goes on among teens. If the legal drinking age is 21, an age
where many kids have moved out on their own, then where is the time
to learn to drink responsibly under your parent's supervision? It
doesn't make sense to me. On the one hand kids are legal adults at
18 and can go to war even, but they can't order a beer at a
restaurant- isn't it a bit screwy? Meanwhile, most adults drink
socially and drinking is glamorized in the media. Talk about "do as
I say, not as I do".
I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately as my son is
turning 13, an age close to when I embarked on binge drinking with
my friends (behind my parents' backs of course) which continued
through college. There has to be a more sensible way.
Some links that have me thinking:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html
http://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/state
(you might find like I did that there are exceptions to underage
drinking laws in your state)
Please know that I'm not talking about getting five year olds drunk,
I'm talking about a natural progression with older kids and teens
(as oppposed to doing a shot each in every bar in town when one
FINALLY turns 21.)
Thoughts?
Patti
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"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in a final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fedthose who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending its money aloneit is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children." Dwight Eisenhower, Speech (1953)
http://nobravery.cf.huffingtonpost.com/
---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I think if I'd been less open she wouldn't have told me and experimented in secret which is way more worrying than having some in someone's tent and then coming to tell me her experiences.
We've sat down and talked about how alcohol ruins your judgement and she's seen first hand how the boys plied it on the girls. She's also experienced being called a 'sissy' when she didn't want any and was able to deal with that.
I guess we're lucky that Hesfes (and other HE camps) gives teens a very safe environment to try stuff. She likes to try some drinks with her friends.
While i don't like alcohol and wish no-one ever drank, I don't own her or her body so its up to her what she does. But we do talk about safe situations.
This year at Hesfes she'll be 14 so now I'm wowrrying about boys and condoms! We've talked about sex and alcohol, safety and only doing when you want too, not cos someone has pressurised you into doing it (and HE boys are like males anywhere. If they can, they will!).
She'll experiment but I hope she can always talk it tthrough with me and share anything thats bugging her.
Shyrley
averyschmidt <patti.schmidt2@...> wrote:
I'm interested in what you all think about alcohol in general and
kids and alcohol in particular. I know of unschoolers who don't
partake and expect their children to never partake either, and I
know of unschoolers who serve their (older) children beer or wine
with dinner.
I'm not sure where I stand, but I think that as my children get
older I'm inclined toward the latter. I believe that the U.S. has
the highest drinking age in the world, and I can't help but wonder
if that correlates directly to the amount of sneaky binge drinking
that goes on among teens. If the legal drinking age is 21, an age
where many kids have moved out on their own, then where is the time
to learn to drink responsibly under your parent's supervision? It
doesn't make sense to me. On the one hand kids are legal adults at
18 and can go to war even, but they can't order a beer at a
restaurant- isn't it a bit screwy? Meanwhile, most adults drink
socially and drinking is glamorized in the media. Talk about "do as
I say, not as I do".
I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately as my son is
turning 13, an age close to when I embarked on binge drinking with
my friends (behind my parents' backs of course) which continued
through college. There has to be a more sensible way.
Some links that have me thinking:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html
http://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/state
(you might find like I did that there are exceptions to underage
drinking laws in your state)
Please know that I'm not talking about getting five year olds drunk,
I'm talking about a natural progression with older kids and teens
(as oppposed to doing a shot each in every bar in town when one
FINALLY turns 21.)
Thoughts?
Patti
---------------------------------
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
Visit your group "AlwaysLearning" on the web.
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
---------------------------------
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in a final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fedthose who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending its money aloneit is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children." Dwight Eisenhower, Speech (1953)
http://nobravery.cf.huffingtonpost.com/
---------------------------------
Love cheap thrills? Enjoy PC-to-Phone calls to 30+ countries for just 2¢/min with Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Kim H
<I'm interested in what you all think about alcohol in general and
kids and alcohol in particular>
This is such an interesting thing to think about, especially for me with a young child (6). Over here in Australia the legal age is 18 - I really feel like 21 pushes the limit. I can't understand why it's so old in the US. Under age drinking is a huge problem over here too. I tend to think that a lot of these problems stem from disconnectedness (spelling??) within families. Teens feel the need to rebel against rules, groundings, punishments etc.
I feel, like you Patti, that when/if Lewi shows an interest in alcohol them it'll certainly be something we discuss openly and with much understanding. I think at 15 or 16, if kids want to share in wine or beer (the moderation thing) then surely it's a way of them learning about alcohol and taking away the focus of binge drinking. I guess it's a bit like the TV, the less restrictions the less desire (for some at least).
Hmmm, it's certainly got me thinking anyway. I can't wait to hear what others have to say about it.
Kim
kids and alcohol in particular>
This is such an interesting thing to think about, especially for me with a young child (6). Over here in Australia the legal age is 18 - I really feel like 21 pushes the limit. I can't understand why it's so old in the US. Under age drinking is a huge problem over here too. I tend to think that a lot of these problems stem from disconnectedness (spelling??) within families. Teens feel the need to rebel against rules, groundings, punishments etc.
I feel, like you Patti, that when/if Lewi shows an interest in alcohol them it'll certainly be something we discuss openly and with much understanding. I think at 15 or 16, if kids want to share in wine or beer (the moderation thing) then surely it's a way of them learning about alcohol and taking away the focus of binge drinking. I guess it's a bit like the TV, the less restrictions the less desire (for some at least).
Hmmm, it's certainly got me thinking anyway. I can't wait to hear what others have to say about it.
Kim
----- Original Message -----
From: averyschmidt
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 3:04 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Kids and Alcohol
I'm interested in what you all think about alcohol in general and
kids and alcohol in particular. I know of unschoolers who don't
partake and expect their children to never partake either, and I
know of unschoolers who serve their (older) children beer or wine
with dinner.
I'm not sure where I stand, but I think that as my children get
older I'm inclined toward the latter. I believe that the U.S. has
the highest drinking age in the world, and I can't help but wonder
if that correlates directly to the amount of sneaky binge drinking
that goes on among teens. If the legal drinking age is 21, an age
where many kids have moved out on their own, then where is the time
to learn to drink responsibly under your parent's supervision? It
doesn't make sense to me. On the one hand kids are legal adults at
18 and can go to war even, but they can't order a beer at a
restaurant- isn't it a bit screwy? Meanwhile, most adults drink
socially and drinking is glamorized in the media. Talk about "do as
I say, not as I do".
I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately as my son is
turning 13, an age close to when I embarked on binge drinking with
my friends (behind my parents' backs of course) which continued
through college. There has to be a more sensible way.
Some links that have me thinking:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html
http://alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/state
(you might find like I did that there are exceptions to underage
drinking laws in your state)
Please know that I'm not talking about getting five year olds drunk,
I'm talking about a natural progression with older kids and teens
(as oppposed to doing a shot each in every bar in town when one
FINALLY turns 21.)
Thoughts?
Patti
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Joyce Fetteroll
On Apr 10, 2006, at 1:04 AM, averyschmidt wrote:
parents. My sister and I could have a little bit of brandy when we
came in from skiing in the bitter cold. (I'm sure we could have had
it more often, but when it wasn't bitter cold we were warm enough by
the time we got upstairs that we didn't need any help warming up.) My
aunt used to make these very strong alcoholic drinks for weekly
dinner at my grandmother's, and sometimes we'd have wine. I rarely
finished either but I drank some.
Alcohol didn't hold any mysteries for me. It wasn't some rite of
passage to adulthood. And that's what we've done with Kathryn (now 14).
Since she can have alcohol, she judges what she wants to drink by how
it tastes and not what it represents. Though she occasionally will
drink some wine, I suspect on her list of drinks it's fairly far down
the list of favorites.
She knows the affects of alcohol. We've discussed that as it's come up.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> I'm interested in what you all think about alcohol in general andI grew up with sips of beer and wine and mixed drinks from my
> kids and alcohol in particular.
parents. My sister and I could have a little bit of brandy when we
came in from skiing in the bitter cold. (I'm sure we could have had
it more often, but when it wasn't bitter cold we were warm enough by
the time we got upstairs that we didn't need any help warming up.) My
aunt used to make these very strong alcoholic drinks for weekly
dinner at my grandmother's, and sometimes we'd have wine. I rarely
finished either but I drank some.
Alcohol didn't hold any mysteries for me. It wasn't some rite of
passage to adulthood. And that's what we've done with Kathryn (now 14).
Since she can have alcohol, she judges what she wants to drink by how
it tastes and not what it represents. Though she occasionally will
drink some wine, I suspect on her list of drinks it's fairly far down
the list of favorites.
She knows the affects of alcohol. We've discussed that as it's come up.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Paula Sjogerman
On Apr 10, 2006, at 12:04 AM, averyschmidt wrote:
alcohol, including scotch!, since she was little. Now that she's 16,
she likes to pour a tiny espresso cup of wine for herself sometimes
with dinner. At the same time, she has seen some people she knows get
really drunk and she is disdanful of that. Also, two of her
grandparents are/were extreme alcoholics, so of course, we've talked
a lot about that.
I think it's important to talk about drugs in a global way - that
many things are drugs, coffee, aspirin, crack, pot, and they all have
really different effects on humans. And I agree that the whole
forbidden aspect must lead to some of today's bingeing.
Paula
"We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that the
child is already someone today." - Stacia Tauscher
> Thoughts?We've always been a sipping family. Zoe has like the taste of every
alcohol, including scotch!, since she was little. Now that she's 16,
she likes to pour a tiny espresso cup of wine for herself sometimes
with dinner. At the same time, she has seen some people she knows get
really drunk and she is disdanful of that. Also, two of her
grandparents are/were extreme alcoholics, so of course, we've talked
a lot about that.
I think it's important to talk about drugs in a global way - that
many things are drugs, coffee, aspirin, crack, pot, and they all have
really different effects on humans. And I agree that the whole
forbidden aspect must lead to some of today's bingeing.
Paula
"We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that the
child is already someone today." - Stacia Tauscher