Letting your child drink at home
Rightly or wrongly, home is where kids learn most of life’s lessons. So, how alcohol is handled in the home is critical to how well your children will fare in the future.
Unfortunately, there is no strong evidence to suggest that providing alcohol to your child in the home teaches them to drink responsibly. Some parents believe that providing alcohol with a meal in a family setting is appropriate because that is the way they were brought up. What rules and boundaries you decide to set as a parent is your business, but whatever your decision, you need to make it based on good quality, up-to-date research.
Remember, we now know that alcohol disrupts brain development. Young people who drink alcohol risk their brains not reaching full capacity, which means they might never reach their full potential as an adult. It’s that simple!
Also, keep in mind that the research indicates that kids who have parents with permissive attitudes and high levels of tolerance towards adolescent drinking, seem to have more problems with alcohol in adulthood.
So the message is clear - delay the introduction of alcohol for as long as possible. There is no better place to promote that message than in the home.
For practical strategies and expert advice select relevant age group below.