Giving children small glass of wine with dinner

Question

What percentage of americans give their kids wine with their dinner? I know the french do it. why not here in america? What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

go ahead and let your kids get shitfaced

Answer 2

i think once in a while its fine to give your kids any drink like that. it lets them know how it tastes and things and it makes it seem less interesting to just binge drink later on cause they've already had it.

that doesnt mean go mixin them a strong drink but if you let them have weak ones ever so often it makes drinking seem less "cool" i guess is the word i'll use.

Answer 3

This mentality of making alcohol some forbidden taboo only fuels the desire for it.

Responsible drinking starts at home.  So serving your child (say 10 years and older) a small glass of wine with dinner is perfectly normal.  It teaches responsible drinking, social behaviour, etiquette, and a cadre of other life skills (honestly; watching Americans under 30 eating is generally beyond painful; no sense of etiquette, table manners that rival animals, or any concept of social norms or appropriate behaviour).

Honestly...you're not a bad parent if you serve your kid a small glass of wine with dinner.  You're being smart, proactive, and doing your job as a parent.

What's better- make it a taboo until they hit high school and the inevitable binge drinking with no concept of control or moderation, usually followed by drink-driving?  

The percentage is likely quite small, since if a parent were to do this they'd be cast with all kinds of horrible labels.    

Answer 4

No i dont think thats a good idea, back in the day it was okay but now it just doesnt seem right

Answer 5

I dont know about the percentage. They dont do this here in american because its illegal for kids to drink at a younger age, in France, i dont think that its illegal.

Answer 6

no i think that's a bad idea.

there children!!

Answer 7

the italians have done it for ever !  its just not the norm here.. we also have a problem here with juvenile drinking.. so why start them any earlier ?  and -- the average amount given to kids is about 3 ounce and only with dinner.. i think it was to calm them down.. but who really knows..  ciao

Answer 8

I think it is fine. In fact my mom gives me wine occasionally, usually with Italian diners I cook for her and myself. However I'm 18. I think that if parents allowed someone younger to drink wine, even a glass of it, the kid wouldn't be able to finish it. I remember my first glass. I took one little sip of it and couldn't stand the taste. I was unable to finish the glass(It was a Cabernet). In fact it might be a good idea to do this. Maybe the kid would be detoured by the taste of the wine. However I did try again, turns out the wine was just too strong for a fist time drinker like me. I tried a lighter Lambrusco and loved it. But parents should give their kids, if the kids want to try it, a glass of wine. Make it a strong Merlot though and maybe they will never want to drink again.

Answer 9

I know the Europeans are fine with it, but alcoholism is very common in Europe (esp eastern) and into Russia (of course).  So many people have what they will call 'liver disease'...really alcoholic cirrhosis!

I know that the US population has its own problem with abuse, but no one can predict who will become an alcoholic and who won't.

We also don't know how resilient a child's liver will be!  Why risk it?  Just because the French says it's acceptable, doesn't mean it is!  What about smoking?  They see no problem with it either.

Answer 10

All i do is stick my figure in my parents glass so i only get a little wine not a glass full!

Answer 11

depends on the age. Thats starting a nasty habit that is hard to break.

Answer 12

One the one hand it's illegal for children to drink under a certain age, but on the other, if parents give their children a small amount of drink then they won't be tempted to sneakily try some with their mates and end up drunk and sick. As long as the parents take responsibility and just allow them a small amount, perhaps watered down at first, then this can be a way to educate how to drink responsibly.

Answer 13

Thats the dumbest thing I have ever heard and you could loose your child and go to jail here in America.

Answer 14

Wine kills far more developing brain cells under the age of 19.

Not a good idea.

It's simple there French, and your American!!

Answer 15

well, I grew up in Russia and you know, the stories about Russians drinking are true.  so, my brother and myself were not given wine with dinners but, if there was a party in the house, we were allowed to taste some champagne or wine since we were 12-13.  it was my parents' policy that we should learn to drink at home, with supervision and know our limits and not get extremely drunk when partying with friends.  this paid off - nether me nor my brother EVER got drunk or enjoyed the liquor so much that we got addicted, even though we do drink socially.  I do believe that parents should allow teenages try alcohol at home and not wait for them to get wasted with 'friends'.  

Answer 16

Um why would you do that....they are children!  

Answer 17

I've occasionally offered a glass of wine or beer to my children and I've also taken steps to educate them on the proper use of alcohol in their lives. I firmly believe (and am supported by scientific studies) that proper education and early introduction to alcohol prevents problems later in life including but not limited to binge drinking, alcoholism, problem drinking and drunk driving.

http://chooseresponsibility.org

And before you just automatically click on a thumb down for me, take a minute and read up on the facts at the website above.

Why not here in America? Because we were founded by religious extremists who were kicked out of their own countries for being to strict. As a result we've let that "moral" minority control our government for 230+ years.

Answer 18

i think its ok to an extent. this is only because if you give them a little bit of wine, its one good for them to have a glass of wine a day.

also then they wont have to go out and experiment with underage drinking.

so i think its good, if its only one glass or a half of a glass.

Answer 19

Because it's illegal.

When you say "children," it makes me think of 6-10 year olds.

A lot of "children" don't like drinks like wine, champagne, or beer.

I hated it when I was a child. Buuut I'll get a few sips of alchoholic beverages sometimes from my parents

(a martini or a daquery (sp?) or something.)

I think it'd be awesome to have wine with dinner,

although it would be unhealthy. Plus it'd be sort of

weird having a nice glass of wine beside my

jalapeno chicken wrap XD

Answer 20

i think its okay, over there the kids are probably used to it. i don't think american children are ready for that.

Answer 21

I think children should not drink any sort of alcohol.

Answer 22

the drinking age needs to be lowered to 13. the ONLY reason teens drink is to be rebels and think they are bad@ss. if everyone could drink, it wouldnt be a big deal. there would be a lot less drunk drivivng for teens.   I think that it is ok to give teens a little wine at dinner...like less than a wine glass full to show them that mostly everything is fine in moderation. that is showing them good habbits...and they will never think of alcohol as a big of deal...so they wont feel like they need to get their hands on it.

Answer 23

I let my 8 year old nephew drink wine coolers He tells me I like those type of juice bottles. I think it great He gos to sleep and I can do other things and I seem like a great person with the lady's

Answer 24

It's probably because of certain laws in part of the countries.  In Florida, you have to be 18 to drink pina collata.  In other US states, you have to be at least 21.

Answer 25

it depends on the age. once your kids are well into their teens, its ok for a small glass but not enough to cause drowsiness (a buzz).

Answer 26

It depends how old the children are, if they are like 16 and older then it probably isn't that bad. But if they are younger then that then you should probably stick to juice. If you want to the kids to feel like they are part of the group by drinking a glass of wine, maybe give then sparkling juice, that way they get the look of drinking wine but its juice.