by Casey-Leigh Hethers

Created on: October 27, 2010

Alcohol is one of those concepts that falls within the all-too-popular forbidden fruit scenarios - deny your child the opportunity for alcohol and they will only want it all the more. Parents will be torn between how to deal with this and the entire situation leaves them full of worry. Do they risk allowing their child alcohol in the home only for the child to seek it out even more? Do they maintain a policy of no-use and let their child roam the streets in search of alcohol they can access where their safety may not be a priority?

The first aspect that must be considered is the age of the child. Obviously, before the age of ten, alcohol should not be a consideration. However, after that point, the maturity and common sense of the child must also be taken into consideration, as well as the group of friends that the child hangs out with. Ultimately, it is up to each parent to decide on a case by case basis, deciding on their approach per child (not per household, even though this may incur cries of "well, you let her/him start drinking at my age" from a younger, less mature sibling).

Within the home environment, a child is more protected and can be properly monitored for adverse reactions. A child can be supplied alcohol in moderation, which means that they cannot get drunk but can discover their reaction to it and find out that it is not the most exciting thing in the world. Once a child has been introduced to alcohol, much of the initial mystery and excitement of drinking alcohol will disappear in the face of reality - it isn't impressive and there is not much to be interested in. Remove the secrecy and it removes the fun.

Children will not respond well to an outright denial of drinking alcohol. By forbidding them and creating a no-use policy, children will react by sourcing it from elsewhere. Under these circumstances, it is much more preferable to have a child remain at home where they can be supervised than to have them completely inebriated as they wander the streets alone after getting into drunken arguments with friends - who may be just as incapable of limiting their alcohol intake and also left themselves in a dangerous predicament.

In a youth's eyes, a parent who allows them to consume alcohol will instantly become a "cool parent". Although it is easy to get carried away under this reputation, remember that you are allowing them to drink in the home - in moderation - to provide the child with a taster session that introduces them to drink while in a safe surrounding. This is a much more preferable situation that for a child to get reckless and carried away while drinking with friends out on the streets without any adult supervision at all.

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