Yes, I will allow my 16 year old daughter to drink alcohol. Not only do I allow it, I will buy alcohol for her if she asks me to.
Is that irresponsible of me? Perhaps it is.
Here’s what I know. It doesn’t matter what I say or what steps I take to prevent it, my 16-year-old daughter will drink alcohol before she turns 18.
How do I know she’ll drink before she’s legally allowed to? Because I don’t have my head buried in the sand. Because I did it. Because my mother before me did. And more than likely, you did too. I also smoked (read: bum-puffed) cigarettes and tried marijuana before I turned 18 and I am almost certain that my daughter will experiment with these too.
I had my first experience with alcohol when I was 15 and my mother most definitely did NOT buy it for me. In fact, I think to this day she is still under the impression that I had my first sip of vodka on my 18th birthday. My 'first time' was arranged and executed by my brother’s then girlfriend, with his express permission. What her motives were, I'm not entirely sure, but she being over 18, took myself and another mutual friend to the local bottle shop where I picked out a bottle of Malibu. Without going into too much detail, just know that after that night, I still can't smell coconut oil without getting the sweats.
In hindsight, it was a very stupid and dangerous thing to do. I drank so much Malibu (apparently I was drinking it straight by the end of the night) that I passed out and vomited on myself. I can’t tell you anything else about that night because it’s all a black hole for me after the 2nd drink. Now taking away the fact that my brother's girlfriend may not have realised my tolerance for alcohol would be so low, she probably wasn’t looking out for signs of me choking on my own vomit either.
Top Comments
No I would not let a teenager drink. There is no evidence whatsoever that giving kids alcohol stops them drinking at other times, in fact they are more likely to develop a problem with alcohol at some stage. Teen brains are still developing and there is plenty of evidence to show that alcohol affects brain development.
I have a preteen and I am dreading the party thing which I have heard is horrendous. Sorry, its mothers like this that make it difficult for the rest who are trying to be responsible.
Having said that I was given tiny drinks of beer as a small child, didn't do anything to me but my mother liked a drink and she ended up with dementia so no doubt there is a personality factor involved, however you won't know until its too late.
Personally my parents let me drink pretty much what I want (I'm a 16 year old male in the UK) I've been brought up in a philosophy of "teaching me how to drink so I know how to not get drunk" I had my first sip of alcohol at around age 4 and gently increasing ever since so that now, when its likely I would start drinking in spite of if my parents hadn't let me, I know what I like how much I can handle and when I'm overdoing it and therefore when to stop. I see my friends at parties getting drunk and stupid etc. (read pregnant) and I'm really grateful I was raised how I was