According to a recent study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, researchers found that “many parents believe that letting young children taste alcohol discourages later use”. The study was based off of data collected from 1,050 mothers and their third-grade children in which the adults were asked their alcohol-specific attitudes and practices, and their opinions on providing tastes of alcohol to their children.
Researchers found:
- About 25% of mothers felt that allowing their child to sip/taste alcohol would discourage their curiosity and the taste would be unpleasant and thus decrease the desire to partake. It would also remove the “forbidden fruit” appeal.
- 40% of mothers felt that withholding their children from tasting alcohol would increase the desire to have it.
- 22% felt that if the child first experienced alcohol at home in the presence of their parents they would be more apt to resist/fight peer pressure later in life when encountering alcohol.
- 26% felt it would lead to less risky drinking in middle school
Although more research is required, the researchers are concerned that parents have a misconception about how their child will act when there is no adult supervision present. In addition there was a strong association between parents in favor of early sipping and those children who reported alcohol use. In the study 33% of children reported having tried either beer, wine, or liquor. In addition, previous research and studies have come to find that “early introduction to alcohol is a primary risk factor for problem drinking during adolescence”.
Overall, despite the controversial nature of the topic at hand, I found this article very interesting. While I am not a mother yet, I am not sure that I would be apt to allow my children to sip alcohol at such a young age. I firmly believe that education (of many sorts) begins in the home and the way we act and react many times thus influences our children. As parents (speaking in a future perspective), we try to teach our children right from wrong and hope that we build them to be strong, well-rounded individuals able to rise above peer pressure and make the best decisions possible. Even though we can’t hold their hand all the time, we hope they will uphold the values we have instilled in them. I also believe that having and encouraging continually communication will allow and encourage our children to continually keep us (the parents) in the loop and in tune with their lives. Although this is idealistic, it is not always realistic, and consequently we must treat every child and every situation on an individual and personalized level.