Today's Poll: Is it OK for parents to offer their children sips of alcohol at family gatherings?

Allowing sips and guiding the child in proper alcohol ingestion is very important in helping the child learn responsible drinking.

My parents gave me sips as a youngster (12 and up), and I'm not that much of a lush....

Howard wrote, " It seems me there needs to be more research, but only so parents can make their own informed decisions.". The truth is parents have made their own decisions for generations. It is not uncommon, in some cultures, for children to sample watered down wine. Children were given a shot of blackberry brandy for medicinal purposes. Whiskey rubbed on swollen and painful gums during teething is an old remedy. An infusion of whiskey and orange juice is an age old cough remedy. Children growing up in an environment where the taste of alcohol is not a mystique has merit.

The WikiAnswers® Community
Children in colonial times drank beer for a variety of reasons, primarily that it was easily available and it was safe. Our modern minds find that "safe" idea hard to imagine, but they did not have water purifiers or other ways to be sure their water sources were uncontaminated. So for most of human history, the safest way to drink possibly unsafe water has been fermented beverages, like beer and wine. While probably still having the same basic taste as modern beverages, these drinks were much weaker in their alcohol content, so someone would have to drink a huge amount to feel any effect, and thus they were safe, even for children. In some modern cultures, children still have beer or wine in small amounts at dinner, since small amounts of alcohol are safe, and are even shown to have health benefits. Children who grow up in environments where self-control and moderation are admired and practiced tend not to abuse alcohol and can enjoy it responsibly for a lifetime. In colonial times, being drunk was seen as a terrible character flaw and a serious sin, so people would have learned from an early age how to drink enough to not be thirsty, but not to be drunk.

Howard - I had not read the article. I was basing my comment on anecdotal evidence and what I've seen in my life.

The article was interesting. I was skeptical about the generalizations, thinking that those children that had issues were under loose parental controls. Of course, the article and research addresses that, too.