Food and Drink Board Parents, when is drinking acceptable?

I think alcohol is a lot like guns. If you teach them to respect it under VERY STRICT conditions in their youth, they will respect it as they age. That being said, safety and responsibility are never taught through passive or laissez faire parenting. I would say it's an individual child issue. If you feel a kid can handle a sip of beer at 10, go for it. I would certainly not allow "active drinking" prior to puberty though. Just my thoughts. My girls are only 3 so I guess I can run my mouth all I want until I have to make that decision for my kids. Take that for what it's worth.

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I do think that some college age binge drinking may not be quite so bad if 16, 17 and 18 year olds were taught responsible drinking.

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It is really tough. I think culture ties into that as well. You can teach your children responsible drinking as effectively as possible, but we still live in a country that treats drinking with a certain taboo/stigma compared to elsewhere. I think the reason you don't see binge drinking in some other countries the way you do in the US is not only because of their individual upbringing, but also because of the entire country's lax stance on drinking in general.

That said, I agree with you about exposing them to it in a nonchalant way from an early-ish age while also teaching them how to be responsible with it.

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If you feel a kid can handle a sip of beer at 10, go for it. I would certainly not allow "active drinking" prior to puberty though.

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Yeah, that's a bit young for me. At 10, kids are rarely even curious about it and their friends aren't exactly drinking either. In the US, I think starting them "early" with the introduction of alcohol and responsible drinking could easily be done at age 15+.

I'm similar to you. My friends in high school were all about getting drunk and getting every opportunity to sneak some alcohol. I didn't get it because I just wasn't that much of an off limits thing to me growing up. I remember from a very young age getting my own "glass." Now I know it was a cordial glass but to me, it was my own kiddie wine glass so I could be like the adults. They would put a tiny amount of wine and then the rest was filled with water. Then when I got older, I got sips of the real stuff. I was all so relaxed that getting to the age of drinking just wasn't that big of deal. Of course, I now love to drink but I also have only been really drunk maybe a handful of times.

everyone will have a different opinion. i'm not a parent. in my mid 20s. by 14 or 15 if they aren't drinking, their friends are. i think if i ever become a parent, by 13 or 14 if they are growing curious, i'd allow them to start having small amounts and then by 15 or 16 they can have full beverages on occasion. i'd rather their first time getting fricked up be in my backyard than out with friends so they can learn how it feels the next day and maybe learn.

but i will agree with what others have said regarding my friends who grew up in strict families…those are the ones who get fricked up in college far too often. team them how to control their alcohol early so they can be responsible with it.

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or make them wait till 21

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That's like trying to keep them from having sex in the back of the Buick at prom.