Babies on the Brain

What did your parents do about alcohol?

Did your parents keep alcohol in the house that you knew of? If so, did they have measures to protect it or just leave it out?

I can only ever remember beer in our house besides special occasions and even then I never had access to anything. I'm watching something on tv about a kid peeing in their parents alcohol and it got me thinking about that kind of access to alcohol and kids/teens that are old enough to open childproof bottles etc. 

What do you plan to do when you have a teen at home besides educating them not to drink? 

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Re: What did your parents do about alcohol?

  • My parents weren't drinkers, and I don't remember ever having any in the house.  My mom would get a drink every now and then at a restaurant if she wasn't driving, and I don't remember my dad ever having a drink at all. 

    I have no idea what we'll do with alcohol when they're older.  I haven't even thought that far into the future yet.  (Says the woman who has had two full bottles of wine just sitting at the back of the kitchen counter for the last month, on top of the two bottles in the fridge.) 

  • My parents were drunks.  I'm not sure how I never had a drink before my senior of HS.  Probably because I didn't want to be like them.

    We have alcohol in the house around our kids.  No idea what we plan to do when they get older.

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  • I feel like my parents handle alcohol really well with me. The bottles were kept in a cabinet that was locked when I was really little, unlocked by the time I was older. Frequently there were bottles out on the counter, especially if they were entertaining (and always rum out, my dad would have a rum and coke every night after dinner). By the time I was old enough to reach them, I knew to leave it alone.

    But at the same time I was allowed to have a sip of what ever they were drinking if I wanted to try it.

    By the time I was a teen my mom would offer me a mudslide or margarita (the only drinks I liked) if she was making them. Just one, but I was certainly allowed to have it. They made home made kahluah every year for the holidays and mom and I would eat icecream with kahluah over it. Alcohol was never taboo or forbidden, so even when I went to college, it was like "yeah, you're going to be drinking? And....?" Not to say that I never drank too much, but I never flew off the handle about it.

    I plan on doing the same thing with my kids. Making Alcohol a non-issue. 

    (sorry, that was long)

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  • There was always beer in the fridge. My dad worked in a factory, and every now and then, if he had a really bad day, he would come home and have one. I would say that a 6-pack would last nearly a year, though.

    My parents were very open with me about drugs and alcohol. I never felt afraid to talk to them about it. They never made me feel bad or used scare tactics--they were just honest. That worked with me because I was a trustworthy kid. I wasn't afraid of alcohol, but I also had no interest in it whatsoever. If I had ever gone to a party and needed to be picked up, I know without a doubt my mom would have been there. But I wasn't interested in parties either. My parents always just said they would be disappointed if I used drugs or alcohol and I never wanted to disappoint them.

    When I graduated high school, my mom let me pick a 4 pack of wine coolers. I picked Pina colada. I remember because it took me all summer to drink the 4 of them because even that seemed strong to me lol. I had never had more than that wine cooler to drink before I went to college. Once I got to college, I was out of their realm and could kind of do what I wanted. I still didn't drink for quite a while.

    I plan to be as open with LPG as my mom was with me. I think that honesty is the best policy. I never felt weird talking to my mom about things like that because I just...always had.

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  • There was always beer and wine at our house.  While my grandfather was still alive and living with us there was also Jim Beam.  My parents (esp. my dad) would take us to bars (klassy, I know) when we were growing up.  I guess I was never interested in what they were drinking as a kid, and by the time I was old enough to know what they were drinking, I still wasn't interested.  It was never really talked about or made a big deal.
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  • imagecaffinated_tulip:
      

    By the time I was a teen my mom would offer me a mudslide or margarita (the only drinks I liked) if she was making them. Just one, but I was certainly allowed to have it. They made home made kahluah every year for the holidays and mom and I would eat icecream with kahluah over it. Alcohol was never taboo or forbidden, so even when I went to college, it was like "yeah, you're going to be drinking? And....?" Not to say that I never drank too much, but I never flew off the handle about it.

    I plan on doing the same thing with my kids. Making Alcohol a non-issue. 

    (sorry, that was long)

    This is what my parents started doing when I was about 15 or so.  Obviously not at home, since they didn't drink at home and there was no alcohol there, but when we were at my godparents' house for NYE, or at family get togethers and holidays and such.  I'm sure we'll do the same with our kids, I just have no idea if/when we'll bother to lock up alcohol.  I think it will depend on how they react as they get older (as in do I think I can trust them not to sneak any, or are they going to be inviting friends over for house parties while we go out). 

  • imagecaffinated_tulip:

    I feel like my parents handle alcohol really well with me. The bottles were kept in a cabinet that was locked when I was really little, unlocked by the time I was older. Frequently there were bottles out on the counter, especially if they were entertaining (and always rum out, my dad would have a rum and coke every night after dinner). By the time I was old enough to reach them, I knew to leave it alone.

    But at the same time I was allowed to have a sip of what ever they were drinking if I wanted to try it.

    By the time I was a teen my mom would offer me a mudslide or margarita (the only drinks I liked) if she was making them. Just one, but I was certainly allowed to have it. They made home made kahluah every year for the holidays and mom and I would eat icecream with kahluah over it. Alcohol was never taboo or forbidden, so even when I went to college, it was like "yeah, you're going to be drinking? And....?" Not to say that I never drank too much, but I never flew off the handle about it.

    I plan on doing the same thing with my kids. Making Alcohol a non-issue. 

    (sorry, that was long)

    My parents were just like this - and like you, I never saw drinking as a big deal.

    Friends of mine whose parents were super strict and never let them touch a drop of anything were the ones who went nuts in college - drinking every other night b/c it WAS a big deal to them (several of these kids failed out after the first year).  

    I plan on raising my kids the same way I was raised.  

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  • My parents rarely kept beer around the house, but they did have a liquor cabinet above the fridge.  There wasn't much in the liquor cabinet, just the basics so they had stuff to offer when friends came over.

    I never once stole liquor from my parents cabinet, but my parents never made alcohol a big mystery.  I got drunk for the first time one month before my 18th birthday (legal drinking age here is 18) and my parents took me to buy the booze.

    My parents trusted me and my sisters and we never betrayed their trust, although one of my youngest sister's friends stole some liquor from my parents during a party.  My sister told my parents what happened and made her friend replace it.

    My parents must have done something right because I rarely drink, I think the last time I had more than one drink was September.

  • imageleslie13510:
    imagecaffinated_tulip:
      

    By the time I was a teen my mom would offer me a mudslide or margarita (the only drinks I liked) if she was making them. Just one, but I was certainly allowed to have it. They made home made kahluah every year for the holidays and mom and I would eat icecream with kahluah over it. Alcohol was never taboo or forbidden, so even when I went to college, it was like "yeah, you're going to be drinking? And....?" Not to say that I never drank too much, but I never flew off the handle about it.

    I plan on doing the same thing with my kids. Making Alcohol a non-issue. 

    (sorry, that was long)

    This is what my parents started doing when I was about 15 or so.  Obviously not at home, since they didn't drink at home and there was no alcohol there, but when we were at my godparents' house for NYE, or at family get togethers and holidays and such.  I'm sure we'll do the same with our kids, I just have no idea if/when we'll bother to lock up alcohol.  I think it will depend on how they react as they get older (as in do I think I can trust them not to sneak any, or are they going to be inviting friends over for house parties while we go out). 

    Mine locked it up when I was little and nebby and likely to get myself in trouble. I remember my mom calling me, she and dad were out of town and a friend was staying with me for the weekend, I was maybe 17? Any way she called me and I was Waaaasted, we'd decided that it'd be a great idea to do shots of tequilla, which was actually a terrible idea.  The conversation went something like:

    Mom: Are you drunk?

    Me: Yesh

    Mom: What'd you drink?

    Me: Tequilla

    Mom: The good stuff or the cheap stuff?

    Me: Sheep

    Mom: I'm dissappointed. The other stuff is better for shots. Don't drive. 

    Me: Kay. 

    They weren't alcoholics, but they'd drink socially. Mom said she was actually really glad that I'd gotten into it, because she figured if I got really sick and had a horrible hang over, I wouldn't do that again. And she was right. To this day I don't do shots.

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  • I came from a family of drinkers, though fortunately not alcoholics.  When we were really little, my aunts and uncles (and parents) used to give my sisters and I five cents for ever can we brought them during a holiday party.  There was always alcohol in our house, it was always available, and my parents simply modeled drinking responsibly.  When we were around ten or so we finally each became curious about what the grown-ups were drinking, so we were given the smallest of sips.  Of course we hated it, and never had any desire to touch it again. 

    My parents did have parties once or twice a year - both of them and all three of my sisters attended Ohio State, so the Ohio-Michigan game was a HUGE drinking opportunity for the adults.  But they always made sure that only one of them was drinking and they kind of made fun of each other when they were drinking, so we took the hint that drinking makes people do stupid things. 

    When we were teenagers, my parents made it clear that that (a) drinking responsibly was okay for adults, (b) they would consider us to be adults when we proved that we were responsible for our actions, (c) there are many other and more important thins in life than alcohol, and (d) drinking before we were ready to handle it would have serious consequences (not could, would - they were dead serious).  We believed it partially because we had a cousin get into a terrible car wreck as the result of drunk driving teenagers.  Fortunately he's okay now, but he was in a coma for several weeks and it was terrifying for us.  They also introduced us to alcohol slowly.  When we turned sixteen, we were each allowed the equivalent of three sips of wine with dinner at Christmas and Thanksgiving.  It worked because there was so much food around that the alcohol barely affected us and it taught us that alcohol is meant to be enjoyed, not abused.  

    Having never had teenagers myself, but being one of the oldest of around fifty cousins, it seems like the things that have worked around teaching teens about drinking are (1) modeling responsible drinking behavior, (2) being clear and consistent about rules, and (3) making the kid not want to drink either by putting the fear of god into them or by giving them a small sip of a really strong gin and tonic or the warm dregs of a homebrewed bottle of beer and telling them that its good.  Okay, so that last idea might be ridiculous, but I have three cousins who are juniors in high school and are still firmly convinced that alcohol tastes disgusting.

    Sorry that was so long, I know every family does it differently and that there's a million right ways to teach kids about alcohol, but modeling, rules, and the fear of god worked for us!  

  • My parents didn't have any alcohol in the house.  My dad orders an occasional beer at a restaraunt, and my mom has certain health conditions so she never drank.  They still have no alcohol in the house.  I'm not a big drinker, but imagine there will be a bottle of wine or so around when I have a kid/kids.  I'm not sure what I would do.  Locked liquor cabinet?  This is as far as I've gotten in the thought process.
  • My parents drank socially, but never got drunk in front of us.  There was always beer, wine, and margarita stuff in the house, but it was never locked up.  Sometimes they'd have a drink with dinner, sometimes they wouldn't.  It was never a big deal.  It was clear that it was only for grown ups and my sister and I didn't care about it.  Neither of us drank until we were at least 20.  I will probably treat it the same way with my kids.
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  • I just had to call my best friend to council me about which wine to buy for her bridal shower this weekend, & then had to call my dad to find out where the closest liquor store was. That should tell you how much I drink :)

    Growing up, Dad drank a lot of beer, but I only saw him drunk maybe twice. Mom got drunk A LOT. There were times when I was 10-11 years old I actually had to cut her off. There was always beer in the fridge, but other alcohol didn't last long enough to be sitting around.

    Around the time I turned 12 or so, I was allowed a tiny bit of wine at Christmas dinner - my mom really like dry white wine, & I HATE dry wine, so I never drank it all. Once I was 16-ish, I was allowed an occasional wine cooler in the summer. Once I graduated high school, I was allowed a couple of beers, a glass of wine, etc. as long as I was at home. We went on a cruise as a graduation present, & I was allowed to drink pretty much whatever I wanted. I got drunk one afternoon, but mostly just drank a couple fruity drinks the rest of the time. I got really, really, really drunk at Halloween parties on campus of Michigan State University (my cousins took me party-hopping) for my 19th birthday. I haven't been drunk since. Tipsy, yes, but not drunk. Blech. 

    Now, I occasionally drink socially. Rarely ever at home - DH doesn't drink, so I think that's curtailed a lot of my potential drinking. I would love to have a glass of wine occasionally at home, but I know nothing about wine, so I tend to not buy it. 

  • ours was out, within reach, and unlocked.   But I was a really good kid & never touched it.  

    we'll see how trustworthy my kids are as teens.

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  • I know there was alcohol around when I was little, but I honestly don't remember where and how it was kept by the time I was a teenager.  Obviously I never tried to sneak any.

    We plan on putting a nice bar in when we finish off our basement in a few years...I suppose having some locking cabinets isn't a bad idea.


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  • My parents never made a big deal of drinking and allowed us wine or mix drinks here and there, mainly holidays. 

    However, they always did stress that if I were to go out and drink to call them because they would rather have to come pick me up then to find out I drove while drinking, or drove with someone else.  I never had the desire to drink much like other friends.  

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  • I just re-read what I initially posted and then I kind of laughed to myself because I somehow didn't even think about the fact that I had moved out when I was 17. My parents divorced when I was 13. My dad was the beer drinker so I don't remember alcohol besides maybe wine in the house after that. They let me try beer when I was younger and I hated it.  When I was 15 or so I was allowed wine coolers at a party by the people that were like second parents to me but it was understood it was a special thing and not to be abused. They were super cool for allowing it but also taught me that it's ok in your own home or when not driving etc. I knew better than to drive after drinking and I knew that if I wanted to have a drink they wouldn't really care so it wasn't a big deal. I still went on to have drunken college days but I never did irresponsible things when drinking either.

    Oh wait, I forgot one time in high school when a friend and I put vodka and orange juice in a water bottle and took it to school. I think we were too afraid to even bother drinking much. I was a good kid but did rebel now and then. 

    I plan to teach my kids about it from a young age and hopefully between modeling responsible behavior and teaching them that it's something to be enjoyed responsibly they won't have much interest in it. 

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  • My mom always had a lot of alcohol in the house, we had an unlocked liquor cabinet, plus some jager in the freezer. She rarely drank other than at parties, but overall my family is full of big drinkers when we get together. I was just taught that alcohol was for adults and I never drank until I got to college. It did help that when I was 15 I found out my dad had been an alcoholic and that strengthened my resolve to not drink as a teenager (at least until I got to college).

    We don't drink much at home, but we do have alcohol in the house and just plan on educating our kids on alcohol.

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  • My parents always had alcohol in the house, never hid it from us or anything.  They drank wine with dinner here and there or a cocktail, cocktails/wine when friends were over, and always beer for watching football games on the weekend.  They let me taste it and then when I was in college allowed me to drink it if I wanted, and I think that because it wasn't some big taboo thing I never really had any interest in it.  It was my friends whose parents were crazy strict and secretive about alcohol who snuck into their parents' stash or were binge drinkers when we got to college. 
  • There was never alcohol in my house and my mom taught us alcohol is for those of legal age to drink it. I don't drink, never have just because I don't like the taste. Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I think it's irresponsible for parents to allow teens to drink under any circumstance. I think it' irresponsible to undermine the law.
  • My parents are beer and wine people and I remember it being in the house and I don't remember it being hidden (I'm sure it might have been when we were young, but I wouldn't remember).  But even as a teen, the beer (never more than a six pack or 2) was in the garage fridge and the wine was either on the counter (if it was open) or in the cabinet.  I've never seen my parents drunk (and I don't think they get drunk to be honest).  My parents never had a reason to hide it from us.  I'm sure if we started stealing it they would have done something differently.  But they raise a couple of goody-two-shoes.

     

    I haven't thought much about how we'll go about teaching our children about alcohol.  I always tell my mom that she's going to have to tell me what she did - I never even thought of drinking until I was 21 and even now, I'm not a big drinker (well, especially NOW).  

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  • My parents didnt drink. they always had abottle of brandi in the house and would make us take a shot when we had sore throats...would kick it right out but that was it.

    when I turned 14 and my sister who was older started experimenting making daquaries and stuff, they would let me have a small glass and give me the lecture of drinking appropriatness etc.

    Since they spent a lot of weekends at the beach house leaving me alone here as a teenager they also told me, if I was going to party or drink, then do it at home, be responsible and don't let anyone drive. So that is what I did and we never had any drunken craziness because it wasn't a big deal to us...we could drink or do whatever here so no one really cared if we did. We just assume have pizza and pepsi then get drunk.

    Alcohol has never been a thing for me probably because of how I was raised.

    We have a little more alcohol in the house then my  parents did but we don't drink but occasionally. It's on a top shelf in the pantry so until they are older they can't reach it and by then they will be old enough to talk to about alcohol and appropriate times to drink and how to drink responsibly etc.

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  • My parents weren't big drinkers.  I remember beer in the fridge (usually one out in the garage) on occasion, but I guess I just knew not to mess with it.  I think my dad may have occasionally had some stronger stuff, and they just kept it in a top shelf of a cabinet that was far out of my reach (heck, it still would be for me today without a stepladder).

    Neither DH nor I are big drinkers (I don't drink at all), so I'm not sure that we'll have many alcohol issues when our future DD is a teen, but of course we will be educating them not to drink. 

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  • My parents drank and smoked pot in front of us. Needless to say, I will not do the same.

    I don't have hang-ups about alcohol, though. My feeling is, the more we try to hide it, the less kids know how to use it responsibly. We will not be hiding it.

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