Anybody who has kids and loves beer inevitably at some point will ask themselves that question: Can I give my kids (-21) a sip of my beer?
As kids tend to emulate their parents/guardians, they do so by liking or at least striving to enjoy the same things their parents like. For example, a child eating a bowl of rice cereal who observes his/her parent pour a bowl of the exact same cereal for themselves will undoubtedly momentarily abandon their bowl and petition their parent for a taste of the same thing from the parental bowl. How can a parent, filled with love, help but oblige?
Take it a step further, a parent, who strives to see their child hold similar values, will find themselves offering their children the things they love, even if they are unsure that their children will find the same appreciation. For instance, a few years ago I could not help but prompt my preschool aged son to taste a bit of raw, unadorned fish in the form of Nigiri sushi, certain he would resist, and if he accepted, certainly he would wrinkle his nose in disgust. To my surprise, he gobbled it down and begged for more.
Inevitably, when a parent pours anything into a glass, the child asks for a sip, whether it be juice, coffee, goat’s milk, or beer. With those puppy eyes looking up at us, how can we turn them down? It is even more difficult for the home brewer who has allowed their child to help them create the beer. If my son has helped me mash my grains, sparge, boil, and bottle, how fair is it to not allow him to have one innocent sip?
The loom of the law deters many. We have all seen scare ads such as the one below that make us reconsider that the government (or at least the ad council who sponsored the creepy ad below) has a vested interest in our children that at times seemingly supersedes our own.
We all know the reasoning behind legislation that is aimed at preventing a youngster consuming alcohol is centered on the lack of personal responsibility or self control possessed by our little ones. That’s why we hide the Easter basket full of candy after letting our kids choose a few pieces…they could easily consume the more than a few chocolate bunnies, an immoderate action that would quickly cause them abdominal pain and perhaps a mess for mom and dad to clean up.
We as parents can take control over the Easter bunny, and the alcohol. The State of Ohio recognizes such logic, and for now, the jurisdiction of parents on this matter. From the Ohio Revised Code 4301.631 (F):
(F) No person shall sell or furnish any low-alcohol beverage to, or buy any low-alcohol beverage for, an underage person, unless given by a physician in the regular line of his practice or given for established religious purposes, or unless the underage person is accompanied by a parent, spouse who is not an underage person, or legal guardian.
In black and white, the law says YES, you CAN let your child sample the fruit of the grain. Before any reader feels trepidation that the safety of children across the state of Ohio is in jeopardy, keep in mind that this law assumes moderation and can do so because child endangerment laws–that are less objective–exist to enforce a parent to exercise control on the behalf of their child. For instance, while it is legal to provide my child with alcohol, if the state saw that I was giving my seven year old a martini with his meal, child endangerment statutes would step in and trump 4301.631 (F) and Children’s Services Bureau would come knocking at my door.
What constitutes a sample? A sip. What constitutes a sip? I would suggest a teaspoon for those under upper highschool age. After all, Nyquil which boasts a 10% ABV and contains chemicals that intensify the effects of the alcohol, has recommended dosage of a teaspoon for my boy is a teaspoon. One teaspoon of my 5.5% ABV beer will have no effect on his body or mind, only his burgeoning taste buds.
Then why do it? Two reasons stand out. 1) The more flavors a parent introduces their child too, the more open and refined their palate will become. In short, if you do not want a picky eater, encourage your children to try everything. 2) It teaches your child responsibility. They see alcohol (in this case craft beer) as a tasteful treat, not an aid to inebriation, and have learned over the course of their childhood that proper imbibement occurs in small doses.
To sum up, I would encourage parents to take control of their child’s perspective on alcohol, before the college fraternity does, and the laws of the state of Ohio back me up on this. Keep in mind, those reading this who live outside of the state of Ohio should consult their own state’s liquor laws.
What is you opinion on this potentially controversial subject?
***You may like this article on a similar subject: Is 21 Years Too Long To Wait For A Beer?
I say the decision ultimately lies with the parents. I know both WA and TX have similar statutes as Ohio with regard to minors and alcohol in the home. I fail to see the harm in this practice, provided it is done in moderation.
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I have noticed that involved and attentive parents, regardless of where they stand on alcohol before 21 tend to raise respectful kids. Parents who spend little time parenting or who want to be their kids “friend” tend not to.
I fall into the camp of exposing people to the world rather than hiding it but if a solid parenting team forbids it, I can’t argue.
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@Big Tex…moderation for sure
@Sean Thanks, I really appreciate that comment. I have plenty of friends who were raised to abstain from alcohol and per their upbringing, continue to and are very socially adjusted. I would have no problem with a couple that forbids their children from moderate “sipping,” on a law that forbids the parent from having the opposite view.
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Nate, I think it is perfectly fine to allow a child to have a taste of beer, or alcoholic beverage of your choice. It allows them to decide for themselves what they like and what they don’t. If you get kids liking more expensive beers, they won’t want to drink for effect, but for flavor. I have used this as an opportunity to “coach” my HS Senior as to what is appropriate drinking and what isn’t.
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@Don Thanks for the comment, Don. My dad does the same thing with my step sister who is also a highschool senior. She loves having tastes of my homebrew, but thinks debauchery and drunkenness is ridiculous.
You’re right, if kids drink more expensive beers, they learn moderation. That’s how it is for me. I like more expensive beer, so I just drink less beer in general to afford it.
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I have a four year old daughter and an eight year old son, and my girl is much more adventurous with food than my boy. But both of them run away when I offer them a sip of beer. They’ll smell a beer, and my daughter will even call out flavor notes, but they both chicken out when a taste is offered.
My sister lives in France, and young adults there are able to drink wine from a young age. As a result, most of them view being sloppy drunk as ghastly and embarrassing. I think it’s because alcohol has been demystified and they’ve learned to be responsible from a young age. That’s the way to go if you ask me.
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Amen! Responsibility from youth is the way to deal with drinking.
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Due to all things my parents ‘withheld’ from me, I developed what I call the ‘forbidden fruit syndrome’. By some twist of fate, I suffered no ill long term effects from any of them. Due to these lessons learned, I taught my children from an early age about firearms and firearm safety, and about alcohol. My children have grown up without any ‘fascination’ about either, and I feel much better now that they’re out on their own.
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michael reinhardt Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
I think you are right to say that a parenting model of empowering (with obvious restraints) is better than a controlling one. I will follow the same model that you did.
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As an American living in Europe, I began enjoying an occasional beer with my Dad at age 18. I sampled wine or beer, be it from my parents or other family members. I remember hating the taste as a young child. I believe a good thing, as stated in the article, is “They see alcohol (in this case craft beer) as a tasteful treat, not an aid to inebriation, and have learned over the course of their childhood that proper imbibement occurs in small doses.” One thing, especially for college frats, is the element of mystery alcohol has. “Mom and Dad never let me have any, but I’m 21 now, so screw it! Give me more beer”. They do not learn to drink responsibly. My Dad has made that perfectly clear to me, showing me beer as being something to enjoy, not a way to get drunk.
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beer_scientist Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
So true. The setting of expectations and habits are so important. It is amazing what happens when you ask people to be responsible from early on…it actually happens a lot of time.
Thanks for leaving the comment and I’m glad that there are like-minded folks out there who see it as a part of life and culture, not a chance to booze it up.
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I failed to answer your question as asked. This will ultimately depend on the state you live in. In Ohio, it is perfectly legal for me to order beer or wine at a bar or restaurant and then ‘personally’ serve it to my minor children with a dinner. There may be issues raised at the establishment in question, and there is a legally ‘undefined limit’ to the amount I could provide to my kids, but I can still legally do so.
At home, I can legally do the same. As I said in my previous comment, I strongly believe it’s depriving your kids of something, especially something that you openly indulge in yourself, that causes many of the problem we see as a society.
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Just to clarify, this is provided in the the Ohio Revised Code
O.R.C. 4301.69
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Were going to do it, with or without you.
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My parents always told me “If you want to drink, do it at the house..if you want to smoke, do it at the house.” At 20 years old now, I have yet to ever touch any of my parent’s alchohol..I have no desire to. It’s not “cool” to me like some kids see it, and it doesn’t really have a great taste
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I love to have a couple beers with chicken wings and wanted to know if I could take my fifteen yr old with me and give him a beer.id much rather him be with me!!so thanks for the answer;)
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Stephanie,
Let me first state that we are not legal experts, so I’ll offer an opinion on the matter.
First, your language of “take him with me” seems to imply that you are not doing this in your home. That being the case, I imagine that sharing the beers in a public format could be legally problematic, since a third party is serving the beers.
Second, I love wings, too. Probably to a fault.
Third, if you do this at home, I would check what your local state codes stipulate as acceptable on the topic. However, I would readily let my son or daughter sip on some beer in the context of my home (assuming that responsible behavior, which you seem to want to have, is in play). From a personal standpoint, I think states should never have any right to tell a parent that their child can’t have a taste of beer unless they are 21.
In summary, I would avoid attempting to let your child have beer in the public arena. Home, however, is a very different matter.
Yours,
Mike
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