Dad Shares a Beer With His Kids, 2 and 4
Photo courtesy of viZZZual.com
It’s one thing to buy your son a beer on his 21st birthday, but quite another to celebrate his being weaned from the pacifier. That’s what a Wisconsin dad did at a county fair last week. According to fair workers, the man ordered a beer for himself and one for his boys–ages 2 and 4. The woman behind the beer tent contacted authorities and told them she hoped it wasn’t a joke.
Setting an Example
I don’t personally drink beer for a number of reason. First of all, I don’t particularly like the taste. Secondly, I’m rarely away from my kids, and I don’t like to drink around them. Third, when I was in high school, our head cheerleader was killed by a habitual drunk driver, and I think the experience gave me a negative view of alcohol in all forms, particularly beer (which is typically abused).
All that to say I am not a beer drinker, but I don’t begrudge others for enjoying a beer now and then. However, I could never imagine buying a beer for my underage kids. At 14 and 16 it is irresponsible, but at 2 and 4 it is downright dangerous. There is no way to know how alcohol could damage the development of the 2 year-old. With older kids, you never know if normalizing the effects of alcohol will make them more succeptible to having drinking problems in the future.
I agree that sharing a beer with toddlers is just plain stupid, but there is something to be said for responsible alcohol consumption within a family. I don’t think I’d have a problem permitting 14- and 16-year olds to have a drink within a family setting (Christmas dinner, for example). If anything, it’d help to reduce the mystery and allure that alcohol has among teenagers.
“Underage” is entirely a relative phenomenon - in many parts of Europe the legal drinking age is 16 (or younger!). The American legal drinking age of 21 is high by world standards - in most countries it’s 18.
I don’t think there’s (necessarily) anything wrong with or irresponsible about parents giving alcohol to their underage kids. Quite the opposite, in fact. I feel kids need to transition to adulthood safely by doing adult things in a safe environment. Yeah, “you never know if…” but you never know if anything.
But I agree this situation is ridiculous. Between the small size of the children, the (presumeable) emotional immaturity of the children, and the fact that it was in a public place, it’s not safe.
Seems the guy wasn’t technically breaking the law by giving the kids alcohol anyway.