I DON’T know... you hang around for ages waiting for a daft suggestion about parenting, and then two come along at once.
A couple of days ago it was Professor Aric Sigman maintaining children shouldn’t watch any telly until they’re three – today it’s a body called Alcohol Concern saying it should be illegal to give youngsters under 15 alcohol IN THEIR OWN HOME.
OK. Let’s get a grip here.
Underage drinking is undoubtedly a problem, as is binge drinking in all ages.
But the best way to educate children about both the pleasures and dangers of alcohol is to introduce them to it from the cradle onwards.
I don’t mean dip your baby’s dummy in brandy – though I know people who did this – but to present alcohol as a part of normal life, to be enjoyed, like most things need to be, in moderation.
A sip of champagne at a celebration is not going to make a child turn to the bottle. Ditto letting your teenager have a half of shandy or a glass of wine with a family meal.
Letting them think drink is something only adults do only makes them want it more.
Have the people at Alcohol Concern not heard about the disaster that was Prohibition?
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