alcohol and children

I talked about it with my daughter when she was young enough to ask about it. She knew Jesus drank wine. I asked her if she wanted me to buy her some so she could taste it. She asked what it tastes like. I told her that I don't like the taste of it and how it was made. She said, "yuk" and has not asked much about it since. If you take away the mystique the urge to try it is gone.

I also explained to her that many medications have alcohol in them and my wife told her why. So it is all around us and not just in a wine bottle.

My belief is that if you tell the truth and they trust what you say then you don't have to worry much about problems later.

My parents grew grapes and we tried the wine we got from the winery and didn't like it. A few years later we tried it again and had the same reaction. I was in our home free to take and drink but we never did. We only tried it a few times. I saw what drunks loked like on the street. I knew I didn't want to be lkike that. I had been to poor areas of twon where the drunks were and saw how old they looked. I think most people woiuld like reaqsons and not just a pat answer.

I have taken my daughter to the slums and she has seen drunks. We have knocked on doors out sharing the gospel and she has seen the results of drinking and smoking. We have explained the monetary costs and health costs. She has seen them first hand in others. We talk about learning by observation as well.

There are many benefits of knocking on doors and doing evangelism with your children. One is they get to see how others live. When they come home their homes looks quite nice. When they compare they begin to learn why the difference.

 

I have talked to my children about for as long as I can remember. There are some alcoholics in their extended family, and at a very early age we would talk about how alochol destroyed the lives of those people. Of who they were before alochol, their potential, their dreams, their respect, and how they thought they could handle it.

I especially talk to my son now, because I suspect as a male child he will have a greater peer pressure to drink when he is older. We talk about the fact that it sneaks up on people. The fact that one day someone is convinced they can handle it, and the next they can't.

Drunk drivers, unfortunately, did more to educate my kids (I think) than I did. When that drunk hit them that night he changed their life forever and since that night my son gets furious with anyone who drinks. In fact, recently he refused to eat at a restaurant because his grandparents had taken him there on a night when some group at a nearby table had been drinking too much and getting rowdy then driving home.

 

As soon as they ask about the commercials on TV, maybe even earlier. I don't think you can start too early.

 

IMO, by the time kids are in 4th grade, they should be taught drug abuse awareness. That should also cover alcohol, tobacco, caffiene, etc. This is just my opinion as a parent; there's no scripture that says anything difinitively on the topic.

Probably the same way you do with medicine in the cabinet: those have specific uses. Using them any way you like can be deadly.

By the time a kid is 18, if s/he hasn't learned proper discernment from the parents, it's too late. Again, just my h.o.

 

I'm curious about why you suggest the 4th grade.
We tease my daughter that one of her first phrases in life was, "Fire burn you if you touch it." This is because we had a fireplace that we used. We took pretty much the same approach to smoking, drinking and drugs. If we saw someone smoking we'd say, "Smoking will hurt you." If we saw someone drinking too much, we'd say, "Being drunk will hurt you."

 

I stated that kids should know "by the time" they're in grade 4. I'm certainly not opposed to them neing taught sooner. To be honest, though, grade 4 is my own subjective "rule of thumb". If jids haven't been made aware by the 5th grade, they should, imo.

 

Gotcha.

 

Good idea. Children are more sophisticated at earlier ages than they used to be.

 

Id caution parents about having alcohol to cook with in their kitchen. Even if you have no personal conviction about cooking with alcohol, you may be able to restrict it to only cooking, but that does not mean that your children will be able to resist the temptation of just trying it. Especially since its already in their cupboards. IMO, this is not the time to practice "trusting" your kids. You may have wonderful children, but they are still children with limited judgement and a very well-developed sin nature.

ALso, no matter what you say to your kids about that alcohol in the cupboards, the fact that its there will speak volumes to them about how serious an issue it is. Let me add also, all of their friends will soon learn its in your cupboards and then you will be a place of temptation for your children's friends, as well. I speak from experience on this one, my friends. Our church parents are kidding themselves by thinking they have such great kids that they'd never fall for that sort of temptation. I went to a very conservative, Baptist high school, and I know of several alcoholics among my high school classmates. And I do mean alcoholics, not just drinkers. These were kids of good families, families who thought they had their kids under control, but we all knew they had their parents fooled. We knew where the "good" parties were, and where and when the "drinking" parties were. And ya know what? I was one of the "good" kids, who didn't go to the bad parties and didn't approve of them, and I still knew about them afterwards, when the parents are probably still ignorant to this day.

These parents just "trusted" that any moderate alcohol use they may partake in would not translate into excess in their kids. They just "trusted" that their kids wouldn't be tempted by what was only used as a cooking additive. AND they just "trusted" that their kids understood how destructive alcohol would be, because their church said it alot.

This is just a warning from someone who saw alcohol practically destroy several kids when, with more attention and attentiveness from the parents it could have been avoided and/or reduced.

ps. kids do not care that they have to be 21 in order to drink.

 

I don't know what age one should start teaching children about alcohol, but they should know by the time that they are teens that a person can die from drinking too much alcohol too fast. This happens often to college freshmen or high school students.

 

Depends on the child.

Again, it depends on the child.

Just tell them it's for cooking and not for drinking.

To drink responsibly when they're old enough.

As always, the best lesson is a good example.

 

There are no alcoholic beverages nor cooking wine in my house---and I am educating my children as to WHY there isn't!! They have begun to like the non-presence of alcholic beverages as much as I do!!

Bro. David

 

Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Habakkuk 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him...

Jesus did NOT drink alcoholic wine. Jesus was born under the law. The wine that was served at the marriage in Cannan that he made from the water did not have alcohol in it. Other wise he would have broken God's word and thereby broke the law. Jesus would not have given the wedding guests a alcoholic beverage. In the greek the "wine" was a fresh, sweet juice...far better than the cheap wine they had been drinking. There is also no account in scripture that Jesus ever drank any wine. He drank "new wine"...grape juice.

 

That's an unscriptural falsehood. Wine was so common and infused into Jewish life, if Jesus did indeed refrain from drinking wine, it would have been significant enough for the gospel writers to have noted. Jesus would have consumed wine at every Sabbath and passover meal. Not doing so would have been unusual. (Jesus even said "I will not drink of this cup again until...)

As for the law, there's no OT law that forbids consumption of wine.

That's completely wrong. In fact, the wine at the wedding feast was said to be the best wine. The best wine was fermented over time with care. The worst wine was wine that fermented poorly or improperly.

Yet we are told that "the Son of Man cometh eating and drinking".

 

It didn't say he cometh eating and drinking wine.
The 2 verses I quoted in my previous post says it very clearly. Even if scripture said ok drink alcohol all you want...look at the misery, heartache, disease, and poverty alcohol has caused to untold millions of it's victims. Ever lose a loved one to a drunk driver? I personally believe the Bible is very clear about the consumption of alcohol as a beverage.

 

The Bible does not say "drink alcohol all you want." It says "Don't get drunk." You can drink alcoholic drinks without becoming drunk.

 

neither does Habakkuk 2:15 (Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink), yet you have no problem infering it there. Ya can't have it both ways, mon frer.

It doesn't. It permits usage, but strictly bans abuse (such as drunkenness).

Cause by abuse, not by responsible and proper use.

Unfortunately, yes. More proof that it is not use, but abuse that is wrong.

It is: It is clearly permitted, but abuse is clearly banned.

 

My wife and I have discussed this a number of times. We do not believe it is a sin to drink, only to get drunk. Neither of us drink however, and we think it is an unwise thing to do. We don't have any children yet, we're waiting until I finish seminary.

We would love to be able to just say, "Don't drink, it's a sin!" but being that we don't believe that, and we want to be honest with our kids, that poses a problem. Our current plan is just to wait until they hit preteens and talk to them about it - or if it comes up earlier discuss it then. We basically plan to teach them what the Bible says about it, then warn that we think it is an unwise activity and forbid them to do it anyway and pray they listen

Anyone else been in this boat? What did you do and how did it turn out?

 

roseofSharon54 said:

Habakkuk 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him...

This is my favorite verse when people enter this debate. There is a reason they never finish it.

Hab 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Now take another look at it with the part you conveintly left out. It's a warning against getting someone drunk so you can get 'em naked, which is a common thing both back then and in our culture today.