RE: How do you, or do you plan to approach the issue of drinking with your kids?
In my culture, when holidays come, adults drink very intensively, and as children are also involved, BUT IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK. When the toast comes every child who never drank wants to drink with the adults, so they too get around quarter of a shot or of rakija (a strong alcoholic drink made of varoius fruit mostly consumed in Balkans). Of course a normal person would think it is insane to give alcohol to a child, but in 99.9% cases the child spits Rakija and hates it in the next 10 years and stays away from the alcohol until the late teenage years.
Of course not all parents do this, but in practice people who were treated like this start drinking much later (in Balkans) than people who were forbidden to drink when they were children.
Also in my country young people consume much more alcohol than they do in other parts of the world but it is the media which promotes such behavior, but statistics show that most of teenagers who have alcohol addiction problems come from families where parents don't drink and it is the fact that they start drinking in 7th or 8th grade (age 13 here ).
Ok I did start writing an essay instead of answering a simple question... In my experience it is best for the parent to let his child drink with him this way: when I was a teenager (and it was only 6 years ago) my father said that if I want to try to drink something I had to do it with him.
So I tasted wine, rakija, beer, vodka and whiskey with him (not at the same time though..)
I liked some drinks, I hated some, but what I learned is that it is not that interesting as my friends thought, and by the age of 18 when most of the young start drinking uncontrollably I was bored of it although I got drunk only two times in a country where it is odd to be sober.
Thanks @moderntrojan for this essay of a comment.
Quite Good to understand that what holds in other Words is opposite in the Balkans. Whaooo! But whatever is the case , let the children stay away as much as possible from strong alcohol. Few Medics has recommended it as such; and I can't controvert them for any reason.
May I wish you Happy Christmas Festivities??
Great to be so Acqainted!!
Thanks, I wish all the best to you too!