Would you give a sip of alcoholic Christmas drinks such as eggnog, mulled wine, or punches to your underage kids?

I might, I don't see any harm in letting a child have a sip of an acoholic holiday drink under the supervision of his parents. It might be a good idea; the biting taste of alcohol might make the kids wonder what all the fuss is about anyway. Whenever something is forbidden to a child, that makes it all the more attractive.

Demystifying alcohol helps kids understand why some things are only for adults and that moderation is the key. The only real problem I see is that the child might go to school and let the teacher know you gave them alcohol. That could cause a big uproar, unfortunately.

If they were my kids, yes I would. I was allowed small amounts of alcohol growing up, and I think that's a big part of the reason my siblings and I never went through any rebellious binge-drinking phases. Alcohol was not mysterious or forbidden, so it just wasn't a big deal.

When I worked dorm security, we could always spot the kids who had never touched alcohol before because the second their parents dropped them off, they were passed out in the hallway or puking their guts up all over the place because they caught that little taste of freedom and then way overdid it, with no idea how much they could handle. I would not let kids have a full glass until they were adults, but I would let kids know that a) alcohol doesn't taste very good, and b) it's something to be consumed in small amounts of the enjoyment of drinking it not for the sake of getting trashed. I think that would be in my family's best interest.

No way because they may think they have permission to drink anytime. Egg nog doesn't have to be alcoholic at all. I think it is pretty great without the alcohol in it.

But I will be honest my aunt gave myself and my second oldest cousin a sip of whiskey one year on new years when I was about 9 or so. It was the most disgusting thing in the world. From that experience alone I have never wanted another alcoholic thing to drink ever.

Too much of an acquired taste for me. As for my own kids, I wouldn't do it. I don't want to get them into the habit that booze tastes good and then get them hooked, I have seen this happen to a lot of my childhood friends now dead from over-doses and alcohol abuse(Cirrosis).

I grew up in the projects and most of my friends didn't make it out of childhood... I mean sure it may be the holidays but I wouldn't want to start something like that with them where they just suddenly expect it to happen each year like a tradition or something. I'll probably carry on the sparkling grape juice tradition that my parents had, which is both very tasty and light enough to go along with the pigs in a blanket and little fun foods we eat around that time of the year. Don't need anyone puking in the corner.

Don't give kids booze of any kind, you don't know what you may start! Besides, it's against the law. MERRY CHRISTMAS-HAPPY NEW YEAR---TIME for new beginnings!

I can remember as a very young girl, my grandfather (an Irishman) would give me sips of his beer. There is nothing wrong with allowing your children to have a small, very small amount. Once my son became 10, he was allowed to have a sip of champagne on New Years.

Granted, he didn't like it (neither do I). Just recently, a few years later, he asked me what beer tasted like, so I let him have a sip. Again, this is a sip, not a swig, swallow or mug full.As our children get older, the decisions of whether or not to allow them to do things, such as drink, will be increasingly difficult to handle.

If my son was 16-17 years old, I may let him have a drink on a special occasion. I would never allow them to get intoxicated, but allowing them to taste something will not hurt them. And as answers above stated, it will curb a substantial amount of their curiosity, hopefully discouraging them from abusing the privilege in the future.

Of course. The idea that younger people should not drink is an American idea. In Europe wine and beer are considered entirely acceptable for children, while spirits are held off till a later age in most cases for health reasons.

I would give a child as young as 7-8 wine or beer in small amounts, and a teen as old as 16 spirits. My father always allowed us to drink at home. I feel it contributed to my responsible handling of alcohol nowadays.

Sure! But it largely depends on the age of the kid in question. A teenager?

I'd be fine with giving them a sip of pretty much anything. A younger child? It would depend on what they were asking to try.

I would rather they act out their alcohol curiosities in my presence rather than when I am not around for safety's sake.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.