drinking alcohol with children in the house

[hellosailor]

There's a thread in the general section on 'babies and prams in pubs' which has segued into debate over whether it is appropriate to drink alcohol while there are children in the house, a taster below..

It is totally irresponsible for both parents to be drinking alcohol whilst caring for their children, I am shocked that any parents on here would take their children to a pub and both consume alcohol the same for drinking at home, one parent should always be sober in case anything happened to one of the children and they needed to be rushed to hospital! If you?re must insist on drinking regardless for the care of your children well then I?m afraid you may have a problem such as addiction!

Mr HelloSailor and I don't get 'drunk' together when we're looking after our baby, we've never actually sat down and made an official decision about that, it's just been instinctual since we became parents I suppose, but we do sometimes have a glass of wine together on the sofa with our dinner etc. (One glass of wine leaves me a long way off from being 'drunk') I have never thought this was irresponsible or unusual? What are your thoughts? What do other people do? Is East Dulwich full of parents saying 'you have a glass of wine with your dinner tonight and I'll have one with my dinner tomorrow?' and not ever having one together?

[Pickle]

That thread is making my blood boil, I've stopped looking! Honestly, it's as if by having children we are somehow doing society a massive disservice - god help us if we want to go to a pub/restaurant/cafe, let alone walk along a footpath with a buggy, shop in local shops for fear of getting in the way of someone without a child.... (6)

But that is an interesting point. When I'm not pregnant Mr Pickle and I will have a glass of wine together, yes. Not every night, but certainly on a Friday/Saturday evening. I don't see it as a problem at all, and the statements by the person on that thread are absolutely ridiculous. Sure - if you're sharing a bottle of gin once the kids are in bed that's irresponsible and indicative of a deeper problem, but the odd glass of wine is normal, surely?!

[snowboarder]

I've stopped looking at it too!! Same old boring chat. And actually I'm sure there are very few pram and babies in proper 'pubs' like the CPT - I only take my children to the bishop (et al) because it does food.

Anyway - I currently have a glass of wine as does my husband. Lovely.

[hellosailor]

ooooooh snowboarder! It's obviously a den of iniquity at yours! I imagine your children are locked in a coal hole?

x

[R&A]

reading that thread i felt i wouldn't be fit to be a parent if didn't own a car...!

takes 6 mins for an ambulance to get to you on average in London, probably less as we're so close to kings

*sips*

[hellosailor]

I don't actually drive. I'm surprised they let me breed.

*quaffs*

[alieh]

Yep, don't have a car so we're both free to get sauced as I guess our kids are stuffed if there was an emergency, according to that thread. Perhaps not a bottle of gin EVERY night though.

[Ruth_Baldock]

But...if me and Mr B aren't drunk as skunks, how are we meant to sleep through the incessant night wakings? If you know another way, feel free to PM me.

[hellosailor]

alieh Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> Perhaps not a bottle of gin EVERY night though.

Lightweight.

[MGolden]

Ruth_Baldock Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> But...if me and Mr B aren't drunk as skunks, how

> are we meant to sleep through the incessant night

> wakings? If you know another way, feel free to PM

> me.

Oh don't PM Ruth if you know how to avoid being woken up by your children - please share that knowledge with the rest of us.

Michele

[Saila]

give them gin as well?

*ducks*

[alieh]

Why do they think we take our children to the pub if not for a little sleepy tipple? Whatever works!

[buggie]

There's the (as funny) assumption made (and then validated by other posters) that if you're in a pub you must be drinking alcohol - thus the whole all parent's in pubs are getting sloshed and ignoring the needs of their children... I was hitting the hard stuff on Saturday lunchtime in the Bishop - OJ and lemonade in the same glass!!

Is infuriating as alot of the posters give the impression that they only notice parents/children when they do things to annoy them and so assume that's all parents.

Need to work out how to build my resistance to the threads that annoy... it seems the more annoying the more I can't stop myself looking, seething and sitting on my hands (is really tricky to close browser without them!).

[Pickle]

I've just braved a look at that thread - the poster suggesting parents shouldn't drink doesn't have children and doesn't drink - priceless :)) Quality input from someone very qualified to pass judgement, I think not.

In around 9 or 10 weeks I shall raise a large glass of NZ Pinot in her honour ;)

[Yak]

I swear I won't look at the thread again, then go back for another dirty, guilty peek. It's like crap daytime telly meeting the comments page of the daily mail.

*passes G n Ts round family room*

[ClareC]

It's threads like that that make me embarrassed to live in ED!!! Course, having had a couple of glasses of wine this evening it's only a matter of time before Social Services come a knocking!

Thankfully we are a two car family..... That must be major brownie points on the A&E run scale of competent parenting (but for my two glasses of wine which clearly render me as having an alcohol problem, unfit to parent and plastered!)

Luckily the other half hasn't had a drink tonight..... His turn tomorrow ;-)

[Otta]

I love drinking, and as I don't get out much these days, I'll often have a few at home.

On these occasions, I won't co sleep, just in case, and I think everyone probably has a better night for it.

My wife hardly touches a drop due to breast feeding, and these days, she feels so rotten after a glass of wine, that it doesn't seem worth it.

She used to be able to drink like a trooper though!

[hellosailor]

ClareC Wrote:

-

> Thankfully we are a two car family..... That must

> be major brownie points on the A&E run scale of

> competent parenting

Do you know ClareC, I'm embarrassed to admit that earlier this year when our car was in the garage for a couple of days, I didn't even think to hire another car for the duration in case of a sudden A&E run.

In fact, it only occurs to me as I type that because only my partner drives and I don't, it is not really responsible for him to ever go out for the evening leaving me in sole charge of our sleeping baby, lest I'm forced to rush to Kings in a ride-on, Flintstones style.

[Ruth_Baldock]

Otta; if Missus Otta wanted a drink or two, it wouldn't affect her milk. When I was in the states, I got talking to an IBCLC (staying at our hotel) who said the whole "don't drink and boob" thig was mainly about caring for your kids rather than getting your babies sloshed. I drink whilst I'm feeding Lex. Pint of Budvar in one hand, baby on the boob, crisps on th table. Lovely!

[Otta]

Yeah I know, but as I say, these days one or two is enough to make her feel really crap the next day, and she can't be doing with that.

I can confirm however, that she is very much looking forward to getting trollied once kids are a bit bigger!

[Ruth_Baldock]

Fair does. Hangover + babies = actual hell.

[The Nappy Lady]

Threads like the one this post refers to remind me of pre Family Room days when I so often ended up upset or depressed by the attitude of the 'anti child brigade'. It's so sad that in this crazy world where there is some true atrocities going on, that people cannot just live & let live when it comes to stuff like this. Sigh.

As for the woman who posted re drinking & parenting being so wrong. Unbelievable. I'd love her to walk a day in our (a parents) shoes. Hands up, guilty as charged, I sometimes come down from putting the girls to bed and mix myself a drink & laughing say 'ah, just 1 to take the edge of the day' because it amuses me.

These people slam us for having kids, slam us for making our lives revolve around said off spring, slam us if we get out & don't live our lives around said off spring. In the word of someone famous, "you cannot please all of the people all of the time".

Voddy & coke anyone?!

Oh dear,

[The Nappy Lady]

P.S. I do sleep in my clothes ready to leap up & dash to A&E at any moment though!

;-)

[hellosailor]

That's simply not good enough parenting Molly, you may sleep in your clothes but if you've had a glass of wine with dinner you'd be about as useful in the face of an emergency as Withnail and I on buttered ice-skates.

[Pickle]

Oh how I wish there were a "like" button on the forum. You ladies are brilliant.

Better go, need to warm the car up just in case we need to go to a&e. Actually, maybe it would be better to go and park outside - having been a Scout in my youth I feel I should be prepared...