Is it legal to serve your own children alcohol in your own home?

[crunchy_mommy]

I'm referring more to just tastes or very small glasses of wine with dinner or whatever, I know this is done in many cultures, just wondering if it's legal in the US in most/all states?

[meemee]

i believe it is illegal to serve anyone under 21 alcohol no matter where they are or by whom. if my memory serves me right. i read about this some time ago.

so dont go rubbing in some irish whiskey on your babies gums.

i have a story to share from one of my history teachers who grew up in Slovakia and her whole family emigrated during the ethnic cleansing. so she was about 12 when her gparents were watching her and sent her to school with a packed lunch. bread, cheese and diluted wine in the water bottle. lunch lady 'caught' her and a huge fiasco occurred. for her it was an interesting place to be. her gparents were totally puzzled. she didnt see what the big deal was and her parents were trying so hard to fit in even if they didnt buy 'it'. 

[34me]

In my state it is covered under contributing to the delinquency of minors.  We do it anyway but we have had a lot of conversations with our teens about how a lot of people (and the law) do not approve.

Edited to add - I was told the above as a waitstaff while in grad school.  I started researching because of this post.  I found this http://www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/apis_state_profile.html?state=co  

http://www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov/apis_state_profile.html?state=co  .  I am not breaking the law in my state!  Just when we visit my parents, but not my ILs.

Edited by 34me - 7/3/11 at 10:45pm

[hildare]

i have been told that in my state that it is legal to do so for your own children but no one else's.  i haven't seen the exact wording of the law so that's hearsay fwiw.

[Dacks]

In Texas it is legal to allow your own kids to drink in your home. I know this because when I was in the military we had a junior enlisted person discharged for reporting to duty while drunk. She was underage, but stationed in her hometown and had been drinking at home with her parents when called in. The issue was that you can't drink while on-call, and that she should not have been driving drunk.

[crowcaw]

Didn't research to make sure it's accurate but:

http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591

[mandalamama]

when i was about 12, my dad would let me sip some wine if we were out having a nice dinner. my mom didn't exactly approve of it, but years later we talked about how it turned out really good because i knew what that alcohol "burn" felt like, and when i was at a party at 16, they had fruit punch with alcohol in it, i recognized that burn right away and didn't drink any more of it! that actually saved me from a lot of "spiked" drinks in the coming years. i was also able to warn my friends if alcohol was present in the beverages (the ones interested in not getting drunk, at least).

i have a lot of thinking to do about this subject, with my girl, and luckily i have a few more years. but what about just one taste? it seems like there is no other way to recognize that alcohol burn other than to feel it. i do want my girl to at some time have the same "warning" experience i had, that served me so well. telling a kid to cover their cup and never leave it unattended (just get a new drink if you've been away) is always good advice, but what if a kid can't tell there's alcohol spiking the 2-liter sodas? the punch bowl? the cooler with the spigot? very difficult decisions.

[Smokering]

I'd never really thought about the legal aspect of it. We don't drink much (I can't stand the taste of alcohol), but I'd be a bit peeved to think the government had any say in whether I gave my kids half a glass of wine with dinner, if I were so inclined.

DH did give our toddler cider once. She was nagging for it and he thought giving her a taste would hush her up. Of course, it backfired... she liked it. But now she holds her hand high above her head and says "I have to be THIS tall to drink coffee and cider!" So, no permanent damage done. :p

[areawoman]

I always thought it was fine to give your own kids alcohol, but not other people's kids.

[4evermom]

It's illegal in my state.  It's also harder to buy (isn't sold in grocery stores, only special shops).  You used to never be able to buy it on Sundays but they have started having limited Sunday hours for the wine shops.

[ollyoxenfree]

Curious - if it's illegal to give ANY alcohol to someone under 21, does that include OTC cough syrups that contain alcohol? How many pharmacists check ID for a college student buying Robitussin? 

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree 

Curious - if it's illegal to give ANY alcohol to someone under 21, does that include OTC cough syrups that contain alcohol? How many pharmacists check ID for a college student buying Robitussin? 

Haven't you heard of people trying to get drunk off cough syrup?   They try it because it's available to underage people, though I suppose a pharmacist would look at them funny if they tried to buy more than one bottle.  Anyway, it isn't illegal as an ingredient in an otc medicinal product.  It is possibly illegal as an ingredient in a homemade medicinal concoction.  But no one enforces the not giving alcohol to minors at home unless someone complains about it or the minor leaves the premises obviously drunk and it is noticed.
 

[rightkindofme]

Originally Posted by 4evermom 

Haven't you heard of people trying to get drunk off cough syrup?   They try it because it's available to underage people, though I suppose a pharmacist would look at them funny if they tried to buy more than one bottle.  Anyway, it isn't illegal as an ingredient in an otc medicinal product.  It is possibly illegal as an ingredient in a homemade medicinal concoction.  But no one enforces the not giving alcohol to minors at home unless someone complains about it or the minor leaves the premises obviously drunk and it is noticed.
 

Folks drink Robitussum for the dextromethorphine. It is possible I am spelling that wrong but I'm on an iPad.

[Dacks]

People drinking cough syrup for kicks is the reason you can't get really effective *knock me out please i feel awful* cough syrup anymore. Which is funny, because it means now I have to suffer until it is bad enough that the coughing causes me to throw up and not sleep, and then I get a script for the really really good cough syrup with the narcotics in it. 

I like that some places allow parents to teach their kids how to drink responsibly in moderation, rather than starting out as party bingers. I'm sure it doesn't always work out that way, but it is a nice idea.

[prothyraia]

There's also communion in the Catholic church as an issue.

Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree 

Curious - if it's illegal to give ANY alcohol to someone under 21, does that include OTC cough syrups that contain alcohol? How many pharmacists check ID for a college student buying Robitussin? 

[Marissamom]

I've always been told that in my state that it's legal for minors to have alcohol served in their own home, by their parents, and served by clergy as part of communion. 

[Marsupialmom]

Depends on your state.  In MO, it is legal to serve but becomes illegal if they get intoxicated. 

[2xy]

It's illegal in RI to give alcohol to anyone under the age of 21, unless it's part of the curriculum at a culinary school. Yes, the law specifies that.

This is a blue state, so Big Brother is all up in our business. Lots of laws mean lots of fines and tickets, which means more money for the state house to squander and abuse.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by 2xy 

It's illegal in RI to give alcohol to anyone under the age of 21, unless it's part of the curriculum at a culinary school. Yes, the law specifies that.

This is a blue state, so Big Brother is all up in our business. Lots of laws mean lots of fines and tickets, which means more money for the state house to squander and abuse.

So if you homeschool & include 'culinary lessons' in your curriculum, would you be safe?

Funny, I expected totally different answers to this question for some reason...

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by prothyraia 

There's also communion in the Catholic church as an issue.

Oh but it's no longer alcohol at that point.  It's been transubstantiated into blood.

Edited by 4evermom - 4/30/12 at 9:06am