The Seven Year Old Beer Drinker

Picture via Responsibility.org

I was only about seven years old when I was taught a valuable lesson about drinking and alcohol, that’s right, seven. My parents didn’t drink much when it came to hard liquor or even wine coolers but my dad did have a thing for Budweiser: 12 ounces, white and red can with the pop top. Even though he didn’t keep cases in the fridge, it wasn’t uncommon to see a can or two on one of the shelves. I don’t recall my parents ever really sitting down with me to explain this “adult drink” but what I did know was that it was “not for kids.” That didn’t stop my curiosity especially since it resembled the other canned drinks that I saw almost everywhere. And then it happened, curiosity killed the cat.

One evening my father had just finished his Budweiser and told me to throw the can in the kitchen trash bin. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to ask me but for some strange reason I decided to do the unimaginable. When I got to the trash bin, I looked around to ensure no one was watching me, then I put the can to my lips and took it to the head! With utter disgust I wanted to scream, better yet, I wanted to throw up! It was at that moment that curiosity killed any positive image of alcohol that I’d ever seen! I didn’t care about the funny commercials I saw on TV or how cool the adults looked laughing and drinking at family events, and most important, I could not understand how my dad could drink something so totally disgusting! From that experience, I decided that drinking was something that I NEVER wanted to do. Through high school and beyond the taste of that beer kept me sober (no booze at the college parties for me).

Fast forward to me having children of my own. Since I only drink occasionally (and even then, never beer), I didn’t really stop to think about having a talk with my children about alcohol. However, I was smacked dead in the face when being confronted by my 3-year old about the “juice” in my glass during a party. Any other time taking a sip wouldn’t have been a big deal but because my response was different to him this time, he too became curious. No, he didn’t sip it like I did but he did turn into our favorite monkey friend, Curious George. After asking a million questions, he really only wanted know why he couldn’t have the colorful drink in the uniquely shaped glass. I simply sat him down and said, “This drink is not juice, it is an adult drink for moms and dads.” He didn’t give me much back talk so it seemed as if he understood. After our talk he went along drinking his juice and playing with a toy. “I’ve done well,” I thought to myself, but did I?

I am not the mom that will post folks drinking or even use memes as the “funny of the day.” Don’t get me wrong, some of the memes are hilarious but I tend to think back to my childhood and wonder, did I contribute to my dad’s drinking beer at night because it was his way of relieving the stress of a rough day or because we were getting on his nerves? Honestly, the only time we see people drinking in the media is when they think they’re having fun or are kinda stressed out. And guess what, our kids are seeing this too.  My kids love watching television and if the commercial is “funny” they can recite the whole thing after only seeing it a few times (It’s scary).  They love using tablets and the computer and please don’t let them get a hold of my devices when I’m browsing Instagram or Facebook. They are known to scroll up and look at all the pictures and videos in my timeline (lock your phone!).  But it’s there where we have so many pics with our fancy cups and cool looking drinks. Although my children are too young to have social media accounts, I know children who do. Yes, they are friends with us or following their family members and other people they don’t know (celebrities and such), and I’m almost sure that they see alcohol represented at least once a day.  When the children get older we will take the time to talk to them about alcohol and underage drinking but for now, they know about the “adult drink” and we make sure to put those drinks out of reach.

Who would have imagined that this thing called the internet and social media would be the number one influence of what we purchase, what we share with the world? That it would shape the way we think, the way our children think and what our children think about us? Yeah, we may “need a drink” after little Billy has cried all day long about nothing but do we have to post it? Nope! I know that the shot of espresso you had in your coffee is not to be compared to the shot of Cîroc you wished you’d got instead, but we don’t have to post it, not all the time.

I am making a pledge to be very conscientious about what I post and share when it comes to alcohol and I hope you’ll do the same. I have joined the #refreshyourfunny and #talkearly campaign sponsored by responsibility.org whose mission is to educate the world about alcohol responsibility through various programs including underage drinking and teen driver safety. So here’s what I’m asking…Join me for at least one month to refrain from sharing or posting alcohol-related memes on social media. I know this can be one of the “controversial” topics but it doesn’t have to be. Take a look at the video presented to us by #refreshyourfunny at the amazing BlogU conference I attend last month just to see what kids have to say about the images they see and on social media and the impacts.

During our sabbatical, I urge you to sit down and have a talk with your children (I recommend age 6/7 and up) about this topic and listen to their responses and questions. You may be surprised at what they say! I know that if my parents would have talked to me more about this “adult drink” I may have taken a second thought before I took the last sip of my dad’s beer that day.

Disclaimer: This piece will be submitted for a written contest sponsored by Responsibility.org. I am not being compensated for the post, all the opinions are my own.

Learn more about Responsibility.org and the #RefreshYourFunny campaign.