Alcohol at children's birthday parties (elementary school, drug, sleepover, growing)

[PoppySead]

You guys are funny, and I hope you don't take yourselves seriously, I'm hoping you were joking at my expense about cps. I don't think parents that drink are bad parents, that is a little exaggerated.
But, if I am taking my kid to a party and I don't know the parents that well and they are drinking I have no idea how many they will have. I wouldn't leave my kid there, I'd stay, but like I said originally, some people would be fine with that. No reason to blow it out of proportion.
The fact is alcohol does alter your response time, why do you think people get in car accidents twice as much when they drink and drive. Do you think they thought they were to drunk to drive when they got into the car? It happens.
If none of you care about that then fine, they're not my kids they are yours. I have discussed some of my friends and I have a few that would have no problem downing a few beers and running a car load of kids down to get ice cream.
You are an awful trusting bunch, I admire you but I'm not. I guess I grew up in a different atmosphere but you don't have to act like I'm alien to the subject, where do you think all the stats come from?
I know those people.
Drink at the kids b day party, drop your kids off at a kids party with drinking parents, it's a free country but when asked I would not. I would not do either for my own reasons. No biggy. But don't act like alcohol is cola, it's not or the kids would be drinking at their bday parties as well. Some parents don't like the idea, some don't care. It's not a bad parent issue.

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by txtqueen

Omg, you're impossible. I can tell if I am drunk, tipsy or just fine. I can feel when it affects me. Its not like the more beers you have the better you feel, there does come a point in time where you can tell that you aren't capable of ANYTHING.

After two beers, I do not feel intoxicated, I do not feel woozy, drunk, tipsy or anything, I do know that I am SLIGHTLY different but I can talk, walk, do laundry, take a shower, whatever after two beers.

So there is a change in you after 2 beers?

[Vic 2.0]

Originally Posted by ajzjmsmom

So there is a change in you after 2 beers?

So there is a change in you after 2 Coca-Colas? Or when your favorite song comes on on the radio? Or when you start worrying if you locked the door when you left the house?

The real question is, is the change really that big a deal?

The answer is, no.

And PoppySead, you are more trusting than I, because I wouldn't just drop my kid off at ANYONE'S house if I didn't know them that well, whether they were drinking alcohol or not.

[JustJulia]

Originally Posted by Vic 2.0

And PoppySead, you are more trusting than I, because I wouldn't just drop my kid off at ANYONE'S house if I didn't know them that well, whether they were drinking alcohol or not.

Your child is still very small, right? Two or so? You're not in birthday party realm yet. I think if you polled the parents of children who are at least elementary-school-aged, you'd find there are a lot of invitations to and from classmates with parents you've met once or twice, if that.

[AnnaNomus]

Originally Posted by PoppySead

You guys are funny, and I hope you don't take yourselves seriously, I'm hoping you were joking at my expense about cps. I don't think parents that drink are bad parents, that is a little exaggerated.
But, if I am taking my kid to a party and I don't know the parents that well and they are drinking I have no idea how many they will have. I wouldn't leave my kid there, I'd stay, but like I said originally, some people would be fine with that. No reason to blow it out of proportion.
The fact is alcohol does alter your response time, why do you think people get in car accidents twice as much when they drink and drive. Do you think they thought they were to drunk to drive when they got into the car? It happens.
If none of you care about that then fine, they're not my kids they are yours. I have discussed some of my friends and I have a few that would have no problem downing a few beers and running a car load of kids down to get ice cream.
You are an awful trusting bunch, I admire you but I'm not. I guess I grew up in a different atmosphere but you don't have to act like I'm alien to the subject, where do you think all the stats come from?
I know those people.
Drink at the kids b day party, drop your kids off at a kids party with drinking parents, it's a free country but when asked I would not. I would not do either for my own reasons. No biggy. But don't act like alcohol is cola, it's not or the kids would be drinking at their bday parties as well. Some parents don't like the idea, some don't care. It's not a bad parent issue.

I think we are talking about two totally separate issues. I thought the discussion was serving drinks at a child's party, meaning either YOU are throwing the party and serving other adults drinks, but not necessarily drinking yourself, or attending a party with your child where drinks are being served. Nobody said anything about dropping their kid off at a party where all the adults are drinking. I think that's the point...YOU as the parent would stay, and be offered a drink as well. If I didn't know the people that well, I would stay at the party, but that's whether alcohol was being served or not.

[PoppySead]

Originally Posted by AnnaNomus

I think we are talking about two totally separate issues. I thought the discussion was serving drinks at a child's party, meaning either YOU are throwing the party and serving other adults drinks, but not necessarily drinking yourself, or attending a party with your child where drinks are being served. Nobody said anything about dropping their kid off at a party where all the adults are drinking. I think that's the point...YOU as the parent would stay, and be offered a drink as well. If I didn't know the people that well, I would stay at the party, but that's whether alcohol was being served or not.

I addressed the original question earlier, I was responding to jasper and mommabear about dropping my child off at a party where parents were drinking.
I would leave if it was just a kids party and the parents were concentrating on the kids, otherwise I'd stay.

[AnnaNomus]

Originally Posted by PoppySead

I addressed the original question earlier, I was responding to jasper and mommabear about dropping my child off at a party where parents were drinking.
I would leave if it was just a kids party and the parents were concentrating on the kids, otherwise I'd stay.

Sorry, I guess the question can go in so many different directions, it's hard to tell just what someone's responding to or objecting to. Yes, I would leave too if it was a kid's party and the kids were the primary focus. My experience with throwing a child's birthday party is that the host is so busy organizing, serving cake and punch, corralling kids, directing games, passing out party favors,etc. that the thought of sitting down having a beer is laughable. Heck, you don't even get a piece of cake until the party is over and if there's any left over. If the host serves beer to other parents that are there, I wouldn't care. If we're just talking about beer and wine, I think the party would have to be longer than a couple hours for it to turn into a drunken brawl. But it's hard to imagine a parent who is in charge of the party sitting back with a beer.

If I did go to drop my dd off at a birthday party, and found the host lounging with adult guests with a beer in hand, I would stay. In that case, it would seem that the kids are just running around doing their own thing while the adults socialize, and I would stay to keep an eye on my own child.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by PoppySead

I addressed the original question earlier, I was responding to jasper and mommabear about dropping my child off at a party where parents were drinking.
I would leave if it was just a kids party and the parents were concentrating on the kids, otherwise I'd stay.

When our kids were between 4-8/9 we had kiddie parties out of the house just for kids. We never served alcohol at the bowling alley or laser tag place.

When the kids were small the parties were at home, with friends and family and everyone knew us so I guess it was never an issue. Once the kids were over 10 their parties also tended to be their very close friends, and we always knew the parents. These were people we socialized with on a regular basis so it would never have been an issue.

When my kids were small I would stay if I didn't know the parents well but that was not alcohol related. If I knew the parents and was comfortable leaving my kids then I did even if the parents were having a beer. None of my kids friends have parents that drink a lot. I do know people who drink a lot and if some of them were hosting a party I would definitely want to keep a close eye on my child.

I don't think that alcohol is really the issue though. Some people do not supervise their kids closely enough. Most of those people do not supervise them whether they are drinking or not so alcohol is not really an issue in my mind. When my kids were small I stayed at parties if I didn't know the parents. If they served beer I had some, if they didn't then I didn't.

Alcohol is not a big issue in my life. If someone is serving it, fine. If not, that's fine also.

[AJBarney]

Originally Posted by PoppySead

I addressed the original question earlier, I was responding to jasper and mommabear about dropping my child off at a party where parents were drinking.
I would leave if it was just a kids party and the parents were concentrating on the kids, otherwise I'd stay.

Ah, so that's why parents hurriedly drive away when I go to meet their kid with a Natty Light in hand.....

[me in RI]

I don't think you should...and I have never attened a child's birthday party where alcohol was being served. If it is a kids party, alcohol has no place there. If parents can't sit through a child's birthday party without a drink, that's just another issue altogether. It's not about making it a good time for the adults, it's the CHILD'S day. Drink on your own birthday!