Do you keep alcoholic beverages locked up?

[CJMickeyMouse]

Inspired by the parenting PS2 thread..... if you have liquor in the house and you have children, do you keep it under lock and key?

We have alcohol in the house and it is not locked up. We also have two teen boys.... who we trust. They know the consequences would be extremely harsh if they decided to drink alcohol, here or away from home. We have always made it clear that the school good conduct penalty would be nothing compared to the punishment at home.

I'm curious to see how others handle this - since most people on the other thread felt it was necessary to keep alcohol under lock and key.

 

[grinningghost]

I very rarely have any alcohol in the house, and even if I did, I doubt it would be locked up. Our DD is 15, but VERY against drinking. She's even on a youth task force to curb teenage drinking and drug use. And thankfully, she runs with a good crowd.

My stepson on the other hand... All I can say is, I'm glad he doesn't live with us or we would DEFINITELY have to lock up the alcohol.

 

[Bob Slydell]

No, but considering DS is 3, I think we have a while to wait before we worrry about it.

My parents never kept alcohol locked up, though -- but it was made pretty well know that my Dad knew exactly how much beer and liquor was in the house at any time and we knew what kind of trouble we'd be in if we tried sneaking anything. It worked.

 

[tastelikecandy]

We have wine with dinner and when we entertain. Other than that we do not drink, nor do we drink in front of our children. We have a bar with two doors on the back and yes it has a lock. Just because we trust our children does not mean anything. I trust my babysitter too but guess what, I still have a security camera which I watch on the internet while I am at work. What if she is feeding the baby and Landon wanders off and gets into something. I keep bleach and other chemicals locked up as well in case of an accident. I am not taking ANY chances with my child's life!!! Alcohol is just like poison if consumed by a young child and I would hate to be another parent where child welfare had to step in because of accidental poisoning.

 

[Sandy V.]

I've got 2 teenagers and we don't lock our alcohol up. Like the previous posters, we're pretty lucky to have trustworthy kids.

We have made it quite clear of the consequences of "sampling" and haven't had a problem!

The kid with the PS2 had some definite issues - in that situation, you would absolutely have to lock the booze up!

 

[amid chaos]

My husband doesnt drink at all and I dont drink at home.

When we were boxing up the kitchen to get ready for the construction I took some unopened bottles of wine someone gave us out of the cabinet above the fridge. I also took out a bottle of rum which we have had for 14 years and a bottle of amaretto...the kids were shocked that I had any alcohol in the house, they got a good laugh out of it as a matter of fact....they had no idea it was even up there.

 

[tiggerlover]

We always have wine, Khalua and some times rum in the house and it is not locked up. Growing up we had a full bar in my house for entertaining, my parents only usually drank when we had company, so it was always there, but not locked up.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

We don't lock it up, it has never occured to me.

If there was ever a problem where it needed to be locked up, I would be more likely to remove it from the home than lock it up.

My kids both know where I keep the key rings.

 

[ducklite]

No, we don't, never have, never felt the need to. Our teenager understands that he can not mix alcohol with the medications he takes (and besides, locking up the booze isn't going to keep a teen from obtaining it elsewhere). We do keep it out of the reach of the toddlers that visit now and then though.

Anne

 

[ChibiJones]

It was never locked up when we were growing up, but my parents usually only had some wine on hand.

In my family, we were always allowed sips of my parents drinks if we wanted to try something. And, at holiday dinners, we would be allowed a glass of wine with dinner. I never liked the taste of it, so I never had any.

 

[buddy&wooz]

We keep it in a high cabinet, but considering that my oldest is heading quickly toward 6 feet tall, I guess that doesn't make a difference . Actually there's always wine & beer in the fridge well within reach.

I'd only lock it up if I felt I was given good reason not to trust my kids. I'm not deluding myself that they won't ever try to sneak some, but they know the consequences won't be pretty if they do!

 

[shortbun]

We keep none in the house. DH or I buy an occassional 6 pack
of beer to take to a party and have one. Otherwise, we rarely
consume alcohol. If I had some, I'd make it hard to get to and
obvious that someone had been there. As children, all three of
us consumed Mom and Dad's alcohol. They had no idea as it
was used up pretty fast and there was always lots on hand.
We don't take DS to parties where grownups drink a lot. Our
good friends drink much the same as we do. DS still jokes about
drinking and he's only 8. I won't let him taste it because it can
be so damaging to children. Maybe when he's a teen he can taste
a few things with the hope that the taste will dissuade him from
drinking. I lost two friends as a teen to alcohol and drugs combined. It's nothing to take lightly.

 

[Rutt and Tuke]

My parents never drank around us. They just weren't big drinkers. There were some old dusty bottles of alcohol in an unlocked cabinet and I did sneak some Vodka for a while when I was 13 or 14. I figured I could always replace it with water if necessary.

I didn't end up having an alcohol problem, but my younger brother did-- all despite never seeing my parents drink. Go figure.

 

[cats7494]

We rarely drink... but we do have some alcohol we keep for guests if they want it...
To answer the question - NO, we do not keep it locked up. I have talked with my DD on several occasions about drinking..drugs...etc..and she knows she would be in soooo much trouble if she did drink it.

Like Toby'sFriend, locking up the alcohol has never crossed my mind either...

I do not blindly trust my DD, but she has never given me reason not to. - luckily!

Just my 2 cents worth

 

[SoonerKate]

I don't have kids, but my 9-year-old nephew likes to stay with me for a week or so in the summer. I usually have alcohol in the house; right now there's vodka and gin in my freezer left over from a party a couple of weeks ago and beer in the fridge. When he's here, the beer goes to whichever one of my friends'll take it, and the liquor gets put in the cabinet above the refrigerator.

I trust the kid, but I'd rather have it out of the way, just in case.

 

[Davids-Coco]

We don't have any children but do have our alcohol locked up. I know that sounds funny, but it is how we want it. It is a lot of alcohol and has one of those little child locks (often used in case of earthquakes instead). Although we don't drink often, we do entertain... and the rule of thumb is that (if it ever gets to this point and it hasn't) if you can't open the cabinet, you can't have any more.

When we have children, they will be around alcohol... heck, we are Jewish and what is passover without wine? But, we both grew up in that environment... plus I am Italian and there was always wine at dinner. The volume will definately be less than it is now, and will not take up a half-cabinet. I am sure that we will teach them about the responcibility surrounding drinking. And, thankfully, we know how since our parents were fine examples!

It just shows how far good parenting can go. We both have always been around alcohol and know when drinking is okay, what not to do, and can be around excessive amounts of liquor without wanting or caring about getting drunk... just enjoying a good drink. I commend all the parents who trust their children and have taught them right from wrong - and as a result, do not need to lock up their alcohol.

 

[cati]

xx

 

[Nancy]

No, it is kept in a cabinet in the basement. There is always beer in the fridge. I'm not even sure my kids know there is more in the house then the beer in the fridge. So far my kids have given me no reason not to trust them...if that ever changes I would probably just get rid of the stuff.

 

[HollyJoy]

No, but our kids are only 7 and 4!

 

[GeorgeG]

We'll keep a few beers in the refrigerator and a bottle or two of wine, but the "kids" are all in their thirties and don't live at home so there's no need for locks.