Thursday 24 November 2022 08:56 AM What we Britons can learn from French families who anoint babies' lips with ... trends now
Zut alors! Killjoy scientists have sounded a very worrying alarm. Children who are given even a sip of alcohol by their parents at a young age are more likely to find themselves ravaged by addiction later in life, a new study says.
Researchers at America’s Uniformed Services University in Maryland warn that regularly trying parents’ wine or beer over dinner creates ‘positive alcohol expectancies’ for children.
The NHS, meanwhile, now says that alcohol should not be drunk until at least the age of 15.
Well, as a British expat who has lived near Montpellier for 12 years, let me tell you that my French friends will have a lot to say about all this.
Children who are given even a sip of alcohol by their parents at a young age are more likely to find themselves ravaged by addiction later in life, a new study says
Eight years ago, when I was elected to our town council, I received an unusual gift: a bottle of wine, produced by children at our local primary school.
But, as I soon discovered, I should not have been at all surprised by this.
Here, in the heart of wine country, eight-year-olds are handed a pair of secateurs each autumn. Then, they’re escorted to the school’s vineyard, right next to the football pitch, to harvest the grapes under the watchful eye of their teachers. Younger pupils are put to work designing labels for the bottles.
Inappropriate? Hardly. Alcohol, and particularly wine, has a proud and long history in France — and one that has always included young people.
Indeed, serving wine to children in school canteens was only banned in 1956 — a move denounced at the time as a crime against French culture.
Nowadays, as in the UK, the legal age at which alcohol can be purchased is 18, while 16 and 17-year-olds can drink it in restaurants but only if accompanied by a responsible adult.
Generally, though, things are much more relaxed here in France than they are across the Channel.
It’s traditional, for instance, that families celebrate the birth of a child with a bottle of champagne, and ritualistically anoint the baby’s lips with a splash. (Literally, a baptism by alcohol.)
Then, from a very young age, ‘eau rougie’ — water reddened with wine — is handed out at dinner. Starting with just a tiny drop, the proportion of wine to water gradually increases as children get older. By the time they are teenagers, it’s not uncommon for a small proper glass of wine to be allowed.
Inappropriate? Hardly. Alcohol, and particularly wine, has a proud and long history in France — and one that has always included young people. Indeed, serving wine to children in school canteens was only banned in 1956 — a move denounced at the time as a crime against French culture
Certainly, when I head round to my neighbours’ homes for various Christmas gatherings in the coming weeks, I have every expectation that drink will be compulsory for everyone in attendance. It would be practically sacrilegious not to partake.
Why? Because it is a necessary part of introducing the young to France’s rich traditions — of great cheeses, breads, and even better wines. But it also has other benefits, too.
A more relaxed approach teaches children to drink responsibly and in moderation. It demystifies alcohol, meaning that, when children inevitably get to the age where they want to start going out with friends, they don’t feel the need to drink to excess and develop the binge-drinking
