Last week, I wrote a post about the powerful influence of alcohol advertising on children and teens. That post prompted this question from a reader:

Hi, Dr. Meg!

How should parents present alcohol in their home to their kids?

Assuming Mom and Dad are moderate, responsible drinkers, should they drink with meals or “socially” in the presence of their kids? How should we teach the kids about responsible, legal drinking?

Thanks,

Mom of 3

Dear Mom of 3:

Good questions. Here’s what I tell parents of my patients.

If a parent can drink responsibly, I think that he/she can model to the children how to do so. Parents should teach their kids to have a healthy respect (or fear) of alcohol. If, however, a parent can’t drink without getting drunk, he/she should never drink in front of the kids. When kids see a parent drunk, it makes them very frightened because they feel that they need to “step up to the plate” and take over household responsibilities while the parent is inebriated.

Many parents opt simply not to drink in front of their kids because they don’t want to risk having their kids see them drunk. This is a good…