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What age did you let your kids drink coffee?

ping72

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Jan 14, 2009
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I have a nine-year-old son who is in fourth grade. He came home upset today because his teacher brought in a coffee maker (sounds like a keurig). Apparently the kids can earn rewards in their groups, and one of them is to get coffee. He knows that I won’t let him drink any and he’s afraid his group will choose that option.

I don’t want to sound like the crazy parent at @Tom Paris’s School that won’t let their kid watch any videos with people in masks. But am I crazy for thinking it is insane to give coffee to nine-year-olds, especially without a parents permission? Or am I dating myself?
 
If I'm the parent, I tell that teacher that if they're going to give my 9 year old coffee then they better be doing that first thing in the morning rather than right before it is time to go home.

I don't think the caffeine is going to harm a child, but I sure as hell don't want to be in the room with them after they drink that shit.
 
12 or older. It started with non-coffee diabetic drinks that star bucks serves. now we let the 12 and 13 yo have some caffeine if they want but they don't always have it.
 
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My 12 yo will drink an ice caramel frappa something on occasion at Starbucks. Been about a year and not very often.
 
I didn't drink coffee. My ex rarely drank coffee. Coffee really wasn't available, so my son never drank it. He's 24 and I don't think he ever developed a taste.
 
My 14 year old hates the taste. We do give him a diet dr pepper when he gets a migraine sometimes.
 
I'm not sure why any parent would give their kid coffee.

I can't stand coffee drinkers who think their cup of coffee is the most important thing in the world. It's like they are making love to it when drinking. Then they hold you hostage at restaurants while they drink a cup or 2 after their meal.

I for one won't stand for it. I put them in the same group as smokers. Scum of the earth!!
 
I think it is a bad decision by the teacher without a parents consent, but caffeine doesn’t affect kids the same as adults until they are around 13.
 
I didn’t really drink coffee until I was almost done with college. My wife on the other hand is Cuban and Puerto Rican. She was probably given coffee in her baby bottle.
 
I'm not sure why any parent would give their kid coffee.

I can't stand coffee drinkers who think their cup of coffee is the most important thing in the world. It's like they are making love to it when drinking. Then they hold you hostage at restaurants while they drink a cup or 2 after their meal.

I for one won't stand for it. I put them in the same group as smokers. Scum of the earth!!


😂
 
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Mine weren't allowed until 18. I figure if you can die for the country, you should be allowed to drink.
 
Around 14 as they start high school. The work picks up in high school and they have to stay up late or get up early to make it, so they have earned the right to have coffee.
 
Around 14 as they start high school. The work picks up in high school and they have to stay up late or get up early to make it, so they have earned the right to have coffee.
If I told you I didn't teach my kid how to budget their money but instead just give them extra when they need it, I would be told I'm a bad parent. But if you dont teach your kid to get enough sleep, but instead teach them to use a drug to stay awake, it's all good...

I'm not judging you as a parent, just the hipocracy.
 
If I told you I didn't teach my kid how to budget their money but instead just give them extra when they need it, I would be told I'm a bad parent. But if you dont teach your kid to get enough sleep, but instead teach them to use a drug to stay awake, it's all good...

I'm not judging you as a parent, just the hipocracy.
You 100 percent are judging me as a parent. Based on an anecdotal story. On coffee, not meth.

And your whole “hipocracy” nonsense does not even make sense. So you can suck it.
 
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You 100 percent are judging me as a parent. Based on an anecdotal story. On coffee, not meth.

And your whole “hipocracy” nonsense does not even make sense. So you can suck it.
Caffeine is a drug. I'm not comparing it to meth, but it is addictive.

Why would you want your kid addicted to a substance at such a young age? Would you let them smoke to stay awake? How about have a drink at the end of the day to relax?

I get it's not illegal, but that doesn't mean it's good for a kid.

Kids who drink caffeine can suffer from sleep problems, anxiety, acid reflux. To me it seems unnecessary. John Hopkins recommends seeing a Dr if a kid needs caffeine to function.
 
Caffeine is a drug. I'm not comparing it to meth, but it is addictive.

Why would you want your kid addicted to a substance at such a young age? Would you let them smoke to stay awake? How about have a drink at the end of the day to relax?

I get it's not illegal, but that doesn't mean it's good for a kid.

Kids who drink caffeine can suffer from sleep problems, anxiety, acid reflux. To me it seems unnecessary. John Hopkins recommends seeing a Dr if a kid needs caffeine to function.

Seriously, fck off. It’s in chocolate, tea, and almost all soda too. I said nothing on how much and the frequency, just what age I let mine have a coffee if they want, which is ~14. It does not mean I let them drink more than one cup or have multiple sodas. And it actually is not like smoking, which is why a six year old can walk into a store and buy a Mountain Dew.
 
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I still hate coffee but as a kid my grandpa would give me a cup of it just to dunk donuts in. I don't know if a little is bad for a kid just seems pretty irresponsible of the teacher.
 
I still hate coffee but as a kid my grandpa would give me a cup of it just to dunk donuts in. I don't know if a little is bad for a kid just seems pretty irresponsible of the teacher.

I have no idea if it’s actually true, but my parents swore it would stunt my growth. I wanted to be a football player so I wasn’t touching it.
 
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Caffeine is a drug. I'm not comparing it to meth, but it is addictive.

Why would you want your kid addicted to a substance at such a young age? Would you let them smoke to stay awake? How about have a drink at the end of the day to relax?

I get it's not illegal, but that doesn't mean it's good for a kid.

Kids who drink caffeine can suffer from sleep problems, anxiety, acid reflux. To me it seems unnecessary. John Hopkins recommends seeing a Dr if a kid needs caffeine to function.

This isn’t where I was intending to go with this thread, but several months back I heard an interview on the radio with a scientist who just published a book on caffeine. It was fascinating. A few takeaways for me:
1) if you wake up and want a cup of coffee to energize in the morning, you’re not really getting a boost from the coffee. What you’re doing is cleansing your withdrawal symptoms.
2) it stays in you much longer than you think. A cup in the morning will screw with your sleep that night, but wear off somewhere in the early mornings and you wake up to withdrawal symptoms
3) he quit cold turkey for research purposes. He said it was miserable, but His biggest surprise in all this was how wonderfully he slept for the few months until he started drinking it again.

Personally, I don’t drink it. When people learn that they usually say something about how they didn’t know how I could wake up in the morning and function. I tell them that if they never drank it, they wouldn’t need it to function in the morning. It surprises me how many ppl drink it...imagine waking up already feeling like you would after you drink a cup or two...and not crashing hours later.
 
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We have coffee every morning and neither kid ever expressed any interest. My son started drinking an occasional cup in college. My daughter is in college and still has never had a taste.
 
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This isn’t where I was intending to go with this thread, but several months back I heard an interview on the radio with a scientist who just published a book on caffeine. It was fascinating. A few takeaways for me:
1) if you wake up and want a cup of coffee to energize in the morning, you’re not really getting a boost from the coffee. What you’re doing is cleansing your withdrawal symptoms.
2) it stays in you much longer than you think. A cup in the morning will screw with your sleep that night, but wear off somewhere in the early mornings and you wake up to withdrawal symptoms
3) he quit cold turkey for research purposes. He said it was miserable, but His biggest surprise in all this was how wonderfully he slept for the few months until he started drinking it again.

Personally, I don’t drink it. When people learn that they usually say something about how they didn’t know how I could wake up in the morning and function. I tell them that if they never drank it, they wouldn’t need it to function in the morning. It surprises me how many ppl drink it...imagine waking up already feeling like you would after you drink a cup or two...and not crashing hours later.

I recently learned #1 as well. I think about it quite a bit listening to people that “can’t talk to me until they’ve had their cup of coffee”. These are the same folks that always say they “need a beer” at the end of the day. Its pretty Interesting.

Back to the thread... do some research and stick to facts/data/science. The American Academy of Pediatrics says no caffeine until 12 years old - which makes what this teacher is doing incredibly shocking to me. Makes me wonder if your child misunderstood and shes providing decaf, hot chocolate or cider....
 
I have a nine-year-old son who is in fourth grade. He came home upset today because his teacher brought in a coffee maker (sounds like a keurig). Apparently the kids can earn rewards in their groups, and one of them is to get coffee. He knows that I won’t let him drink any and he’s afraid his group will choose that option.

I don’t want to sound like the crazy parent at @Tom Paris’s School that won’t let their kid watch any videos with people in masks. But am I crazy for thinking it is insane to give coffee to nine-year-olds, especially without a parents permission? Or am I dating myself?
As a former teacher, I suggest you give the teacher a call to ask about the reward. If she is truly offering coffee as a reward, I imagine you are not the only concerned parent. However, I know sometimes misunderstandings happen and your child may have the wrong idea.

Now on to the coffee question, I grew up with a Swedish mom whose parents had both immigrated to the US. Coffee was very important to them. As a young kid I drank coffee with cream and sugar. I even ordered it at restaurants. I don't remember when I quit drinking it, but as an adult I never drink the stuff.
 
How is it any different than chugging a monster? Most parents don’t seem to care what carbonated garbage their kids drink so why not coffee too?
This 100%. Cokes, Mt. Dew, Dr. Pepper, etc. Full of sugar...and CAFFEINE! Even iced tea.
My kids had no interest in coffee.
 
I never drank as a kid. Started in college working front desk at a hotel.

I suppose I wouldn’t appreciate a teacher giving it to my child under 14 though. In fact our kids rarely get soda or caffeinated drinks in general. It’s mostly water, milk, juice or sports drinks in our house.
 
I have a nine-year-old son who is in fourth grade. He came home upset today because his teacher brought in a coffee maker (sounds like a keurig). Apparently the kids can earn rewards in their groups, and one of them is to get coffee. He knows that I won’t let him drink any and he’s afraid his group will choose that option.

I don’t want to sound like the crazy parent at @Tom Paris’s School that won’t let their kid watch any videos with people in masks. But am I crazy for thinking it is insane to give coffee to nine-year-olds, especially without a parents permission? Or am I dating myself?

some kids come out of the womb drinking soda, so why should this be any different
 
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