Do you believe that a child shouldn't be allowed to drink coffee until a certain age?

No - not really. My sister and I were raised with having an “after-dinner” cup of coffee at the dinner table. Of course, my parents used to dilute it a little more with milk, but the caffeine didn’t bother us at all (fun fact - for many hyperactive children, caffeine has a calming effect). It’s actually a myth that coffee stunts your growth - I’m only 5’6” (which actually is tall enough for my generation), but my sister is nearly six feet tall.

That’s a myth, really?? Darn -.- I was hoping my shortness had some sort of explaination lol.

I started drinking coffee at 12 and I’m 6’. Coffee is probably healthier than a lot of things kids drink. Of course if kids drink some foo foo made up coffee drink loaded with fat and sugar it is little better than soda (at least Coffee supplies antioxitants).

Anyone can drink too much coffee (and sometimes I do) so kids getting hopped up on coffee is probably not a good thing.

The way caffeine and other stimulants seem to calm hyperactive kids does seem paradoxical and is widely misunderstood. You should understand that for people with ADHD it is very taxing to concentrate. We can force ourselves to concentrate on things that don’t interest us but there is a limit how long we can fight our tendency to seek more stimulation. Stimulants by giving more energy allow us to focus longer. Caffeine also allows people who don’t have ADHD to concentrate harder on tests and work longer. It is really the same effect rather than being opposite as many people believe.

Yes I do!

i don’t believe in restriction children on anything obtainable…

you know, in france children drink ‘wine’ from a very very very young age (granted it’s watered down and very weak’ … but it educates the children that ‘wine’ is something to be enjoyed ‘wit others as part of a meal’… i live in Britain, we have a HUGE binge drinking problem.. but the first thing people do when their kids hits 18 is takes them to the pub to get plastered (drunk) lol

what does this teach children (and 18 or not, they still our children)

i think the point i’m making is… ANYTHING is OK in MODERATION. and that is one thing western society fails to enforce in our children…

moderating.. as in ‘yes johnny, i’ll make you a coffee to have with us after dinner’ make them feel included and also teaches them when to appreciate something.

not to mention that there are plenty of caffeine free alternatives available… but doesn’t that detract from the point of teaching them when and how?

health wise.. really coffee? if your child has a genuine honest to god desire for coffee, as in they LOVE the taste of it, then explain to them why caffeine free is a better alternative… to be honest, you give them decaf, they probably won’t notice it…

i personally think western society is far too sensitive about ‘controversial things’ when normal everyday household things hold much more of a concern for overall health issues…

we just need to chill out a bit… there are far more dangerous things than coffee that our children are exposed to!

i drank ALOT of coffe when i was in middle school..and im ok..so i dont see anything wrong with it..now if they are like little kids like 6 years of age or whatever..then heck no i wouldn’t give it coffee lol..but around 12 ish isn’t bad because thats the time i started drinking it…

yes, 18.. .

I live on coffee! As long as they don’t go overboard, I don’t see a problem

My identical twin brother drinks more coffee than me, and I believe that is why he is about two inches shorter than me.

I drink coffee everyday, well or at least cappuccino, and I never had a negative effect. It keeps me awake in school and helps me concentrate. I would never consider age restrictions, but it is the responsibility of the guardians of the children to control and moderate how much the child actually consumes. I have drank coffee since before I was 7, because I was born in Colombia, and it is well known for the good coffee quality. So I have drank it since very little and I don’t consider it a bad thing.

I have had coffee since I was like 3 - it was 1/2 water when I was younger but I have always liked coffee for the taste. And caffeine doesn’t stunt your growth - I’m 6’ 4”, my brother is 6’ 4”, and my dad is 6’ 2” - all of us had coffee from a early age.

I don’t think its good to straight but forbid anything to a kid - it makes them want it that much more. Moderation is the key to just about anything. And things that are illegal or very harmful should be throughly explained why by and understanding parent - not just THATS BAD!!! DON’T DO IT!!!.