Disney's champagne for kids?
Categories: Safety, Eating & Nutrition, Development
When I was a little girl, my Mom said that we weren't allowed to have candy cigarettes. According to her, and I agree, they glamorized smoking to young children.
Some are saying that Disney is glamorizing another vice to children, though this one is a bit different. Next time your family is having a party, don't forget to stop at the store to get some Disney Partyfizz, a mock champagne drink for children.
That's right, from the bottle with the gold foil down to the bubbles, Partyfizz seems to be a bit too close to the real thing for some. If you're confused as to why you haven't heard of it, I am pretty sure that the product isn't available in the United States.
According to one little girl in the article linked, "It reminds me of champagne. The bottle shape and the colour of the juice are the same. I've seen mummy and daddy drink champagne at parties."
This article brings up many different questions. Should children have drinks such as mock champagne? Should parents drink in front of their kids? When should children be exposed to alcohol?
My parents never hid drinking from me (not that they were ever huge drinkers to begin with) and I most definitely wasn't the type to hit the bottle. Then again, I never even smoked one cigarette, so maybe that has to do with parental influence as well?
Personally, I don't feel comfortable letting my children have mock champagne or mock alcohol at any age. A sip of a parent's wine every once in awhile, sure. But an entire beverage where the point is to pretend to be "grown up?"
I'll pass.
Some are saying that Disney is glamorizing another vice to children, though this one is a bit different. Next time your family is having a party, don't forget to stop at the store to get some Disney Partyfizz, a mock champagne drink for children.
That's right, from the bottle with the gold foil down to the bubbles, Partyfizz seems to be a bit too close to the real thing for some. If you're confused as to why you haven't heard of it, I am pretty sure that the product isn't available in the United States.
According to one little girl in the article linked, "It reminds me of champagne. The bottle shape and the colour of the juice are the same. I've seen mummy and daddy drink champagne at parties."
This article brings up many different questions. Should children have drinks such as mock champagne? Should parents drink in front of their kids? When should children be exposed to alcohol?
My parents never hid drinking from me (not that they were ever huge drinkers to begin with) and I most definitely wasn't the type to hit the bottle. Then again, I never even smoked one cigarette, so maybe that has to do with parental influence as well?
Personally, I don't feel comfortable letting my children have mock champagne or mock alcohol at any age. A sip of a parent's wine every once in awhile, sure. But an entire beverage where the point is to pretend to be "grown up?"
I'll pass.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Amy 3-26-2007 @ 12:50PM
THis is nothing new. As a kid, for special occasions--on Christmas Eve--my parents every now and then bought us kids sparkling grape juice to enjoy with our dinner at the kids table. We loved it. It was so fancy and grown up! And it did not turn me into a wino, at least not yet.
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meg 3-26-2007 @ 1:54PM
I agree with Amy - I don't see how this is any different than the sparkling cider we get for the holidays. It's sold in a bottle like champagne as well.
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Robin 3-26-2007 @ 2:11PM
I think portraying alcohol as something mysterious and forbidden is a good way to make kids even more inclined to sneaking it when they're underaged. Rather, I think parents openly modelling responsible drinking habits is the way to promote moderation. When I was a kid, it was a big treat to be able to get a virgin cocktail like a Shirley Temple when we went out for a special occasion, or to have a glass of sparkling grape juice to match my parents' champagne at New Year's. As a teen, I was the only one of my friends who never saw the appeal of "getting wasted" and usually ended up the designated driver, and even as an adult I drink very rarely - say, a cocktail at a special occasion dinner, or a glass of wine at the holidays.
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Katrina 3-26-2007 @ 2:12PM
Thank you!! I was going to say what about sparkling cider?? This is not a new thing. In general when I was younger if my parents had wine or anything like that in a wine or champagne glass I wanted my milk, juice, soda whatever I was drinking in a wine glass too. Kids like to play...and act grown up. I rather give my child sparkling cider and play grown up then the occasional sip of wine which is only for grown ups.
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Belinda 3-27-2007 @ 10:53AM
I think it is cute, I liked getting that grape juice in the wine bottles at Halloween and Christmas.
Didn't you know that in some states it is OKAY for a parent to provide children (only THEIR OWN CHILDREN) with alcholic drinks ONLY in their OWN home?? I think it ages 13/14 and up. Virginia, where I live is one of them.
I think the candy cigs were nasty and awful, but to let the kids have their own "bubbly" during SPECIAL occations is cute.
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LS 3-26-2007 @ 5:13PM
Don't kids learn to be adults by copying adults? If you are a responsible drinker, a little sparkling cider or grape juice isn't going to turn the child into an alcoholic. If you don't smoke, a candy cigarette isn't going to turn him into a smoker. I am living proof of that. Disgusting as they were, I LOVED those things, but I HATE smoking, and will go out of my way to avoid smokers.
Kids watch what we do - they dress in our shoes, they wear our hats, they pretend to drive the car, cook, go to work, etc. If we model healthy behavior, they'll grow up to be as normal as we are. I know... frightening.
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Ann Adams 3-26-2007 @ 6:02PM
My husband and I don't drink but we have a tradition of sparkling cider on New Year's eve. I buy the throwaway "champagne" glasses, we all have a toast (if we're still awake), and the girls love it.
I don't see the harm.
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rachel 3-26-2007 @ 6:53PM
All that this is teaching kids is that it's fun to have something sparkling in a champagne flute to celebrate. I'm a grown woman, and I prefer to drink sparkling cider or grape juice, it tastes good, sparkling cider is 100% juice, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.
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april 3-26-2007 @ 8:16PM
My mom always bought us Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice for New Years Eve when we were little. I never really saw a problem with that. I don't drink now nor have never had any real urge to. I mean, I never have thought of myself as a tee-totaler or anything, but sitting here counting now I think I have had maybe 5 alcoholic drinks in my entire life. My siblings aren't big drinkers either. Probably the parental influence more than anything I guess.
I think the outrage here about this story has to do with the young drinking culture in Scotland. Living here I can kind of see why people are concerned with *anything* that might make it worse. You see 12 year olds standing on the street corners on a Saturday night drinking alcoholic cider out of the bottle (it is sold cheaply in 2 litre jugs). The drinking culture here is pretty unreal. Kids drink to get really really drunk from a very young age. Thinking of my own childhood back in small town USA I probably would not be bothered by this "partyfizz", but in the context of Scottish youth I can see where these people are coming from.
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Tamyu 3-27-2007 @ 12:47AM
I guess this may all have to do with someone`s opinions on alcohol. But it definitely isn`t a new thing. When I was a child, we drank sparkling cider, and even root beer from brown beer-like bottles. But I was never a drinker, and don`t really drink now.
Just as the previous commenters - I think it really is up to the parents to display proper and responsible habits. Never giving your child simulated alcoholic drinks isn`t going to mean anything if you`re getting trashed in front of them. I think it would be easier to keep a child from drinking if they associated that sort of glass/bottle with something sweet - as alcohol generally isn`t.
I personally don`t have any problems with this, and I will most likely buy such things for my son.
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