A Dad Debates Introducing Wine

Will letting your kids sip wine decrease chances of binges later, Eric Asimov wonders in the New York Times. “I can’t help hoping that my sons might share my taste in ball teams and politics. Why should wine be any different?” writes Asimov, who imagined raising his children European-style to teach them “wine is a wonderful part of a meal.”

But after hearing that model criticized, Asimov started his own research: “Might forbidding even a taste … encourage secrecy and recklessness?” He found studies supporting his view, ultimately agreeing with the take a Harvard professor: "Driving a car, shooting a rifle, using alcohol are all dangerous activities, and the way you teach responsibility is to let parents teach appropriate use.” (More wine stories.)