03
Apr
Tonight I had my first sober First Thursday. I was downtown with my little sister from BBBS, so i wasn’t drinking anything but Dr. Pepper. Because I was sober, for the first time I really noticed how MUCH wine and beer is everywhere downtown. The bike/booze mobile was riding all over with a pack of drunk as skunks rowdy men, and there were microbreweries handing out free beer samples at several stores, as well as wine being handed out everywhere. Now, you know me – I LOVE ME SOME FREE WINE AND BEER SAMPLES!!! But it was just a bizarre situation, explaining this to a 12 year old who had never been to First Thurs. before. I’m trying to be a mentor - a good influence - and I find myself often thinking about age appropriateness when I’m with her. Then I realized, I never really worried about this stuff at all with my own kids, who have grown up going to First Thursdays and Saturday Market, etc, and grown up seeing their mom drink every single sample wine/beer i could get my hands on. What effect is that going to have on them as adult drinkers? My kids have been around drinking and parties basically since they were born. I am not saying this is good or bad, I’m just saying it is what it is – but tonight’s events definitely made me think about it more in depth than I ever have before. Thoughts????