Kindergartener drinking beer?

NISD allows parents to visit the school and eat lunch with the kids. I often went to the school with Abri and Kayla in tow to see Emma. Up to two classmates are allowed to sit with the parents and their child. One afternoon in April, Emma's friend Hannah Strong, from another kindergarten class, sat with us. Hannah made a startling comment that I couldn't help but remember and worry about.

Hannah:I drink beer.
Emma: My family doesn't drink beer.
Hannah: My mom lets me take a sip of it sometimes and it is so good. She lets me drink some of her coffee in the morning too.
Emma: No response.

Something else came up, probably discussing what they were eating for lunch or some such thing, but I was too busy making a mental note: "If Emma ever, ever has a friend named Hannah Strong and wants to go to a party at her house, she is not going. . .for that matter, be friends with her if I have a say in it. . ."

If a 5 yr old already drinks beer and likes the taste of it, how much more likely is she going to be to drink it and become addicted when she gets older and her parents aren't around to control how much she gets of it? Odds are, her liking of it won't diminish as time goes by, and it sets her up for problems later on. Its amazing the things parents may think are ok for their kids that could have lasting affects. . .

As for Emma's response, I was grateful that we had just had a conversation about the Word of Wisdom just a few weeks earlier and she remembered what our family's standard is and was able to voice it to her friend, even if it was in such a small way. One can only hope that trend gets stronger as she grows older.