+1. I’ve gotten cut by broken carboys and made the switch to plastic. Being a dad, it brought things into focus. And contrary to the old conventional wisdom, my beer quality hasn’t suffered one bit going back to buckets.
They are still young, but they love it and are great helpers. They are in private school (pre-school) and the teacher asks for my beer routinely. Stay close to your kids, build a strong relationship and try to talk about everything. Being honest and involving them in most of your activities will pay off more than you know. It is quite the journey, but worth the effort. Good luck and Cheers!
There are so many factors that go into substance abuse and homebrwing probably isn’t one of them. Spend time with your kids and treat their Mom well. Drink moderately. Pay attention to who they hang out with. Let them try alcohol when YOU think they can handle it. My son, who is 24, sometimes has too many and gets hangovers but doesn’t drink and drive and is a very responsible and healthy person. How do I know this? He trusts me because I told him all my war stories and he knows he can talk to me about it. Don’t hide it! as an aside ,on his 21st birthday he and I met Tomme Arthur who was at a local place that tapped a few kegs of his sours. Tomme said he drank Bud Light on his 21st birthday.
That’s a pretty cool story, Pete. Tomme is a great brewer. And I agree with the rest BTW.
Half the time? Bragger! I have a 24 and a 20 year old and still have no idea how they turned out to be incredible people. I know it had nothing to do with me “knowing what the hell I was doing” or that I’ve been brewing beer their entire lives. Create an environment where honor and honesty are important. When they can call and need your nonjudgemental help “before” the trouble begins (thinking of high school years), you’ve “done good”.
I have two teenage boys, a 2 year old girl and a 8 month old girl.
I LOVE how much brewing has to teach and the many varied skills you need to learn with this hobby. All of that info and skill can be passed on and the more knowledge your kids can learn from you will not only instill a healthy respect, but also understanding.
I found that the less mysterious alcohol of any type is, the less it is abused.
That is so cute!
My two boys helped me brew when they were little. They are now 29 and 27 years old. When my oldest was in middle school, I helped him make root beer for his science fair. It was the hit of the fair. My youngest has brewed with me, and we shared the beer, and my oldest comes home often to visit, and has a few homebrews while he is here. They both have healthy and sensible attitudes toward drinking and alcohol. My father made wine and beer back when it wasn’t the cool thing to do, and I’m convinced my sons will probably brew when it fits into their lives. Brewing, winemaking, distilling has been passed down through the ages, and it has been passed down through the generations of my family. It has been a positive thing that has brought us close together. I suppose that it has its pros and cons, but it has been a good thing for my family.
When asked to identify a cylinder in preschool, my now-11-year-old said, “It’s a can of beer!” (meaning a Corny keg). Her teachers though it was hilarious and then demanded I bring them some homebrew.
My younger daughter likes to “brew” along side me, using unopened bags of specialty grains, a spare pot, and a spoon.
I figure hiding brewing and drinking from my kids isn’t playing the long game. Everything is an opportunity for education, even if it’s by counterexample.
My son just turned 5. He doesn’t have much interest in helping me brew, but that’s probably because he has no interest in the finished product. To him, beer and soda are the same thing. They’re both things that adults drink that he has no interest in. He does love rubbing hop cones between his hands and smelling them, though.
My son made me real proud one day when we were eating lunch at a local brewpub during a brewday. You couldn’t see them brewing from the dining room, but you could smell it. Right as they first bittering addition went in my son said “I smell hops!” ;D
My thing with parenting is that I’m honest and straightforward as much as humanly possible. I try to explain things at his level, but without dumbing things down or sugarcoating them too much. Lead by example and give your kids the tools they need to make informed decisions and you will be astounded by how proud they make you.
Congrats! Here are my thoughts:
Congrats on your upcoming little one! I have an 11, 9, 7, and 4 year old and the advice already given is rock solid, just be honest with your kids. I just finished dinner talking about a blueberry fruit beer. My kids mostly see beer as something that stinks and can’t taste good. Moderation because too much of anything can be bad for you is my basic message.
Here’s hoping you slow down soon, bro! 
Marshall, this was a great post. My father grew up in the family winery (really just a tavern, did not produce wine, but that’s what they called it.) While I was growing up, my grandparents in his side always had a tiny wine glass for me and my sister for Sunday dinner every week as far back as I can remember. That’s how my father was brought up and that’s how he brought up my 4 siblings and myself. I had my wild college days, but those are long gone. As Keith noted, I probably qualify as a problem drinker medically speaking, but I usually only drink once or twice a week. I hate hangovers more than just about anything in life after those crazy college days, so I keep it responsible at all times. I did not know my father in his college days, but I can say that he is the most responsible adult drinker I have ever been around in my life. That helped shape me and I try to put that into work in my life now that I am helping raise my girlfriend’s 3 children. They all got bored with helping on brew day or bottling day after about the first 3 batches I made. The important thing I see is that they see me work hard (with brewing magic) to create something I love, and I don’t think they have ever seen my drinking as a potential problem in the 4 plus years that I have been around them. As a footnote, I think that it was either Alewyfe (?) Or Amanda K that said on here that SWMBO really stands for She Who. Must Brew Often. My significant other almost never helps me with brewing, but was a huge inspiration to get started in the hobby. I don’t think she has ever given me any grief over brewing as long as I keep life in perspective (and our calendar!) Thanks again, great post
It’s definitely crazy in and around my house, but the kids are great. I do tend to pretend growing hops needs more attention at times to escape for a few minutes.
-Tony
Congratulations, man.
I pretty much do the opposite, in that I brew in the evenings after the baby has gone to bed. It does make for some late nights though.
15 year old #1 son is going to build me a home-made off-flavor kit according to bjcp guidelines. Better train him to recognize bad beer once he gets into the inevitable binge drinking period :