Do you tell them about your past or do you pretend it never happened?

I've chosen this theme due to my own selfish purposes, Hamish, today. This is something that I am facing soon.

My eldest is nearly 11, nearly a teen in two years.

My kids are getting older and I have no idea how to approach this subject with them.

I'm at a loss at how much to tell them.

Yeah, I'm not sure that telling them about the time you blew off your finger with a firework after downing buckets of Thai whiskey will help them graduate

you.

Yeah, unfortunately, they already know about that one. It is Hartimus. It is HARTAMIS. I wonder if they'll listen to the podcast one day. If they did, they would never have to have the conversation about booze. They know everything. Yeah, I'm not sure. Yeah, I don't know whether I want them to know everything. Researching this topic meant I got to learn on the go, though, which was good.

I hope my exploration into the very awkward teenage mind will make this conversation a little easier for everyone when the time comes.

It's basically an episode structured to help me to be a better parent. Is that all right with you?

It's very selfish of you, Vic. But I will let you off because I too will be making mental notes and joshing tips in my notebook. As terrifying as it is to think of my baby becoming a teenager. He's what six months now. So we're 12 years away. Yeah. Yeah. So I have to prepare myself. I've got far longer than you have to prepare this conversation. Yeah, don't worry too much yet, Hamish. I know. I want to start panicking. There's enough. There's enough to panic about between now and then. There is, yeah. The reason I want to discuss this topic today is because I need a plan, basically. Having a plan means that I won't need to worry about what to do in the future. And I can structure a conversation

that have everything firmly in place.

We hope this will take some worry away from you and mean your kids have an understanding about the dangers of alcohol and what it means if they choose to drink on a night out.

Yeah.

So how much do your kids already know, Vick?

Well, this is a good question. I think George knows more than I thought he knew because I think he listens. Because it gets to a point where you think your kids can't understand anything you're saying for years and years and years. And then suddenly there is start to prick up and you realize they are logging in and they know what you're on about. and they're from no matter where they are in the house, they come in and go, I heard you what you said about, next door, and they know about stuff they shouldn't know about. Because you think you're having private conversations, but you're not. So I'm not sure how much they know. I know George probably knows more than I imagine. I know that Nelly at school, she says,

my mummy has a blog called Drunk Mummy Soda Mummy. Good. But I'm not sure I really want her to tell a little school friends. That would be a better name than Drunk Mummy Sobermummy. Yeah. I mean, it's my email address with the school is Drunk Mummy Sober Mummy. Yeah, okay. I do often wonder what people think about that, but then I'll have to get to a point where I don't really care.

It's better than sober mummy, drunk mummy.

Yes, that's true. George knows I'm sober, and he knows what I do is to do with being sober. And the kids all know that most parents drink apart from us, which I'm not sure they care about. I don't think they think us as being more boring or

anything else. I just think they know that we don't drink. George knows that drinking made me unwell. Whenever he asks me about it, I do say drinking made me feel sick, and that's why I stopped and it made me not be such a good mummy. I think he does know that. That's good. And that's really That's a version of the truth.

Yeah, it's kind of the tip of the iceberg, isn't it?

And I think that's all he needs to know for now.

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