Ibbygirl Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I mean "real", black coffee, not little coffee mixed into a lot of milk or something like that. Just curious. :) My kids don't drink coffee by your definition. My dd likes it with lots of milk and sugar. ;) I started drinking black coffee when I was 9 I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 While I agree that too much coffee isn't good for anyone over the long-term, coffee stimulates the prefrontal cortex increasing concentration, executive function, reaction times, memory and attention span. There are also studies that claim coffee has a protective affect against age-related degeneration and Alzheimer's as well as a lower risk of brain cancer. Honestly, google around. Coffee has largely been given a bad rap. Moderation, of course is the key, so I hate to see 12 year olds chugging Rock Stars like water. But a small cup of coffee every day or two isn't going to stunt anyone's growth or ruin a growing brain. Barb I agree that there is good evidence that coffee is beneficial for the adult brain in moderate amounts. The articles I read a couple of years ago focused specifically on the effects of coffee on a developing brain. The general recommendation was that it is safer to wait until the brain finishes developing. Unfortunately, I can't find the article in a quick search online, so I don't expect anyone to change their behavior based on my hearsay. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I mean "real", black coffee, not little coffee mixed into a lot of milk or something like that. Just curious. :) :lol: By your definition I don't drink coffee yet. Dd drinks coffee in the morning. One cup here and there, she's not a regular drinker. She started with puberty. For some reason she wasn't as emotionally unstable with a steaming cup of jo (:lol:) in her hand. My boys will sip my coffee, especially if they're pouring me a cup. Older ds has had one cup from the coffee shop and decided it was gross. He still sips mine, but doesn't like it enough to want a cup all to himself. I'm not insane, therefore, my youngest is not given stimulants like coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I don't count only the blackest of black :D, but I do mean something which is more coffee than stuff you add to it. I noticed that the last couple of times we were out, my eldest ordered coffee rather than tea, so I was wondering whether it's "normal" already at 13-14, or no. I rarely drink coffee myself, and I grew up with this "coffee is an adult drink" mindset, so it struck me as a bit young, but maybe I'm just prejudiced. I'd rather have her drink coffee than soda in any case (we don't do soda). It's not a daily drink yet for her, but I was just curious about your experiences. :) Ds1 doesn't care for coffee, though he's had it a few times since he was about 13. Ds2 loves coffee. He's been having about a cup a week since he was 12. Usually decaf, though. He rarely gets a cup of regular. He says he prefers it to hot chocolate because it's not as sweet--in spite of the tsps of sugar he adds. And he likes lots of half-and-half in it, too. I remember being in 9th grade and one teacher had her coffee pot in the classroom. She told us we could help ourselves but most of us also thought of coffee as an adult drink--like beer. We were floored when one of our classmates did make herself a cup. It took me a couple years to get over that mindset, when I started drinking coffee. Thanks to Mom. Yes, I'm addicted. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Since I don't ever drink coffee (hate the taste) and DH only drinks it if he really needs heavy caffeine (and usually its an espresso), I doubt my kids will drink coffee until they are in college or working. My oldest has never had hot coffee but she gets the occasional mocha frappacino from Starbucks. My youngest loves a good cup of tea though. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I don't count only the blackest of black :D, but I do mean something which is more coffee than stuff you add to it. I noticed that the last couple of times we were out, my eldest ordered coffee rather than tea, so I was wondering whether it's "normal" already at 13-14, or no. I rarely drink coffee myself, and I grew up with this "coffee is an adult drink" mindset, so it struck me as a bit young, but maybe I'm just prejudiced. I'd rather have her drink coffee than soda in any case (we don't do soda). It's not a daily drink yet for her, but I was just curious about your experiences. :) Sounds like dd to me. I think it's an attempt to try out grown-up wings. Dd strives to be 'mature' and in her world, coffee is a 'mature' drink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 DD11 likes coffee. She's been drinking it for a year or so. She only has 1 or 2 cups a week though. The rest of the dc haven't shown any interest in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly IN Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I mean "real", black coffee, not little coffee mixed into a lot of milk or something like that. Just curious. :) Probably around 8 years old. :D:D I know bad huh?? We are BIG coffee drinkers. Now tea....our kids started when they were 5 yrs old. Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I only have 2 who like coffee...and they are 7 & 4. We drink decaf. about 90% of the time, so caffeine is a non-issue. We just love the taste. Hubby drinks it black and the boys and I drink w/ a splash of cream and 1/2 tsp. of raw sugar. I love the fact that we can have special time in the morning chatting and sipping our coffees. It's a lovely thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I didn't drink coffee until about 12 years ago when my oldest introduced me to Starbucks. Well, my coffee concoctions looked and smelled so good that of course they wanted to try them. So the middle two drank coffee from them on which means they would have been in the 8-9 year range. I probably waited almost that long with the 14 years old but the 11 year old probably started earlier being that she was around it a lot longer. I pretty much contain myself to sweet, yummy coffee even if it is strong whereas my children will drink stronger, black coffee with just creamer. They have tried just about everything on the Starbucks menu and would probably go every day if we could afford it. Any money that they get for anything (only small amounts) they use to walk to Starbucks for a coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Thank you everyone for your responses. :) It's been an interesting read, it seems that a lot of people do indeed begin much younger than I thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hasn't been an issue yet. *shrug* I've let Diva have an occasional sip of a cappuccino, but she didn't like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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