WHY does this keep happening -- toddlers getting served booze in restaurants? From Applebee's to Olive Garden to Outback, parents have ordered up what they think is an innocent drink only to find out that their toddlers are slingin' back the hard stuff. In this latest case, 3-year-old Thomas Horne was served a Jack and Coke while dining out with his family. To make matters worse, it was a DOUBLE.
According to The Mirror, they were at a British diner chain in London, Frankie & Benny's. The boy's mom ordered one Coke and one water, but somehow the waitress translated that into a Coke with two shots of whiskey in it!
The boy started downing the drink, and managed to slam about one-third of it before his mom realized something was wrong. "He then squirmed and said he didn't like it," she told the paper.
That's when she smelled it and realized there was booze in her baby's drink. Yikes! She then rushed him to the hospital. Fortunately, he was okay and doctors later released him (how much later isn't clear), but that much alcohol in a small child could have had some serious consequences.
So is this an epidemic we're facing here? Are restaurants secretly trying to start kids down the road to imbibing early?
I hardly think so. While these incidents are scary, and I'd be pissed if they happened to my child, the fact is mistakes happen. They shouldn't, but think about how many times your restaurant meal has been seriously screwed up. There wouldn't be enough space in the world for all of the headlines if each of those mistakes was reported. So while this is a little more serious than when they give me full-sugar Coke instead of DIET Coke (which they seem to do all the freakin' time), it's just not that surprising that it happens. And typically, toddlers don't like the taste of booze, so it seems it would usually be apparent pretty quickly if they got some.
The bottom line here: If you dare dine out, you have to realize there are no guarantees as to what you're going to get. So start sniffing those sippy cups, you never what kind of surprise will therein lie.
Do you sniff or taste what your child eats and drinks before they do when eating out? Will stories like this make you?
Image via allaboutgeorge/Flickr
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Comments 38
two words:
shit. happens.
that's why my kids only get water. The only thing that looks like water is vodka/gin etc. and those aren't ordered in tall water glasses.
I find it much more of an issue that the 3 year old is being fed sugary/processed/caffeniated soft drinks from his own parents.
Shit happens and quit being ass hats about something you would not give your kid, if its not your kid quit fucking worrying about. There are starving children on this planet and were worried about a kid get a little coke which might have been a treat cause they were going out to dinner together. Holy fuck balls.
How do you accidentally serve a child booze? I mean, even of you somehow thought mom was ordering said child booze, it's a freaking CHILD...
Ever since the spoiled milk incident, I always taste their milk first. And they're not exactly toddlers anymore lol.
I know all parents are different and we all have our different parenting techniques, but I gotta say Coke for a 3 year old not the best idea...3 year old + Caffeine= Hammy from over the My boys only get water or apple juice (which I will be checking from now on). I'm sure these have been accidents, but waiters/waitresses really need to listen better when people order.
That's supposed to be Over the Hedge.