Children betting/gambling

[ResiduumRevertetur]

Is it cute and fun to do within the family or something to be discouraged?

[ggreg]

I play Texas Holdem with mine.  And we all bet on the Grand National Horse Race every spring.  Everything in moderation.

[verenaerin]

"Betcha can't climb that tree!"
"Can too!"
"Alright, if you climb that tree, then I'll give you a piece of gum."

We played card games as kids. We would bet chores on various contests. We also regularly played the lotto. I never got into real gambling because I see it as such a waste of money (I'm thinking casinos and such). Horse racing seems like a fun thing to do, especially if you see it live.

If you think your kids have an addictive personality, then avoid it. Otherwise it can be fun.

[The Curt Jester]

Betting can make things a little more fun and competitive, even for very small stakes.  Just don't bet too much and avoid it if you have sore losers because they'll ruin it for everybody.

That said, I usually am only in favor of betting when odds are for me.   

[CollegeCatholic]

Some of my fondest childhood memories with the extended family at Christmas and Thanksgiving are playing spoons and other card games with the family, betting pennies and nickels we had all saved up for the previous few weeks/months.

[ggreg]

I think fun is to be encouraged. Want your children to love honour and obey you? Want them to take that commandment of God seriously? Then be a great parent and give them a childhood full of fun and laughter and joy and learning and exploration. Be an involved parent who they can see is better than all their friends parents and they won't want to let you down later when they are an adult.

The best part is that kids are easy to like. I prefer them to adults.  Play their crazy games, build dens, get muddy, explore rivers, slide down bannisters, let them drive the car when they are six years old on your lap on some remote county lane. Most importantly join in with that childish nonsense talk they do between the ages of 5 and 9. I know it seems like crap to you but to them it is part of a short but fun childhood.

If your children see you break a few little rules or be a little cheeky in the pursuits of their joy and having a fun family experience I would say that was not a bad thing.  Those memories will last forever.  Mine have.

I know some joyless Trads who bring up their children like it is a penance they only accept because it gets them closer to Heaven. They behave entirely adult all the time like they were a schoolmaster and not a parent.  I have my doubts how seriously those children are going to take their parents views in 10 or 15 years time.

[ResiduumRevertetur]

Thanks for all your responses! It's given me a lot to think about. I tend to be hypersensitive to addictions because I grew up around so many and have watched lives destroyed by them, especially in my family and in my husband's family. No gambling addictions, but drugs and alcohol. When hubby said to my daughter that betting "makes everything more fun" I kinda recoiled and thought, maybe that's not a good thing to teach her. But I didn't want to destroy her fun either. Betting is kinda fun, but then there's the addiction aspect...again, I'm hypersensitive. I don't want that to rub off on the kids. Those are adult problems they don't need to be bogged down with. I'll work on that.

[OCLittleFlower]

Personally, I think addiction is more likely when things are forbidden.  "Don't drink or you'll be an alcoholic" leads to a resignation to alcoholism for many.  Instead, teaching kids that betting has a place in life, but that you shouldn't bet more than you can afford, leads them to be responsible.  We can't avoid everything that is addicting, as the list is simply too long -- food, the internet, video games, shopping, etc, etc.

[ggreg]

It is fun to bet on the outcomes of things. Makes watching a horse race more interesting.  However mathematically you cannot win by gambling where there is a bookmaker involved and people with intelligence should understand this.

After a pint or two of beer I stop. You have had most of the pleasure without the pain.

I have never understood why people continue to drink and drink.  Where is the pleasure? Being tipsy is as good as it can get.

[Spooky]

I have never understood why people continue to drink and drink.  Where is the pleasure? Being tipsy is as good as it can get.

It's in order to stifle the feelings they are trying to numb, (anger, guilt, sadness, rejection etc). Also, being blotto, then feeling crappy the next day also distracts from the underlying emotions.