I have a kid who does this with impunity. Thankfully she only likes certain things that no one else likes, for example cranberry juice, and no one else drinks it anyway.

The problem arose when she licked the ketchup bottle !!!! You heard right!

I confiscated it for a full week, then returned it with her name on it. I put another in the fridge for the rest of us.

Any other ideas ?

A lot depends on age of child. If it was one of my children, child would probably not be allowed to drink that particular drink or there would be some other consequence. But, for teenagers, it's often a phase that you have to pretend to ignore, I think. I don't know, I'm not teenage parenting yet, but it's an excellent question.

In the words of Akiva Tatz "Your problem is that you weren't beaten enough as children".......

ewww. Can you scare them about spreading germs?

As a child I would have been ostracized for life for such an action, but as an adult I see I have to choose my battles. I think it’s a good idea to just get a separate container of whatever the kid wants, in this case it’s just a juice and a ketchup, but I don’t want to go over the fine line of indulging the kid !!!!

Yes, juice concerns me, but since we all share the same bathrooms and hand towels and stuff, I wonder j ust how much of a scare germs really are.

The one teenager I know whose parents tried to do this ended up doing it even more, but I guess he was a fairly rebellious teen before this conversation came up.

In my house we have a rule, if it bothers you don't look.

Nah, still would bother me.

My sister double-licks the mayonnaise jar. Ewwww....
Oh, did I mention that she's 17? And has been doing this for years? And sees nothing wrong with it, no matter how much we talk about how disgusting it is and how many germs it spreads?

Noone in my family would last too long if they put their mouth to any part of any container in the fridge. It's beyond rude.

I can't really figure out what would possess a person to lick a container, drink from a [large] bottle, or do anything like that. It sounds like a terrible lack of manners which shouldn't be allowed. Getting that person their own carton so that they can drink from it? Ridiculous. IMO, that's lousy parenting.

Why is this any different from allowing a child to pick his/her nose? Burping at the table (without excusing oneself)? Licking the serving spoon?

wow. I remember once when I was about 6 or 7 my brother came home and drank directly out of a gallon milk bottle. I was revolted. (and very glad that i usualy didn't drink much milk.)

I think that teenagers do this cause they just don't think things through very well.




you're insane. . . you never, ever, even hit children. its mean and cruel and hurtful and doesn't even get you anywhere.

take a joke, much?

some things just aren't ok to joke about.

Hi, can I have a list? Just, you know, for future reference.

I guess Belle's not coming to my house. and it's not even my fault.

Oh, excuse, me it is my fault - what's the loshon she used? Lousy parenting ?

I don't think it was such lousy parenting. wait till she has teenagers of her own. (not that i do either.)

sometimes I mean, what are you supposed to do? they did mess with the bottle of stuff and contaminate it.