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As kids, many of us were permitted to take a slurp from Grandpa's can of Blatz or a little taste of mom's holiday highball, but is this practice dangerous and old school or is it OK?

Although there is not proof that early sampling of alcohol leads to excessive underage drinking, there isn't proof that it doesn't, either. So like most parenting issues, whether or not a child should be permitted to take even a sip of beer or wine is debatable.

Milwaukee's Mary Desmond thinks it's perfectly fine if her daughter, age 7, takes an occasional, small drink of her alcoholic beverage.

"I try not to make a big deal about alcohol one way or another. I tell her that it's a 'grown up drink' but it's fine if she tries it," says Desmond.

Desmond says that by letting her daughter try the beverage, the experience ironically works in her favor as a concerned parent.

"Most of the time, she doesn't like the taste, so I think it's reinforcing at an early age that alcohol doesn't taste very good. I hope she remembers that when she's a teenager," says Desmond.

Former Milwaukeean Mike Koppa, now living in Viroqua, is the father of two children and he agrees with Desmond.

"I gave it to them early, offered it when they were curious. They both tried it and neither one liked it. I'm talking beer, cocktails and wine. But I'm not letting them try the bong," jokes Koppa.

However, Jean Gutierrez-White, the mom of two young girls, does not think it's acceptable to let kids drink booze -- even in very small amounts. "There's no reason for this," she says. "There's time for that later. It's not OK."

Statistics show that most kids have tried alcohol by the age of 18. And according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 75 percent of all high school students in the United States have tried alcohol at least once.

Dr. Jennifer Twente has been a pediatrician for almost 10 years, and currently works at Shoreview Pediatrics, 2524 E. Webster Pl. She says that, like with pregnant women, it is not recommended that kids drink alcohol in any amount.

"As a pediatrician, I can't say it's OK for a child to drink any level of alcohol," says Twente. "This is why were rarely offer cold medicines -- because they contain alcohol. It's believed that kids are going to have some side effects if they drink alcohol."

Some parents say it depends on the age of the child and the amount of alcohol they drink. Filling a baby bottle with PBR, of course, is not a good idea, but a ceremonial shot glass of wine for an older child, to some moms and dads, is different.

"Since my daughter was 10, I have allowed her a sip of my champagne at special events. She is now almost 16, and she isn't tempted to get wasted ... She has gone to high school parties and comes back completely sober, which is better than I would have been," says Milwaukee's Andie Zacher.

However, Dr. Bradley Kirschner, who works as a pediatrician for the Brookfield-based Westbrook Pediatrics, 13950 W. Capitol Dr., says parents must take the law into account.

"The United States legal system decided the drinking age is 21, and if you let your child drink alcohol earlier than that, you are telling them it's OK to break the law," says Kirschner. "And there are a number of studies that show that the younger a person is when he or she drinks alcohol, the more of a chance there is that they will develop a problem in the future."

This resonates with some parents who struggle with alcohol dependency or have family members who do.

"My dad was an alcoholic. My wife’s mother was an alcoholic. But still, what does this mean for our kids? If we keep it from them, they’ll get curious about the ‘forbidden fruit,’ and if we act nonchalant, and they wind up alcoholics, we’ll blame ourselves," says Mark Deets. "It’s like so many issues with parenting. I feel damned if I do and damned if I don’t."