Caroline Baudino Shares How She Talks to Her Teen About Alcohol

On Coming in Hot, Caroline Baudino takes on one of the toughest parenting topics—how to talk to your kids about drinking before they actually do it. When her 15-year-old mentioned Halloween parties, she didn’t panic. She got curious. “I want him to talk to me. I want him to tell me things. And I want to be the safe place,” she says. 

Instead of a lecture, she laid out simple, realistic advice: eat first, hydrate, and think before acting. “Knowledge is power.” Her husband John chimed in too, reminding their boys, “Like we say, nothing good happens after midnight.” 

Talking to Teens and Kids About Alcohol

Create a safe space

Baudino’s approach starts long before the party invite ever shows up. She doesn’t wait for a crisis to start the conversation. Instead, she builds comfort through everyday connection. “He always comes in at night to say goodnight. I just love that time and we just kind of chit chat and hang,” she says. Those small, unforced moments give her the space to ask gentle questions about what’s happening at school or who’s going where on the weekend.

“I want him to talk to me. I want him to tell me things. And I want to be the safe place,” Baudino says. Don’t ignore the problem at hand. Baudino shows her son that he can be honest about it without fear of judgment. She’s the person he can tell the truth to, not the person he has to hide it from.

Lead with honesty and model what you mean

Baudino is open about her own experiences growing up in New York, saying she tried alcohol early and made her share of mistakes. But instead of glorifying it, she uses those stories to create understanding. “I’ve been there, I’ve done it, you can talk to me,” she tells her son. That kind of transparency builds credibility—because kids can sense when you’re sugarcoating.

Just as important as what you say is what you show. Baudino points out that kids are always watching: the nightly glass of wine, the “take the edge off” moments, the way adults handle stress. “How are your kids perceiving you and looking at you?” she asks. “If every day you’re opening a bottle of wine…I do wonder how that affects the people watching.”

Keep the door open

The real secret to Baudino’s parenting style is consistency. She doesn’t treat talking about drinking as a one-and-done “big talk”—it’s an ongoing conversation that shifts as her kids grow. “Don’t be afraid to talk to your kids,” she says. “It’s super important.” That openness builds over time, especially when the questions don’t come with judgment attached.

Baudino believes the best talks happen when kids feel safe enough to bring things up themselves. That means staying calm, even when you don’t love what you hear. Be curious, not critical. When her son admits that friends have tried alcohol, she doesn’t shut him down. She listens, offers context, and gives practical tips like drinking water between drinks or knowing when to leave.

By keeping the dialogue casual and frequent, she turns what could be an awkward subject into something normal to discuss. They can come to you first—no matter what.

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