Originally Posted by
9Iron 
Thinking back to that time, would you have taken your 5 year old to a meeting and told him that realization?
Well, I guess my point would be that you probably haven't done as good a job as you think of shielding your kids from the effects of active alcoholism in the house. Is there any good reason to shield them from the recovery?
I know some treatment approaches try to deal with the whole family being sick and needing to recover. I honestly don't know much about that. My son has been to hundreds of AA meetings with me over the years, since that age of 5. I also went through a formal amends process with him at that age. And I did not use the phrase, "I resented you." Instead, I was guided by a higher power in making that amends.
People who were around the meetings at that time were shocked at the change in his level of calmness and lack of fear. Even though he wasn't aware of it, my recovery had a profound effect on him as well. So, take that for what it's worth.
Far more important to your children's well being than whether or not you take them to family night, is whether or not you and their mom experience a real and lasting recovery. That will make all the difference.