Children in Pubs

[MaryJenson]

On a Friday evening, hordes of them in the bar.

Drives me mental!

I'm having a flash back!

We met friends on holiday in a pub for dinner. Probably about 6pm. It was a nice pub/gastro pub. We bought crayons with us for our 2. Friend bought out of her bag a balloon, blew it up and gave it to her DC to bat around. I confess I judged her

I suppose its the norm these days, to see small children in some pubs, and it really annoys me. Its ok to see them in the beer garden in the afternoon, but no way in the evening time. time to sleep little ones !

A few weeks ago, a couple came to my local. they were kind of showing off their baby, a couple of months old I think. The mother then breast fed her son, right by the bar,,, then later, she went to a sofa thing near the bar, and changed the baby nappy, It was about 8.30 pm then.. Is this a thing these days ha ha.

We went to a very "grown up" restaurant for dinner tonight. The next table included two lovely, chatty not loud, engaged, well-behaved children. We moved on to an acoustic pub gig that we were really looking forward to. This next table had two children - arguing, screeching, demanding, to the point that they were louder than the music and that was seemingly fine . . .

It feels inappropriate sometimes. We took ours aged 8 and 10 to a film which was longer than we thought and came out into the middle of a Saturday night. It felt really wrong having kids in that environment. Likewise we were at a day festival and people had tiny toddlers there very late in the dark with lots of adult groups drinking and an edgy party atmosphere. Sorry but it’s shit parenting. There comes a point when kids need not to be there. Early evening well behaved in a family oriented pub ok

If they are quiet and well behaved then I don't see the problem.

I was also in a pub on Friday night with kids who weren't well behaved - they were racing round the pub playing 'it', parents completely ignoring them. These weren't little kids, prob 7-9 year olds. As they raced by for about the 5th time I put my arm out and stopped one of them and told them it wasn't a playground and they needed to stop.

Their parents spent the rest of the evening throwing us looks and it was quite a threatening atmosphere.

I agree with those who say it is a major issue with some children who are kept up late at night with adults drinking heavily all round them. A family used to bring two kids to a local pub near me until 11pm at night. The kids would fall asleep on the chairs. They were reported to SS, but SS were not interested. They were there every night and were about 5 and 7. Totally shit parenting.

“I can remember years ago going to Greece and being quite impressed that families were in bars and restaurants in the evening and nobody batted an eye. It really brought home to me home child unfriendly the U.K. is
I tend to find that children on the continent tend to be better behaved on the whole.
Most people in the UK probably have zero issue with well behaved children who know how to behave themselves in public.
Most people on the continent would probably be appalled if they were subjected to the sounds of screaming, cartoons on tablets because parents can't be arsed to get headphones, running around etc that goes on in some places”

I completely disagree with this. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Greece with my children and children are just generally adored there. They don’t particularly seem to care whether they’re badly behaved or not, it’s just a very noticeable culture. One that is absolutely not the same as the U.K., no matter how child friendly pubs might be

Could be that abroad, children eat out as a family from a young age so learn to behave better in social setting.

They don’t behave better abroad though

In cultures where children are adored, relatives and strangers tend to be very vocal about how you bring up your kids and get involved. Britain has a very different culture.
Different cultures bring some things you might want, and things you would not. You can not isolate one aspect of a culture and get it transplanted elsewhere.
I had some experience of a culture where children were adored. And also witnessed what would be seen on MN as the over involvement of wider relatives and strangers.

I think children in a pub on a Friday, Saturday evening is pretty distasteful. Especially with drunk parents! (Which I've seen on a couple of occasions) I understand popping in to Wetherspoons or whatever for a bite to eat after shopping but wouldn't want to subject my kids to everyone drinking and getting rowdy on a Friday evening. There's plenty nicer family restaurants!

Parents less likely to be drunk in other countries!

There were loads running around at the pub I was in last night. Dragging each other around on the floor, causing a disturbance. It was match day yesterday and their parents just weren't looking after them. Young girls behind the bar not saying anything to the parents. Luckily it's plastic glasses on match day or there could have been a bad accident.
It's not a family pub, it's generally an after work place, but had a different crowd last night because of the match.
I definitely don't think it was me who should have left.

You’re clearly in the wrong kind of pub for you.
Stop being a bore.
I don’t like my daughter in pubs. I don’t go to pubs. But I don’t dictate to others just because I’m a boring so and so

There used to be a pub near where I lived in a very rough area where parents would take tiny kids from 10am, and drink throughout the day. They were not going there for breakfast but to get drunk. I felt so sorry for these very young kids spending their days in a dark pub with half drunk adults.

I completely agree @abacucat

As a minor example, last time I was on holiday in Greece we arrived at a restaurant and a waiter of about 30ish scooped up
My toddler, carried her to the table and deposited her on a boosted up seat like a princess, then fussed over her all night.

That sort of thing isn’t unusual in Greece. But I did have to Comment to my husband about the kind of reaction a 30 year old man would get in the U.K. if he picked up a young girl he didn’t know and wandered off with her.

Oh dear, DD (6) loves the pub. She has been to loads since she was a baby. She knows all their names and which has the best playground in the beer garden

I think I go to the pub more often since she was born than I ever did as a teenager

As PPs pointed out, pubs that exist solely for drunken adults are dying. The ones that survive are those that serve food and are family friendly.

Personally I like the family friendly pubs far more than the smoky dive full of drunk old men of the past.

capri Yes exactly. And believe you me you would not get away with keeping relatives away from a newborn baby for weeks after giving birth.

Miss - I don't have a problem with kids in pubs if they're behaving. I also can't blame them for misbehaving as it's obviously boring for them to just to sit down all the time, but I do blame the parents who don't look after them.

Not come across it.

capri when I was a teenager I used to work for a Chinese restaurant and the owner would constantly be taking babies and children from the restaurant and whisking them into the kitchen to feed them special treats and make them paper cranes etc. The parents would always be just sat there like

We live very close to a pub that kicks under 18s out at 8pm, their protests being ignored because of licensing laws the entitled parents now sit in the pub garden and let their children play in the street after kick out time. Last night there was a group of 7/8/9 year olds screeching and running up and down the street until gone 10pm. Started dead on 8 so I have no doubt it isn't just local children.

Parents do not 'invariably' let their children run riot in pubs We take our DS to the pub quite regularly, he's 10 and we have done this since he was 2. We have always made sure he behaves: no running around the bar, sit calmly, no shouting, volume off if he has his tablet. We talk to him and involve him in our conversation as much as possible, respect the curfews (5-8pm most places) and if he is bored and has had enough we take him home.

Whether or not some people think it appropriate or inappropriate to allow children in is totally irrelevant. If it is in the pub's interest to allow children, they will allow children.
Those saying that children shouldn't be around drunk or sweary adults - avoiding pubs does not guarantee a lack of drinking or swearing, I'm afraid!

At least at home the kids have toys to play with and can sleep somewhere appropriate when they get too tired. Kids who end up being in pubs all day, day after day, must get very bored.