Why do people think them/their children are the exception to rules?!

[lastqueenofscotland]

My friend runs a pub, I usually help out a few hours on a Saturday as it gets busy. Due to its location and not having a garden a condition on the licence is not allowing under 18s on the premises, the vast majority of people there are sports fans as it shows virtually everything and anything.

There is an ENORMOUS sign on the door saying no under 18s.

Despite this EVERY Saturday without fail about 10 parents will come in with their kids, excuses today were “oh but they’re 17,” “they are well behaved” “they’ll just be having a Coke.”
When you put your foot down they all without fail get huffy.
Where do these weirdly entitled people even come from?

I’ve realised the glaring grammatical error in the title. Forgive me.

Looking after children is objectively a pain in the arse. In order to preserve the perpetuation of the species, evolution has made it so that all parents think that their children are in some way special or different, and that the normal rules of how fun it is to wipe up faeces, run around after a tiny dictator and listen to endless, witless chatter don't apply, because their kids are totally brilliant and utterly worth it.

Faced with the vast logical disconnect it requires to bring up a child to adulthood, it's no wonder that a little thing like a space being adults only barely registers on the list of things which are "different when it comes to your own kids"

I would guess that it is because they don't realise that it is because you don't have the appropriate licence/garden and assume that it is because you are worried about them creating a noise/mess.
They are wrong, but they are not unreasonable to think that. Licencing wouldn't be my first guess, either
Maybe your ENORMOUS sign should explain why?

But why then hazel, after we say “no under 18s, it’s our licence” do they proceed to say it’s different because they are 17/not a bellend

It would be nice to have some kid free pubs to retreat to. I always use adult only hotels when on holiday. Some parents tend to abandon their kids to the care of complete strangers when they have had a few.

Oh, in that case, they are definitely a bell-end.
Sometimes, though, people get committed to an argument, even when you have explained things to them, and once they have started they just wont let it go.
But, you could head off some of them by writing 'We love kids, but our licence won't allow us to have them, sorry, no exceptions' on the sign. That might weed out all but the most determined bell-ends
There is no cure for them

I assume that it is because you are worried about them creating a noise/mess.
They are wrong, but they are not unreasonable to think that

It doesn't matter why the sign is there - it says no under 18s so it is unreasonable to think you can bring a 17 year old in. It sounds like you think unless there is a "good enough" reason for children not to be allowed in, then you can ignore it.

Whatever the reason if there is a sign saying no under 18s then they should respect that. But people are often generally entitled or just oblivious. I work in a supermarket and the amount of people who think the barrier or a closed sign doesn't refer to them is unbelievable. This morning I had put the barrier across one of the self scan machines whilst I attempted to repair it. A man actually opened it and when I pointed out it wasnt working said well why isnt there a fucking sign then.

People tend to assume the rule that applies in 99% of cases applies in 100% of cases. The law permits accompanied children to be in pubs except between 12-5am. Your pub must be a special exception to that, which parents don’t realise or expect. Not everyone reads posters on the wall - I certainly don’t.

Because have a child also inflates (some) people's already over inflated sense of self worth and importance. It's juts an extension of how they already act, but magnified. Their children are more important than everyone else, and so are they.

Because some people are entitled twats.
The same sort that will park in a disabled bay because they're only popping into the shop for 5 mins.😡

It sounds like you think unless there is a "good enough" reason for children not to be allowed in, then you can ignore it.

Oh no, not at all. If its no under 18s, its no under 18s.

But if you were a customer, you might not realise that the reason for that is not that they don't like kids, but because they can't serve kids, and you might think, ah, well my kid is well behaved, so it will be ok.

Which is still ridiculous, and entitled, but a different sort of ridiculous and entitled than saying, I don't care if you lose your licence, my kid wants to sit in the car park and watch me drink beer.

@SD1978

Because have a child also inflates (some) people's already over inflated sense of self worth and importance. It's juts an extension of how they already act, but magnified. Their children are more important than everyone else, and so are they.

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner.

I can see why someone would try to bring a 17 year old, thinking they look and act the same, and you meant no young children.

Otherwise, just look at parents parking around a school. Some people do believe they have special rights and privileges, they probably think they are related to the royal family or something.

@raptor
It’s not uncommon for pubs to have additional conditions on a licence.

My point was that virtually all pubs permit children. So unless the parents read the sign they wouldn’t know or expect that you don’t. I don’t necessarily read signs and neither do many others.

Not reading a sign is odd.

It all sounds really entitled. 17 is not 18. It's not difficult.

"Not everyone reads posters on the wall - I certainly don’t."

Perhaps you ought to start.

Maybe they didn’t see the sign. Maybe they don’t understand this is a legal stipulation rather than a rule to keep young children and younger teens out. I didn’t know disallowing under 18’s from pub premises could be dictated by law. Thinking about it though I would expect night clubs to only legally be allowed to admit 18+.

I own somewhere that has a similar rule clearly signed and it also drives me utterly bonkers when people think they’re the exception. I find it increasingly hard to be nice about it tbh.

YANBU. I love adults-only venues.

It’s not on the wall it’s on the front door!

Re the legal stipulation we are very near a large football ground and it’s part of the councils licence rather than the “law of the land” that no children are allowed. I think all the pubs in the same area with no separate restaurant area or garden have the same conditions.

People tend to assume the rule that applies in 99% of cases applies in 100% of cases. The law permits accompanied children to be in pubs except between 12-5am. Your pub must be a special exception to that, which parents don’t realise or expect. Not everyone reads posters on the wall - I certainly don’t.

It doesn’t matter. It’s also perfectly legal to wear trainers and tracksuits in a pub - many pubs will still say you can’t.

I also don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect people to read a notice on the door.

coz theyre bellends-when i was younger o wasnt allowed in loads of pubs i know things are better now but people should never assume