New Forest pub bans under 12 year olds...

[Dresssos]

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159581700162769&id=185263007768

It's all kicking off in the comments.

Do you agree with the pub's decision?

YABU No
YANBU Yes

Funnily enough a lot of your list was about adults bad behaviour not just the children.

It's easier to say "no children" than "no dickhead parents". It is the parent's fault. Always. But it's like you don't ban dog owners, you ban dogs and similar.

Sounds like a great idea. Ban both kids AND dogs.

Isn’t that a bit of a palaver?

I just taught mine not to drop food.

@CoalHouseDoor fine with older kids, but teaching a 10 month old baby (for example) not to drop food? Good luck with that.

I went to The Ivy for a drink. There was a family there - complete with giant pushchair, paraphernalia everywhere, and the kids were wrestling on the floor, and the dad was standing a toddler on the table. I felt so bad for the schmucks on the next table trying to have a smart dinner. I’d have been apoplectic if I had forked out for a posh dinner and found myself in Centerparks.

So would I - awful!

Goodness no. I was envisioning 4-8 year olds.

In that case, forgive my snippiness and thank you!

Well behaved children and dogs welcome is my personal preference.

It’s a shame most pubs do not have room for a families only room, and a separate room for adults only. That way families can still go out together without annoying people without children. Everyone gets the chance to go out to a pub, theoretically everyone will then be happy!!!!
We all know this will never happen because some families will inevitably want to be in the adults only room, and some adults will want to go in the families room, then get annoyed at the children being in there.
Maybe ban families with children after a certain time, say 8pm, so that it becomes adults only after this time, or children 12 and over after 8pm???

Good. Kids running around is unpleasant for fellow diners and dangerous for the staff who are carrying hot food / drinks.
Also, if they're not running round, they're generally glued to a device with the sound turned up loud what's wrong with a colouring book and a game of Uno whilst you wait

It’s a shame most pubs do not have room for a families only room, and a separate room for adults only. That way families can still go out together without annoying people without children. Everyone gets the chance to go out to a pub, theoretically everyone will then be happy!!!!

I don't think being around most families annoys people without children. It's those families who have no respect for people around them and refuse to have their children behave that are the problem. I wouldn't want constantly screaming kids running around in a family room either.

It's a good idea. Shame for the well behaved families but they will still have a lot of choice. Luckily the pubs we frequent aren't at all child friendly so have only encountered this behaviour on holiday a couple of times, one occasion was in a very nice hotel. All of the other little ones sat down quietly and behaved. So the awful kids probably spoiled it for them too. That was enough for us not to return to those places during our stay.

What about the adults that are more annoying than any child?
The ones that seem to have no indoor voice and think everyone wants to listen to them?
Can we ban them too?

On principle, I think this is OK. The problem as I see it isn't that the UK is unfriendly towards children, it's that many people with children over here lack the common sense to figure out which places are suitable for kids and which aren't.

I've only taken DS (2.5) to a couple of restaurants during the day. He's able to sit still and not irritate other diners and is used to sitting at the table at home, so it's no different. We have stayed for the length of time it takes to eat and have left fairly quickly, to prevent him from getting restless. I can't sit all day pouring over the dessert menu, and more than 1 beer or glass of wine is out of the question when we're out as a family, but that's what you sign up for when you have kids.

I think lots of people can't accept that their lives have to change somewhat for a few years, it's really not such a big sacrifice.

@AllesAusLiebe and there will be children who have never been sat at table for every meal or put to restaurants at lunchtime who wouldn’t be able to cope with what yours can. They simply haven’t been raised to cope with your lifestyle.
Similarly there are lots of families who take their children out from an early age in the evening and teach them how to behave in situations your children with their more limited experience might struggle with.

I've only taken DS (2.5) to a couple of restaurants during the day. He's able to sit still and not irritate other diners and is used to sitting at the table at home, so it's no different.

well congratulate yourself on your superior parenting whilst you can! I had a well behaved little girl who would sit and eat nicely in a restaurant as a toddlerm followed by 2 lively little boys who could no more have sat for an hour at a table than flown to the moon without a rocket. It is very much dependant on the child.

@5zeds what am I missing? Is taking your kids out on an evening harder or something? 😂

Also, why is a restaurant an essential learning aid to get a kid to sit down at a table?

I think we have it in a nutshell why the UK needs designated adult only spaces. . .

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say. Your child/ten eat at table and out at lunchtime. You are obviously proud of their behaviour and (as demonstrated by your last post as well) obviously look down on those who haven’t achieved that with their children. Others take their small children out to normal restaurants in the evening and would wonder why you stick to lunchtime only. The children are obviously capable of either lifestyle.

@Bythemillpond

NeverDropYourMoonCup

I think the issue is with the parents not knowing how to behave in a restaurant and therefore not being able to teach their children how to behave.
Funnily enough a lot of your list was about adults bad behaviour not just the children.

Not funny at all, IMO - the parents are responsible for both their own behaviour and that of their children. Ban the kids and you would have lost around 90% of the worst bits.

Number 7 though

Oh, it really did. Made for a rather loud complaint from somebody else (which obviously included a demand for free meals and drinks as compensation) because somebody's kid was laying half under the next table with their legs hanging out and nearly got trodden on as they were all being hoyed out of the pub by the bar manager and 2nd chef so they could continue the screaming in the car park.

I notice you don't question the shit, vomit and dirty nappies, though

By the way, this wasn't a bargain basement pub in a shitty area. It was one in a very expensive one where I'm sure they envisaged the majority of the clientele bringing their darling infants, preschoolers and well behaved older children for a little play in the brand new area for 20 minutes before going to sit down for a lovely meal and chat about nurseries, ballet and nannies. A good 85% of the incidents were caused by people who knew exactly how to behave in a restaurant but chose not to when they had their children in tow.

There's one near me that did this years ago!!!