Should people 'mind their language' in pubs?

[User135644]

Was in the pub yesterday (only a wetherspoons) and someone uttered a swear word (shit) and the table in front had a child with I guess their mum and dad. The dad turned around and said (mind your language will you?). The man apologised to him and then to the kid.

Now I think you should mind your language in front of children, but if you're in an adult setting, should parents expect only clean language? Pubs are supposed to be adult places. And Wetherspoons are always full of people drinking cheap lager at all hours of the day.

It'd be one thing if he was repeatedly swearing or used a stronger word, but it is a pub ultimately.

But why should the world have to revolve around other people’s kids?

I actually don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation in public that would offend a non-pearl-clutching adult, but if there are no children in my party then I don’t feel the need to be explicitly PG in a pub!

To whom?

Sad that you can’t hold an interesting adult conversation without swearing, even worse the lame come back calling me a pearl clutcher, because I don’t want to listen to a try hard thinking they’re super edgy for swearing.

Yes.

There's always one man or woman shrieking and using foul language for attention.

Agree with this.

I don’t like people swearing in public - on a train, shop etc - but in a pub at football anywhere like that it’s to be expected.

Strangely, the worst behaviour I've ever encountered in a pub was from someone with a child. It was a calm, quiet local and there was a couple with a child of about 5 or 6. The parents let the child run riot to the point that they were discreetly asked to stop him running around. No drama and a reasonable request. Next thing you know, they're dramatically leaving, and have to pay. They were paying by card, and when they were told the amount due, the father actually spat on the card before handing it to the barman. I was horrified. And the spitter worked for a well respected multinational. I'm guessing he wouldn't have done that at work. So swearing would have been very mild in comparison!

Unless you are ranting and raving or asking a fellow drinker if their mother can sew, in which case the publican will have you hoiked out into the street, then a pub is where you go to swear and blaspheme.

And to overindulge, of course.

The bus is worse for swearing imo, teenagers trying to look hard in front of their mates and others swearing loudly into their phones. I try to distract DS as much as possible and hope he doesn't notice.

At least you can explain that one as kids being badly behaved, adults in pubs doing the equivalent is meant to be tolerated and if you’re not impressed by the pathetic display you’re a prude, or a pearl clutcher.

My granny was notoriously foul-mouthed and was once banned from her local for a week. She upset some Irish road engineers, who asked her to tone her language down.

She told him not to be such a fucking wet ponce. I was in kinks, every time one of her pals re-enacted it!

This made me lol!

My parents were both sweary, and so am I. But they explained that some people found the word "fuck" very rude, and told me that I must never say it at school, in front of my grandmother or my Auntie Eileen.

I don't know why they were so worried about grandma, one of my uncles lived with her and he was an even worse potty mouth than Ma and Pa.

If you don't want kids to hear bad language in a pub then the answer is obvious. Why should an unrelated adult have to modify their language because a parent has decided that their child absolutely must be at the pub, because it's not like there are other places to take said child is there??

The thing is Spoons might be family friendly but whether you go in at 10am or 10pm it's full of adult men drinking relatively cheap alcohol. Parents need to be mindful of that if they're taking kids there.

But yeah if there's kids about then you need to watch your language, but you get into the territory of kids entering adult spaces like pubs

Very good!!
👏

So no soul then... Like weatherspoons

Although I like the no tech idea. One of my fav places has no signal. Its refreshing

I wish they would, in front of young children, but kids will soon hear it all in school/on the school bus… and when mummy swears at an asshat driver on the school run. I think you just have to point out that those are grown up words, and not very clever ones at that, and that they will get into big trouble if they use them. And then move on.

You don't mind them swearing at their Teacher or Doctor ?

Nope. If you don't want your kid exposed to bad language, don't take them to a pub. The exception would be in a child area, but I would still expect the possibility of overhearing bad language.

I long for the days when kids weren’t allowed in Pubs.

I was in quite a small, expensive restaurant with my DD (18), and has never knowingly sworn other than when she got her first uni offer!
There was an adult family at another table and what I assume was the grown up son was loud, probably a bit drunk and swore repeatedly, not in an angry way but as part of his conversation, though he was a bit forceful. It was awful and threatened to ruin our evening. The waiters were all twitchy but didn't do anything. After their food arrived he did calm down a bit.
I think one should moderate their language in a public setting. But there's a difference between saying 'well it was all a bit shit' and 'I asked for the fucking bill and the fucking idiot took his fucking time'.

I've heard worse language in the street. You wouldn't not take your kids there!
That said, I think people should moderate their language if there are clearly children around, but some people wouldn't even consider sh*t to be a swear word.
I've told my own adult DS off for swearing in our garden if I know the neighbour's children are in their garden. Likewise, I've told roofers working on adjoining property to tone it down from the rooftops.
If you take your children into an environment full of adult strangers you cannot predict what behaviour you'll get. As a parent your job is to deal with the consequences. In this case, I might have done a friendly 'tone it down a bit please folks' type comment or alternatively moved my family to another table.

I'm constantly asking my 11 year old daughter to mind her language. I don't make a fuss, but reminder not to swear in front of teachers, or Nana and Grandad etc. She once told me, "You should hear what they fucking say at play time!"

Now it's, "Shit! Mind yooouuur language!"

Get your DC to try it out on the teachers.

At my DC’s school, it is certainly considered swearing.

Gosh. I’m not one of these “twee words for farting” people but I definitely think shit is a profanity. Do you consider it just slang, and are you/would you be happy with your children saying it at nursery or school for instance?

We have a Sam Smiths as a local and it's fucking boring as shjt and filling of cunting tourists