To say that there should be some adult only options?

[TooPoor4PandaPooTea]

Pubs making the decision to ban children

‘It dictated the whole atmosphere’: why some landlords are banning kids from pubs | Pubs | The Guardian https://share.google/E6IXhVu1U5Iv9vP7n

Except it’s not the kids per se, it’s the blinking useless parents.

We don't drive at all and have found taxis got us to medical attention when it's been needed - and family that do drive and were incapacitated due to illness got ambulances.

I'm not teetotal but drink at most moderately around 4-5 times a year - and have manged to raise kids to teen years and do pub lunches with grandparents and kids with no incidents.

If you don't want to use pubs just don't.

I agree some locations are not appropriate for kids - but many pubs do cater for families - the ones who mangaged to hang on where DH grew up and mostly those - so think it's more nuanced than all pubs should be childfree.

Definitely. And pubs where children are allowed need to ask the families to keep their kids sitting at the tables or to leave if the kids are rampaging about.

Im sure there are plenty of pubs you can go in that don’t allow children after a certain time.

That assumes everyone wants to go out in the evening,

It’s perfectly reasonable to want an adults-only space at any time of day. Up to the businesses who they allow in. There are plenty of spaces that allow children; go to one of those.

Has this ever happened, that while you are out one of your children needs to go to the hospital and you have to drive them? What if you are out with just your partner and want a drink, should you abstain then too, in case your partner has a medical emergency and has to be driven to the hospital? Or at home, perhaps you should never drink in case you have to drive someone to hosptial. Unless you have a family member frequently needing unscheduled hospital visits, it doesn't make sense.

My nieces are 18 and 21, and they drink with their friends at home, before heading to clubs to dance. They go out, but not to drink.

I grew up in an area that had an outright ban on children being in pubs.

I can’t remember my family actually going out anywhere to eat in the evening as the only choices were pubs or restaurants where again children couldn’t go.

Visited in-laws who live in the area and thought that times would have changed. Never crossed our minds after 20 years of being away from the place that it would all still be the same rules

Wandered into a back room of a local pub away from everyone in the main bar and exh went to get drinks and look at the food menu.

Landlord (same one who had been there when we left the area) nearly had a coronary when he saw 3 month old dd in her pushchair and literally screamed at us to get out.

Tried to say that pubs elsewhere let children in and he called us liars

I think in laws were hoping that we would move back. And had persuaded us to visit telling us that it was all different now and how much money had been spent on the area.

(very expensive area anyway that when we moved away in the very early 80s London property was so much cheaper)

No way would I live round there with children.
I hated the place growing up because of these type of ridiculous rules that resulted in lots of women sitting at home with kids and their husbands drinking in the pub until closing time among other stuff.

I can’t drink because it affects me badly but yes I have had to go to the hospital with one of my dc when I was out with them

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It absolutely is up to the venue, I haven’t said otherwise. Most pubs aren’t adults only because it’s a very poor business decision, unless you are somewhere with massive footfall, like a city centre.

Pubs make a lot of money from families though -
we take DS to a local pub that welcomes families and he usually has an ice cream sundae and a drink.
If they can’t afford to be adult-only then they won’t be.

Do you know it's possible to go to the pub and not drink alcohol? And actually in some places there aren't that many day time cafes to go for lunch.

I think proper pub/bars set up for drinking rather than food, fair enough and I don’t take my kids anyway as I don’t think its a nice environment for them. I don’t get drunk around my children so I don’t want them to be in a place full of other drunk adults anyway.

And plenty of people/parents don't drive at all or go out without their car.

Is that not kind of what wine bars/craft beer type places are? Or like someone else said I understand city centre type pubs being adult only as they’d have the custom/more of a drinking culture.

Most of the cosy gastro pubs in the countryside are now more geared up for eating rather than seating areas for just drinking so it’s a more suitable environment for families. I find a (naice) pub much better and more accommodating for a meal out with young children than most restaurants!

Loads of families with young children choose to go out for a Sunday lunch or a meal after a dog walk and if one of these pubs that caters for family friendly meals banned children they’d lose a lot of custom!

If I want an adult meal or drinks I’ll go to the local wine bar or a restaurant that isn’t as geared up for children, and I wouldn’t go before 8pm.

I’d rather see dogs banned (and I have a dog).

The amount of people that think it’s acceptable to let their dogs sit on chairs is unbelievable

I always though the first rule of running a pub was "My Gaff, My Rules" ?

Clearly pubs or bars or whatever should do whatever is good for their business.

But I am constantly surprised by just how much British people hate children.

The pubs around us that do food AND discourage children are very exclusive and expensive. If you want a mid-price range meal I’m afraid it’s a family venue, whether it’s a national pub chain or an independent one, most are ok although on a few occasions some children have clearly been out of control but they are in the minority.

I am teetotal and would absolutely prefer to go to child free places, zero to do with alcohol and everything to do with my peace!

Rather like their relationship with dogs, British people don't hate children, what they do hate are the child parents/"pet parents" who are singularly unable to control their little bundles of exuberance in public places, whether that's a park, in a shop or in the pub...

I think there are very few genuinely independent pubs left now where the ll/manager/owner has complete free reign

And not ebery parent wants to schelp miles to find a place that they can go for a meal or drink with family Inc kids.

As a mum of a 5 year old and a baby, I support this. On the very rare occasion my husband and I get to go out alone, I don’t want to spend my time around other peoples badly behaved children.

Children absolutely deserve to be included in every day life, after all it’s how they learn to be part of society (or not if they have bad parents), but they don’t need to be everywhere. It’s the same as dogs, but I don’t want to start that debate on here 😅