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Thread: Children in pubs...

  1. #1
    Glass Half Empty General Staal's Avatar
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    Default Children in pubs...

    ...are just plain annoying. Or is it just me?

    Sitting, trying to have a quiet pint whilst a child bawls on the other side of the room is like nails down a blackboard. This is one reason why I avoid most chain pubs and try to go to 'traditional' boozers where kids just won't be. Its also a reason why I don't mind Embers - no kids under 14.

    Mrs Staal and I have no children and I am very grateful for it. Does that mean I have a biased view? Is it a good thing that some pubs let 'anklebiters' in, thus allowing beer drinkers who would normally have to stay at home get out and neck a few, or should beer and kids never mix?

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    The Beerhunter. RogerB's Avatar
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    I don't have a problem with kids over 14 in pubs during the day as long as they are being supervised by sensible and responsibly drinking adults (which is more often than not the problem). It harks back to the thread about teaching your kids to respect alcohol and learning the correct way to behave in pubs rather than just being unleashed solo on the alcopops on their 18th birthday.

    Any kids under 14 in pubs should be put on the BBQ and served up in a bap with mustard and HP sauce whilst their parents are placed in stocks and sprayed with the contents of cans of John Smiths Smooth that have been rigourously shaken beforehand.

  3. #3
    Get some gravy on it. Maldenman's Avatar
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    It's a tricky one this, as Roger says the parents are often the problem not the kids themselves. Mine are now teenagers and would more likely be rather dead than seen out with me, however I do recall all too well when they were small and if say on holiday having to sit outside or be shunted into some grim corner away from the bar.

    A pub is a sort of sanctuary so I tend to agree they shouldn't be allowed however have a thought for the beer loving parent with kids in tow who is all too often excluded. A proper well appointed children's/family room is the answer I guess with well behaved children (and parents) only.

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    This Space For Hire arwkrite's Avatar
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    This subject must be one of the most discussed on pub forums.It is not so much about the presence of children but more about their behaviour and supervision or more likely the lack of it. Certain pub chains encouraged families with provision of play areas though these appear to have gone out of favour. JDW and Loyds attracted a young mothers set. I dont think this was intentional it just sort of happened nation wide. Similar in the way these premises became unofficial social clubs for European migrant workers who, when in their cups, could be just as distracting as unruly children.
    I can think of no pub in my area that ban children their arrival is an ever present threat. Well behaved children I have no problem with otherwise I move onto a quieter venue. Remember ,that family is likely putting a lot more cash over the bar than your couple of pints. For economic reasons children are not going to disappear from pubs.

  5. #5
    Roving RAT ROBCamra's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by General Staal View Post
    ...are just plain annoying. Or is it just me?
    It's definitely not just you. It's all us grumpy gits who don't have kids.

    Ms Camra has 30 kids, she's a teacher, and she doesn't like them being in pubs either.
    A pub is for life not just for Christmas

  6. #6
    We're not really 'ere! trainman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by arwkrite View Post
    Remember ,that family is likely putting a lot more cash over the bar than your couple of pints.
    Not necessarily. Let's even up the numbers and have a family of, say, 3 vs me and 2 mates. If we have 2or3 pints each in an hour, I think it's likely we'd spend more and certainly use up a lot less of the staff time, than the parents & kids scenario.
    Like Mm, though, I do pity the responsible beer drinking father who probably suffers more than he should because of the bad example set by soooo many parents who categorically fail to bring up kids with any respect for others, environment, society or, well, anything. And we're in a downward spiral, it's only gonna get worse.
    Thankfully it's not really an issue in most of the pubs (or, indeed, the style of pubs) which I prefer to frequent.

  7. #7
    Humble Wordsmith ETA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maldenman View Post
    A proper well appointed children's/family room is the answer I guess with well behaved children (and parents) only.
    This used to be common in the places I grew up, and I don't remember any rowdiness being tolerated by my parents. A generation on, and I regularly took my offspring to pubs where there was a restaurant or garden, away from the bar, where we could sit and eat or rest quietly. Again, I never had any problems with my own children (or, at risk of opening the second most talked about subject on pub sites, my dogs).

    It all comes down to mutual respect. If someone brings a child in, they must ensure that the child behaves in an appropriate manner and remains in bounds. In return, drinkers without children present (which niche I now occupy )must resist the (frequently overwhelming) urge to drown/shoot/batter the little darlings until such time as they spill our pint, shriek so loud as to be heard over the rustle of our newspapers or deposit some unidentifiable fluid on our person.

  8. #8
    Get some gravy on it. Maldenman's Avatar
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    I once had the misfortune to take my son to a party here when he was younger, http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/68168/

    It is a living hell, scores of over-excited kids rushing around, spilled drinks and crushed crisps everywhere. The concept of a licensed premises marketing for kids parties and so on is beyond me.

  9. #9
    I'll stay on me own Andy Ven's Avatar
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    I'm speaking from the position of someone who is in transition from 'having no kids' to 'parent'. I can fully sympathise that kids being in the pub can sometimes spoil your night out and it boils down to the level of consideration that their parents show to the other pub users.

    We know that certain pubs are geared towards families and therefore if that's not what we want then we don't go those places. These pubs can fulfil a role though, for example, by introducing adolescents to an adult environment and teaching them how to behave in that company and to respect alcoholic drinks.

    I prefer the traditional local pub and I accept that families may want to come in to dine in the early evening but I really want to see pubs gaffers impose some rules such as no under 16s after 9pm and reserve a room from which minors are excluded at any time of day.

    If I go out for a quiet drink and a chat I don't want it spoiled by kids running amok and making a racket. If toddlers are screaming the place down at 8.00 at night it's not the fault of the kid.
    Waes hael!

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    This Space For Hire arwkrite's Avatar
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    Just had a thought...( I can hear the groans already ) ..considering the weird stuff they teach kids at school these days what about some lessons on good old fashioned manners and etiquette. This could include how not to get up everyones nose when in an adult environment. But then there would be shouts of stifling the right to free expression and encouraging alcohol consumption . I cringe when seeing plates of hot food carried over the heads of children playing on the floor of a pub. Should ever one of them be burnt by a falling plate I would volunteer to be a witness as to the lack of parental care. Pubs are not play grounds and bar staff are not creche personnel unless designated as such. The late Mrs and I once had an evening meal ruined by young children running around the tables playing hide and seek. The fact that these children had taken off all their clothes did not bother the parents one jot. Education is the thing but how can the uneducated and ignorant teach their offspring.?

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