Children in pubs - are they OK

I think there should be a time limit. I enjoy seeing children having a good time during the day and early evening but after say 8pm it should be adults only in restaurants and pubs. Children are usually tired and fractious after this time and it's nice just to enjoy adult time.

I used to take my children to the pub on Friday evenings, in the 90s and they sat with adults and were perfectly well behaved. We had to leave at 8 o’clock which suited us all. We’d occasionally go out for meals as well. My son and his wife have always taken their sons out for meals as well. They have books, puzzle books and pencils to occupy them, but they are sociable children and love to chat.
Strangely enough last week my daughter (37) was out for a meal with new colleagues and she was complimented on how well she used her knife and fork! Obviously I taught her well as a child. 😃

We have gone back to the days of children being seen and not heard. Not heard in a different sense to the Victorian one,who hasn't heard a child tugging at a parent ,dad,dad,dad, and he is either drinking ,laughing with friends or on his phone.
I'm glad I'm not an Infant teacher anymore.
We used to have a list of what could be under a childs finger nails and encouraged them to wash them before eating their own meal never mind someone else's. It included faeces,scabies and intestinal worm eggs from faeces.
Anyone for a nice plate of bangers and mash that a dirty little finger has poked in?
I can also see why childfree holidays and hotels are popular.

Oh goodness me Bella23 does this really happen

And GrandmasueUK 😆 We were taught never to hold our fork like it was a pen.

Bella23

We have gone back to the days of children being seen and not heard. Not heard in a different sense to the Victorian one,who hasn't heard a child tugging at a parent ,dad,dad,dad, and he is either drinking ,laughing with friends or on his phone.
I'm glad I'm not an Infant teacher anymore.
We used to have a list of what could be under a childs finger nails and encouraged them to wash them before eating their own meal never mind someone else's. It included faeces,scabies and intestinal worm eggs from faeces.
Anyone for a nice plate of bangers and mash that a dirty little finger has poked in?
I can also see why childfree holidays and hotels are popular.

I have never seen a child go up to other diners and push their fingers into their food or try to take food off of other diners plates.

What sort of eateries do you frequent?

The OP was referring to pub restaurants not pubs per se.

I think people tend to scan the room when entering restaurants or pubs to check out if there are large family gatherings or small children and then ask to be seated as far away as possible from them. A meal out is becoming more of a treat these days and to have the ambiance ruined by poorly behaved children or as happened to us recently a large family with a very noisy father who never stopped talking very loudly, the children were o.k. but the father aged about 40 was totally insufferable. Showing off obviously to his extended family but it added another scenario to our list of what to avoid when eating out. Some years ago our son had paid for my husband and I to have a weekend away in a very nice little hotel in Norfolk. Sadly at dinner that night there was a long table laid up for about 20 people. There were four other small tables laid up for couples. As the evening went on we could not hear each other speak as the people at the big table became more inebriated and very loud. It completely ruined the evening for the four couples who were not part of this large gathering. I spoke to the manager the next day and pointed out that although I realised that he could not turn down such a profitable booking, we also deserved to enjoy a lovely weekend and not to feel like onlookers at someone else's private dinner party. He knew that our son had booked the best room in the hotel for us as a treat. He was marvellous and promised that our second evening would be much better. There was a lovely small library in the hotel. He had a fire it in the big fire-place, candles all around the room, a round table brought in and beautifully dressed, two waiters just for us and we had a really lovely evening.

I do not frequent Pub pubs, the one I refer to was a gastro pub with Michelin recommendations. Children are welcome we take our GC. The children I am referring to were running wild around the tables reaching up into dinners food and their parents were merrily talking to the company they were in. mine actually I have never gone back with them.
We have taken them to a more down market place and one spent the meal trying to lift the table with their head while the other constantly bothered other people. In the end DH cut the meal short and we went our separate ways. They weren't the only ones.

Bella23 if I were to go out with friends who had children behaving like that I would have had to say something to the children and their responsible adults.

There are far more well behaved children in restaurants than misbehaved ones in my experience, and we eat out twice a week at a variety of different restaurants.

That sounds absolutely lovely, kwest.

I think there is a huge gulf between 'children being seen and not heard' and running around poking people's food . It doesn't have to be one or the other.

Older, well-behaved children are no problem, but all children should be supervised, for their own good as well as for the benefit of other diners.

On a slightly different note, I object to 'conspicuous parents' who make sure that everyone knows how clever and precocious their little darlings are, by encouraging them loudly in everything they do. 'That's right, Tarquin. You are using the fork from the outside - well done! Remember to tell the waitress that you don't want any peas with your mixed vegetables, darling, and ask if there is aspartame in the lemonade they serve. You know we don't like that in this family, don't you?'

Those people are a nuisance in museums, galleries, on buses and pretty much everywhere, but in a confined space where others want to have private conversations with their companions they are insufferable.

I know they think that their children are fascinating, but I really don't, and just because they aren't running around doesn't make them less of an irritation.

Oh Doodledog this has made me laugh! I've met Tarquin and his parents, too..

Was that Morton Hall kwest? The library made me think it might be. Lovely place. The chef who owns it is one of my neighbours.

Germanshepherdsmum

Was that Morton Hall kwest? The library made me think it might be. Lovely place. The chef who owns it is one of my neighbours.

Do you mean Morston Hall?

If so it’s definitely worth a visit

Sorry for typo! Yes, Morston Hall. Lovely place.

No! Maybe depending on age it may be ok but personally I don’t want to see them in pubs.
In my experience they shouldn ‘t be allowed in pubs.
When I go out I don’t want the evening ruined by disobedient kids and unfortunately that’s what usually happens.
Also the parents don’t seem to have any control and frequently leave a mess behind.!
One pub I went into for a meal the kids were throwing food at the ceiling!! It was unbelievable.
I live kids but in my mind the pub is not for them

My children came with us to restaurants from the moment they were born. The moment they started crying, I would take them outside. As they grew they learnt how to behave in such places. The same happened with my GC and all were/are a joy to be around, (even my neurodivergent GD). I could/can see no reason why I should have left them at home with a babysitter when they behaved better then many adults (even when they were babies!).

It’s easy to be biased about your own children and grandchildren and find them a joy to be around. I wouldn’t even want a baby starting to cry if I was trying to have a relaxed meal out, which for many of us is a luxury. When it was brought back in I’d be on edge wondering when it was going to start up again.

I spent a large part of my life in Southern Europe (until my mid 30’s)

It’s usual to see big families out dining, often 3 - 4 generations, in the hot months they come out around 8-30 / 9pm. The tinies fall asleep in their prams or on a relatives lap, no problem.

I am beginning to think it’s a British thing to not want children around.

I think there are restaurants/pubs who do not allow under 14’s in, but personally I enjoy the family atmosphere of multi generational dining.

My idea of hell is in a hushed restaurant where every conversation, no matter how quietly spoken can be overheard.

Sorry GrannyGravy13 my evening from hell would be eating in a restaurant with screeching children chasing about.

sodapop

Sorry GrannyGravy13 my evening from hell would be eating in a restaurant with screeching children chasing about.

Not every child in every restaurant screeches and runs around.

It is rather an all encompassing negative generalisation.

I'd rather be in a pub with young children than with my late mother! The last time we went out as a family my daughter announced "I'm never doing that again". Mother had criticised everything including the poor waitress

My children grew up in Spain where it was the norm to have children pottering around at restaurants. Usually outside ones at midnight when the midst of summer. They were well behaved though.

Just the one time my youngest daughter misbehaved somewhat. Sat in a pub restaurant we had to wait for our meal. It was in the Lake District and she decided she was at death's door, starving she said. She began to chant in an almost unearthly voice that she needed food. As this began to reach crescendo I decided to whisk her up and out of the door. We sat in the car with a bag of chips that cost us about £12 whilst OH ate nicely with the other children.

But as a rule I have no problem with children anywhere, as long as they are behaving in a reasonable way

I wasn't aware I was including every child GrannyGravy13 like you I was just describing what would be an unpleasant experience for me.

sodapop

I wasn't aware I was including every child GrannyGravy13 like you I was just describing what would be an unpleasant experience for me.

Fair comment, apologies for my misinterpretation of your post.

I have only experienced a crying baby being ignored by its parents in a restaurant (abroad) once.

Unruly children probably twice.

Noisy, drunk adults, frequently in chain restaurants which we now tend to avoid.

Well, in answer to your question, yes ours are because they are disciplined.