Children in pubs

Of course some children (& adults!) do not know how to behave in shared spaces & can behave as if they are the centre of the universe. In my experience they are a minority and not a reason to have a blanket ban on children at pubs or restaurants!

I don’t think children are really any different anywhere . It seems like it’s the attitude of the adults toward them, that is VERY different .

Well I didn't know I'd stir up a hornets' nest of opinions! Like gillybob says there are pubs & pubs - some are designed for families, some are not. Most pubs need to establish a thriving restaurant trade to survive. But I agree with PECS - any problem is seldom due to the children, rather their adults who have drunk enough not to care much how their children feel or what they get up to!

Not a hornets nest at all Wilygran just a very good, interesting thread, the best kind, where we can all share our ( often different) opinions Thank you for starting it .

I don't think there should be a "blanket ban" on children in pubs, neither to expect them to sit quietly not speaking until spoken to. I just don't want them running around, getting under the waiters' feet and annoying others who just want an enjoyable night out.

Just because someone has children doesn't mean they have more rights to an enjoyable evening than someone without children.

Well ladies my 2 dollars are going in now! I live opposite a pub with a large beer garden, its so bad for noise in the summer we cant have our windows open and dont get me started on trying to sit in the garden! By the way I am not just talking about daytime here, even at 11 o clock at night there are children screaming, in fact the later it gets the worse it gets.
We used to go there for lunch with my partners parents but after the day one child helped himself to food off our plates while the parents watched and did nothing we stopped going.
The other day there was what sounded like a party going all afternoon then a fight broke out about 8pm, police, arrests, the road outside blocked off and in the midst of this a group of children watching.
I wouldn't want children banned from pubs but why cant parents be more responsible, look after their kids and teach them to respect other people? What sort of example does it give to the children to hear the swearing, fighting and drunkeness?

If pubs relied on adult drinker groups a lot of them would be shut down by now.

Being "family friendly" is keeping pubs afloat these days as the days of the "local boozer" and colleagues going out straight from work every thurs/fri are dwindling.

So like it or not you might not have a pub to go to without bunches of families using them too. People like you are NOT keeping pub trade afloat these days.

Agree re running around.

I often stop off for a coffee when out for a morning walk at a very successful family friendly pub with a huge garden. Recently a very expensive development of high spec apartment blocks has been built right next to it. Reading Hazbeen's post, I wonder how
the prospective buyers will fare!
PS There is also a big outdoor barbecue area right next to their balconies!!

In our local big town a development of flats (apartments!) has been built in former offices next to a town centre pub/music venue. The developer has applied for, and been successful, in a limitation of the live music licence. I really think that is wrong!

My C were brought up in and around pubs ( my Father was a publican) as was I.

Our local pub does not allow children in the bar area, they are allowed in the restaurant though. I have no problem with children in restaurants or pubs as long as they are courteous and not treating it like an indoor play centre.

I think it is lovelyand heartwarming to see multi-generations out to eat or socialise.

Fifty plus years ago it used to be that men only went into the Bar, accompanied ladies could go in the Lounge and the children hung around outside and got into mischief so present day arrangements are much better. The drawback is the parents not being prepared to acknowledge their responsibilities and control their offspring.

It sounds idylic to have that mediterranean family experience of eating out with children. But too often the children just treat it as a playground, are never seated and just want to run around. They have not been taught any respect for other diners and the parents rarely intervene even when they are being a nuisance. It's lovely to see really well behaved children eating out with their parents, but sadly all too rare.

The OP is talking about children in pubs. I agree here in France families eat together but its not a pub culture which is different. I think an 8pm cut off point for young children in pubs is sensible.
Gillybob my husband & I were nurses when the children were small so couldn't afford baby sitters either. We would socialise with friends at each others houses taking the children with us. Otherwise we only went out on very special occasions.

There was a pub near our last home which was, adults only inside, families were welcome in the garden if the weather was appropriate. It caused uproar initially even though there were a number of family friendly pubs close by. We often used the adults only pub if we wanted a quiet lunch or were meeting friends as chatting was easy, the food was good too. If we had children in tow or just fancied somewhere with a different atmosphere we went elsewhere. Don’t think we were being particularly miserable, it just depended on how we felt on the day. Haven’t come across one here although some town centre bars do have a ‘polite request’ that no children are taken into specified bar areas. Good to hear all the viewpoints.

That’s fine if you’re all in the same boat Sodapop

We had to smile when at the end of their meal the couple at the next table both bent down under the table.
They emerged with a baby each!
There had been no peep put of them at all.
That wasn’t true for a very loud table of adults at the other side of the room. We live in an area that has a lot of second homes. I wonder why so many of them find their lives so fascinating that they need to share them with us. At full volume.
I’m not keen on either adults or children(or their parents) who don’t know how to behave.

I feel that the world has very much moved on from a time when many of us that frequent this forum were young or had young children of our own. I can well remember when I was approximately six years old I was running around at a Christmas night party when an uncle grabbed me and said: "children should be seen but not heard".

It is well that we have moved on from those times and children are accepted much more in everyday social life and in that are allowed to express themselves in their growing up childhood dreams and play.

The above stated, parents allowing children to "run riot" in pubs and other social environments can be annoying to others who are present and can be hazardous to the children themselves especially when cutlery and glassware can be present on tables etc.

However, my wife and me have found that going to an independent restaurant rather than a pub when wanting to eat out very much solves the problem of "over-exuberant children" as they are not normally present.

Thankfully we have some excellent restaurants close to where we live and work that seem to attract a more "senior" clientele rather than families, and that has very largely solved the problem for us.

The price difference is not as significant as many believe, and the service is almost inevitably far better than that found in pubs.

Therefore, changing our own habits when eating out has proved beneficial, rather than going to your usual pub and then not enjoying yourself because of rowdy children and parents that seem not to notice their activities are spoiling others enjoyment.

As stated, the world has changed, and in that, we have found that changing our own habits is the only way to encompass that modern environment and still enjoy your own individual life preferences.

We have a trendy gastropub near us which has a sign up saying “children welcome but must remain seated”, some parents moaned about this, saying it was un child friendly, but the majority of customers thought it quite reasonable, and it remains really popular.. If you want your kids to run around, take them to the park, not out for lunch,

It is hazardous if children play in the area where waiting staff are moving about.

I blame the PC brigade for the way children are allowed to behave. Their attention span is such that it's virtually impossible to sit them down quietly for above half an hour let alone sit quietly while parents are eating and drinking . At one time it was possible when discipline was allowed/permitted. Respect was the norm too when going out anywhere. Sadly when this was " removed " children have grown up in an anti-chastisement society where it's easier to let them do their own thing for peace's sake than to teach them in a proper manner.
The children lose out in the end by either not being allowed in certain establishments or are shunned by certain family members because they can't behave themselves.
I understand these are tough times where mums have to work and are tired out but I can't understand their tolerance with fighting/screaming kids round their ankles when rules could have been set from an early age to give them grounding,confidence and the security that goes hand in hand with discipline.

My father was quite the disciplinarian. We were seen but not often heard . Would I want that for my grandchildren? No way .

EllanVannin Why would it be PC to have badly behaved children? If by discipline you mean corporal punishment then I for one am pleased that is not the norm. It is perfectly possible to bring children up with good manners & behaviour without resorting to draconian discipline. Being "PC" is an artificial construct & has absolutely nothing to do with raising well behaved or badly behaved children!

PECS by displaying " draconian discipline " what do you mean by that ? No discipline at all ? Because discipline in any context is your Army-type " stand to attention ".
I think it's now referred to as crossing boundaries ?

gillybob,my granddaughter thought that way too. 7 children later it's like a bear park in her house and it goes over her head but right through mine and ears as well hahahaha. Love them though but I picture my late parents faces,dad with eyes over his glasses and mum with a set stare.
Mind you,that's all my parents had to do for brother and myself to behave.

No way could my GD take her brood to a pub---the place would be cleared out.