Letters to the Editor
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Attention all breeders - Stop
Well, don't stop breeding (unless of course you are sensitive to population and environmental concerns) just stop pushing your lovely little one in our faces. Yes, they are cute, yes they are the next generation, but when I go to a bar, one of the things I am seeking out is a childfree environment. If I were interested in kids 24/7, I'd have had some of my own.
The same is true of R rated moves. I once went to a late night (midnight) showing of Fantasia. When the Care Bears movie trailers produced heckles, a dad in the front turned around and yelled "Do you people mind, my kids are here?!" In fact, we did mind.
Come on people, there are child friendly and family appropriate places in this world, and there are other places that are not. What is next, bringing your kid to a strip club? How about an X rated movie? I know, bring them to the after hours Las Vegas show and scream at the show girls to cover up, there are kids in the audience!
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Common sense
There are certain places that parents go in order to occasionally get AWAY from their children -- an elegant restaurant, an R-rated movie, a day spa, or a bar. Why should they have to deal with other peoples' children in those settings, if they've had the good sense to not bring their own? I love kids, but why do certain parents not realize that there need to be places that are JUST for adults?
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Indeed "How ridiculous..."
But I am amused by some other notions expressed here. Namely, that not wanting kids in an adult environment like a bar means that one doesn't like kids and is a warped individual or that one is giving alcohol some sort of special mystique.
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Depends on the kid, and the bar.
I can really see both sides of this, but mostly it depends on the kid. And the bar.
You can�t automatically equate �bar� with R or XXX rated movie as some have done. There is nothing inherently harmful about a bar that would preclude kids from being there. Unless of course we�re talking about some lame ass Coyote Ugly type of place. A few people mentioned the neighborhood social aspect of taverns in Chicago. Same in Milwaukee. When I was a kid the tavern was essentially the community center, much the same way they are in Europe. We weren�t there at night, but afternoons were a family time. And guess what, society didn�t crumble to the ground.
That said, if the kid�s a raving pain in the ass he should be in his bedroom. Any kid that�s acting up should be taken out immediately. Fellow parents, please take a good look at your progeny. Are they actually well behaved? Do people not related to them honestly enjoy being around them? If you can�t think of a single person who enjoys their company, leave them home until they are able to control themselves for the amount of time you want to be out. My 5 year old can behave in any situation. My 2 year old, not so much. So he doesn�t get to go to as many places right now. But he will when he�s able.
And strollers? If kids can walk, they should walk. Maybe there wouldn�t be so many fat kids out there if their parents weren�t wheeling them around until they were 8.
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If there's a Care Bears trailer, it's a children's movie
I don't care if it was a midnight showing... if it was a Disney cartoon and it was showing Care Bears trailers it was a children's movie, and getting upset at a guy for bringing his kids is kind of like going to a "family-friendly" restaurant that also serves booze, like TGIFriday's, and then pissing and moaning because there are children there. (The last I checked, Fantasia was rated G...)
Mind you, the guy shouldn't have been chastising other people for having *their* fun around his kids, either. It's never too early for kids to learn that adults think Care Bears are stupid.
I am one of those parents who takes their kids everywhere. I don't have a regular babysitter; the best I can manage is to drive 45 minutes to drop the baby off with my father-in-law. I took the baby to movies until he was 1 (he's now way too squirmy.) And even *I* would not take a baby to a bar. A tavern, yes. If there's food, it's fair game. But a place that does nothing but serve alcohol? Come on, there's no good reason for doing that. You want to knock back a few drinks with your pals, go to a pub or a tavern at 8 pm, there will probably be a few other kids scarfing burgers there and it won't bother anyone unless your baby screams. There's no need to go to a *bar* per se.
And I have a giant stroller. But when I'm in a restaurant, I pull it out of everyone's way, or I fold it up... or I don't go in the restaurant if I can't figure out how to get the stroller out of the way.
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Down with doublewides!
Whether kids hang out in bars is not really my concern if they're well-behaved, but double-wide strollers ARE the bane of Park Slope. Nothing like being trapped in a drugstore because doublewides on either side of you make exiting impossible. And what about the thrill of ducking into oncoming traffic because of all the doublewides taking up the entire width of the sidewalk? Can't someone build a two-story stroller?
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From the kid's perspective...
When I was growing up I spent a considerable amount of time in a bar - a smoky, neighborhood joint where we knew everyone and bbq'd with the bartenders and their families on the weekends. I mean a lot of time - the bartenders used to help me with my math homework and I developed quite a discriminating palate for Shirley Temples. I understand that many of the places in Park Slope are not working class neighborhood taverns, however, having experienced bars from a child's perspective I do have a few personal observations.
The bottom line is bars are not for kids. They are not geared towards kids and they are not kid friendly, regardless of the type of food they serve. As a kid, it wasn't fun. I wasn't allowed to run around, couldn't leave my mother's side, and there were no other kids there. Most of the adults who noticed my boredom were creepy drunk guys. Do you really want to take your children to a place where the primary activity is drinking? You may be a polite, responsible drinker, but does that mean the guy next to you is?
I understand that young parents want to continue having a life with their non-parent friends, and that they may have to financially choose between a baby sitter vs. a day/night out. It is every parent's perogative to choose where to take their children. My personal experience as a child at bars was a negative one and I hope you consider it when you decide where to take your children.
PS: Please don't go judging my parents - they weren't alcoholics, they were just frequenting their local establishments, which all happened to be bars at the time. If you live in NYC, you have many other local choices.