In my declaration of what this blog is about I mention rants. I think it's time for my first rant now...
The British pub chain Wetherspoons recently announced a limit of two alcoholic drinks for parents who brings kids to their pub. You can read more about it
here,
here and
here.
This has been heavily debated, in media as well as 'around the water cooler'. I just thought that I would add my two pennies worth to the debate.
To start with, I know that I'll never win the Father of the year award. It's about as likely as Britney Spears getting Mother of the year at the same time. However, I have very strong views on children and how to raise them. Besides, it's my blog and I write about what I want ;)
I do think their decision is a very good decision. Pubs are very rarely a good environment for kids, although the smoking ban has improved the physical environment for them. Earlier you could see parents sitting in the pub, happily puffing away on their cigarettes with their babies in prams next to them. That's a sight that always managed to piss me off. The poor kids had not asked for that.
As a kid you are more or less constantly embarrassed over your parents. Having to sit in a pub and watch your parents get more and more drunk and behaving like idiots does not make that any less of an issue. Although I would never condone, more about that in another rant later, eating in a pub I can somewhat understand parents taking their kids there for a cheap (and nasty) meal. What I can't understand is parents spending an entire day down the pub getting more and more drunk with the kids showing ever more despair in their eyes.
It's not just the parents drinking and (mis)behaviour that affects children in a pub. There's also the rest of the customers to take into account. Wetherspoons have historically not been showing sports in their pubs so they are a bit exempt from my next example. I know that myself, and many of my friends, do not set the best examples whilst watching sports in a pub. Put on a football (soccer for my friends across the pond) match and the language goes well south. Everything from the provenance of the referees mum to the sexual habits of the opposing teams players are being discussed. These discussions are normally very loud and peppered with some very inventive cursing. I know fully well that most kids are well versed in the noble art of swearing from a very tender age but there's no need to bring them to the pub to enhance their vocabulary.
To conclude, I fully support Wetherspoons decision to limit parents to two alcoholic drinks per visit if they have their kids with them. If I had my way the kids should not have to spend time in a pub at all. There are far better establishments to bring your kids to for a nice and cheap meal than a pub. And no, I'm not talking about BK or Mackie D's.
I would love to see some comments so, discuss! ;)