http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=29&entry_id=23485 this article got me thinking...
my hubby brings the babe to the local bar almost every week to watch gaelic football on sunday mornings. it's our local so they didn't mind him in the sling, and now in the arms and eventually he'll be on the bar stool with a shirley temple. We're in a no smoking area, and its quiet on a sunday morning and there are other kids there too. Its a nice family gathering. We've taken him out to live music events in bars towards the later side of the evening, but only when we know the band or i am dancing (irish step not pole) and it never has been a problem (and he has earplugs)
As a parent i want my kid exposed to the good and bad of alcohol, and i want him exposed to people in all sorts of situations; but as a young person who still wants to hang with the singletons in a rowdy bar, i dont necessarily want to mix my boozing with a baby. I dont want to have to check my language, or behaviour for someone else's kid so i dont relly want to see babies in bars.
BUT i really do think galleries and other such public spaces shouldn't be all that concerned with babes in arms (though i get the whole crying thing might turn people off) it is really the walkers that need watching. Kids who can walk can touch things and that is a concern in places where touching isn't allowed; but that is a whole other rant about people keeping their kids in line....
2 comments:
I agree--and I think in general, America's too uptight about a lot of things like that. (And this is coming from someone who didn't drink until she was 21, out of sheer stubbornness. haha) I think if a baby's small enough to fit in a sling and they aren't walking around amongst breakables/delicates, then it's not a big deal to have them along at bars/galleries. (Y'know, if the confines of said gallery/bar aren't too loud/intense for a little kid.) Obviously, not every place is kid-friendly, but if it's just a hangout where people are socializing and nothing dangerous is happening, I don't see a problem with that.
In WI, parents can buy drinks for their kids in bars, and around here it's not uncommon to see kids in bars during mealtimes or Packer games (primarily in places that serve food). I went to lots of bars for wedding receptions & parties as a kid--my parents never bought me any drinks, but then, they weren't big drinkers and I doubt that I ever asked for any, either.
Heh. Pole dancing.
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