Babies in the Bar
So this baby walks into a bar, and …
Well, the baby didn’t actually walk into the bar—it was in a stroller, pushed by its mother, who was going to have a drink or two with some other moms who brought their kids, and…that’s why this is no joke.
There’s a bar fight brewing across the country. In Seattle, Austin, Philadelphia, Boston and beyond, bar patrons are getting lathered up on both sides of a polarizing parenting issue: is it responsible (or even acceptable) to belly up to the bar with young children in tow?
Those opposed to the mix of cocktails and sippy cups have posted their unequivocal sentiments on numerous online message boards and blogs, like this one in Philadelphia: “I do not want to be in a bar around children. Ever. Bars are for adults.”
Stroller grid-lock has been increasing in bars—often under signs that say “No One Under 21 Admitted”—along with the irritation of patrons who object to shoving crayons out of the way of their cosmos.
Those pushing for more kids in more bars are usually the same people pushing the strollers: mothers of the pre-school set, who say: “We want to do everything we always did, but with our babies.”
So when the owner of a bar in Brooklyn recently posted a “Please No Strollers” sign, he opened yet the latest front in the battle of the bottle. Moms seethed, while critics— like this one in Tucson —applauded: “Grow up, people,” she wrote. “Your lives are different now.”
Tell us what you think: Are we lowering the responsibility bar by allowing kids in the neighborhood bar?
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Comments
Ravenna
I hope these people aren’t getting trashed.
I am among the people who think its okay! I am not their boss or judge. I think people who want to have a drink or two with co-workers, friends and don’t have a baby sitter should bring their kids/baby. It is the bar owner that should set the no kids policy at the bar. As, I said before (“Should you drink with your kids”), some states don’t have set laws about this. My parents and I took our kids to restaurants and clubs, had dinner and a few drinks and nobody said SQUAT!
When some people say “BAR” they think fall down drunks and drinkers fighting. I’m sure many moms don’t take their children/babies into bars and get drunk. This might just be a comment starter?
Trust me: if it’s a bad thing, those parents will pay the price and the baby will be better off!!
Thank you.
Raymond Kelly McElhiney II | 1 year, 6 months ago
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Generations X and Y - Please, please grow up!
What the devil is going on with our social ethic and personal responsibility? It’s bad enough seeing young mothers and couples continually dump their children on Grandma and Grandma every time they need a free sitter so they can relive their college fraternity/sorority party days; but now parents want to “tag-along” their infant to the local pub for a night out? I shudder to think of the consequences. Imagine a young Mother or Father at the DUI checkpoint with an infant in the backseat. Who cares for the child when Mom/Dad is in the county lock-up?
Michael D. Schwers | 1 year, 6 months ago
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What's you definition of a bar?
I suppose it depends on a few key things. First is what is your definition of a bar? If it’s a 21 and up club with smoking then absolutely not! Also, are these women getting out of control by drinking to the point of being drunk? Then I feel they are being irresponsible. However, my fiance is the manager of a “sports bar”. It is a family friendly restaurant and bar with no smoking where they show all major sporting events. We very often go there with our four month old, and have since she was born. We get to see our friends, the “regulars”, who are my friends as well as this is where we met. They get to see the baby, which they love. We watch our favorite teams play and I get out of the house. I do not drink, there or anywhere else for that matter, and he only has two or three beers in a three or four hour period. We keep any things we bring (car seat, diaper bag, out of the way of customers) and if she gets fussy we leave. Although, if he were not the manager, we would not go there. So, as you can see, not all circumstances are the same. It helps to know who you are talking about before you get on a soap box about it.
Amber Sandlin | 1 year, 4 months ago
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Babies and responsibility
WHY would anyone ever take a baby in a bar? NO baby should ever be at a bar! Bar owners shouldn’t allow or encourage it. They should be told to leave. Those are adult establishments and they should remain that way. That is no way to raise a child.
I also think no babies, or children, should be allowed at concerts or car races. Those places are too loud and can damage a child’s ears. If I had kids I wouldn’t want them to be in those environments where there are drunks or adult behaviors or things that could harm them. Amber’s situation (above) would be one in a million. If it became “ok” then everyone would be doing it. That thought scares me. Has finding a babysitter during fun time become a thing of the past?
Sleepless Aquarius | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Two Extremes
While I don’t think parents should go out DRINKING with their kids, I think one of the major issues with parenting today is that parents don’t take their kids out with them.
This is bad for the kid and the parent. Moms and dads who stay home all the time get stir crazy, and the kids don’t know how to act when they do go out so they throw a a fit, and then the parents don’t take them out anymore. It’s a vicious cycle. I think if your kid is behaving, they should be able to go pretty much wherever the parent goes.
This being said, I do think it is irresponsible to take a child into a bar most of the time. There are exceptions to this. For instance, there is an establishment that I know if that is classified as a bar, but it behaves more like a family restaurant, and the food is VERY good. I would have no problem taking my 5-month-old in the non-smoking section. On the subject of alcohol and children, I say that if you drink occasionally, it is OK and even positive to do this in front of your child. This way, kids learn that alcohol isn’t something forbidden and mysterious, but something that is fine for adults in moderation. That way, they’re less likely to “rebel” by drinking as teenagers. Personally, I rarely drink, but enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage when out with friends, on a date with my husband, or at a celebration such as a wedding or holiday party. I have never been drunk and I never drive after I drink, even if I’ve only had a complimentary taste at Olive Garden. I also think this is important to emphasize to children.
In conclusion, I think each parent must decide what is right for his or her family. I do resent people making generalizations such as “no children allowed.” A parent can be asked to remove a child if the parent is not acting responsibly or caring about others’ needs and wants, but people should not assume that the parent does not know that this is a perfectly fine situation for his or her child.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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There are many things I might not agree with. However that doesn’t mean they should be banned. I don’t agree that the Christian God exists, but I don’t want to see churches banned.
As a Brit, I am completely used to seeing people all over Europe taking their kids to bars during the day for some tapas/snacks and a drink. It’s no big deal. Europe has much lower crime rates than the US. So I really fail to see what everybody is getting so excited about.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Under 21
Babies are under 21.
No problem.
Enforce the law.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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It's not cool
First off, I’m the mother of a seven month old. I’m in my mid twenties and think these women who think alcohol and babies mix they are wrong. I’m not saying they should not go out with their girlfriends every woman needs girls’ night out; I’m just saying leave the children with dad, grandma, or a babysitter. Also, if they were thinking they would realize that bar fights happen and their children could be in the cross fire heaven forbid.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Give me a break!
As long as the kids are not consuming the alcohol, which since they are in strollers I assume not, it is the parents decision how to raise their kids.
After hours is one thing, like late at night. I know a lot of bars around here are “family restaurants” in the day time, but after say 9 no one under 18 is permitted in the building.
Personally when I grew up, my grandmother was a bartender, and I remember going to see her at work, which was about the only time I saw her, and getting to sit on a bar stool at like 6yrs old with my brother drinking soda and eating a popsicle (she bought just for us and kept there). Sometimes we ate bar burgers for lunch all while she waited on us. We lived so far from her that our visits were only day visits, so this is how we visited her. Usually she would take her lunch and eat with us when we were there.
Basically I am saying GROW UP PEOPLE AND LET PEOPLE LIVE THEIR OWN LIVES!!!!!
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Think worldy
In many European Countries kids are drinking by like 6 years old, so why do we had such issues with babies in bars?? In most the rest of the world alcohol is a part of daily life for most kids. I have even heard of toddlers drinking spiked bottles in Europe! (True maybe not, but still it came from somewhere!)
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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