Pub(lic) Education
It seems like a old tradition, mainly because I was used to a little bit of it when growing up, but for the life of me I cannot see how spending an entire afternoon in a pub would be interesting to children.
It always seems like an accident waiting to happen, having them run around the place, because they’re bored and simply do not know what to do. It also strikes me as a case of sheer greediness that parents would want to spend 5 or 6 hours in a situation like that and leave their children to their own devices.
Which is why I was slightly heartened at the decision of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain to limit parents to two drinks in an attempt to stop their children from becoming bored and running riot.
We don’t want a situation — and nor do many of our other customers who don’t have children — where children are either sitting there or running around or maybe causing problems… Once a child has finished his or her meal, then the adult could maybe stay for 30 or 35 minutes. If the child can’t be in the pub, then the adult has to go with them.
JD Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon talking to the BBC
I am definitely all for this, there has to be a line drawn somewhere and a pub cannot be used as a cheap babysitting service. I fully realise that parents are limited when it comes to having kids and chances to get out are few and far between. However in the long run I cannot see what good it does to make the pub into an acceptable environment for young children. Would this encourage under age drinking? I can’t answer that, I think that is something that will always be there regardless of any other temptation.
Maybe there’s a case that we expect others to do the jobs we should be doing and thus when things go wrong it is not our fault but society. Parents get accused of having the TV educate and babysit their children, as well as computer games and music, It would then not be unreasonable to suggest that having them sit in a pub for 6 or 7 hours might do the same.
Friday, January 4th, 2008 and is filed under Thoughts & Questions, Views on News.
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