this thread is gonna get real messy real fast.

Oh, I didn't mean for that.

I think it depends on the pub, the hyperactivity (or otherwise of) the kid, and the time of day.

I say let'em in, but they should stick to beer or wine. The little bastards can't handle spirits yet.

Look - as a kid I was never taken to the pub. But I grew up in Bankstown, in a rough area, and my old man never went to the pub. So my position is biased.

I understand that these are different times, and I live in Newtown (and have done for 12 years, blah blah).

My point is - after 4-5 beers, I'm always still to this day a bit shocked to almost trip over a toddler at my local.

Drunk lecherous men are more offensive in pubs than kids, IMO.

Drunk lecherous men are more offensive in pubs than kids, IMO.

Yeah, but the pub is where drunk men (lechery aside) belong. You wouldn't put a drunk in a creche.

Kids always seem to do OK out the back of the Golden Barley. I think V's onto something when he says it depends on the pub.

Children should be sent off to an island to be raised in labour camps and only returned to society once they reach the age of 21.

be better if they were allowed to fetch beers or snacks.

Kids always seem to do OK out the back of the Golden Barley. I think V's onto something when he says it depends on the pub.

The Golden Barley is where they give me the shits the most. I've had beers nearly knocked from my hands so many times there.

Not that I really object to kids at pubs, but maybe put them in a cage or dungeon or something.

needs more playgrounds.

Not that I really object to kids at pubs, but maybe put them in a cage or dungeon or something.

Yeah, this is approaching my position. The dungeon's not in the pub tho yeah?

zaphod - on sunday I'm going to punch you in the guts and then let my kids draw on your corpse with sharpies

or more seriously.

the newport hotel has this:

I spent a great deal of my childhood (from the age of about 9 onwards, that is) at the Retreat with my dad and his mates who used to play there every Sunday. I don't think it did me any harm. Some of you may beg to differ, however...

i take my kid to the pub all the time – i’m very fond of having a counter-tea (at the fox or pinnacle) on a saturday night. we're only there for an hour or so @ around 6-7pm and i haven’t noticed any bad vibes coming from other patrons.

It depends on the pub too. Golden Barley is a bit of a family-vibe pub anyway, but kids at the Courthouse would be a pain.

what was that quote from Mary and Max? babies come from beer googles

totally.

to me it depends on the pub and the time whether kids belong.

bistro style area or a pub like the union in brunswick before it gets busy and kids are behaving, sure.

a place like the napier at 8 30pm on a saturday that is quite cramped, no fucking way.

Agreed dnzr. Although where do you draw the line with pissing off patrons? Some people here seem to get the shits with simply seeing children in a beer garden, let alone running around. To others, the sounds & sight of happy children having fun is a wonderful thing.
I guess when children get out of hand & start crawling under other patrons tables or throwing things etc is where I'd draw the line.
Penny, the licensor has her own mothers group meetings there as do many others, which again is encouraged. Then the venue becomes the regular meeting point once the kids have grown.

I guess when children get out of hand & start crawling under other patrons tables or throwing things etc is where I'd draw the line.

see, i'd draw it a fair bit closer than that.

if 2 drunk dudes were running laps around a table yelling out to each other for 20 minutes in a beer garden, i can bet you'd be muttering under your breath for them to shut the fuck up and sit down. i know i would

but if it's kids then it's to be accepted that the sounds & sight of happy children having fun is a wonderful thing and we have to put up with it.

people wanna bring their kids out? then make sure their behaviour is in line with the rest of the people in that space.

you've bought kids into an adult space so the onus is on the parent to ensure kids are behaving in the same manner as the adults there (minus booze and smokes of course)...

And while we're at it, immigrants should speak australian or fuck off. I jest.

you mean we're letting immigrants into pubs now, when did this start?

i just re-read the entire thread and unless i'm sorta dumb and missed it (and not unlikely), i don't think i saw one parent posting in the thread who's kids weren't perfectly behaved angels.

would have been far, far more believable if just one parent had written something like ''well, normally they are ok but for some reason on Sunday little (insert spawns name here) was just an utter, utter uncontrollable little turd. No matter what we did or said (spawn) wouldn't chill out or sit still. And of course I got into a deep conversation with a friend for 10 minutes and wasn't keeping a close eye on (spawn) who proceeded to begin shrieking with another kid over a toy and ended up knocking over someones beer. Felt really bad about that and decided it was best to take the kid home asap as they were obviously not fit to be in an adult environment that particular day.''

Parents cannot see the faults in their own children. It's a curse. School teachers know this far too well.

i dunno, my dad was always pretty happy to point out my failings when i was younger...

well this is what I said (and I'm including myself in this picture):

As has been pointed out by others, parents (and their discernment) are usually the problems in this equation. If your kid ain't ready to be in public (noisy, uncontrollable, etc), don't expect that they'll get better just through practice. Fix the problem first.

ideally, if my daughter is being loud or annoying to other people, I should leave and focus on working to teach/encourage her to behave better in public. if she hasn't got that down, it's my fault - not hers. bad kids are caused by bad parents.

sometimes, however, I am the jerk and - for whatever reason - don't get a clue and hang around regardless. if I affect any of you guys with my poor parenting decisions, my apologies.

and having said that - yes, all kids are different and some are more difficult than others. that's the luck of the draw - it's still the parents' responsibility to make the call on whether they should be in a given public situation. there's no hiding behind a ''I was unlucky enough to get a difficult kid, don't blame me'' cop-out.

all my 2c of course.

i dunno, my dad was always pretty happy to point out my failings when i was younger...

speaking volumes right there.

BTW - if my kid was acting the cunt in a public place, I would remove him from that area and take him home because it would mean he was maybe tired or in need of a change of scenery.

Are they aloud on Mess + Noise?

there's no audio on this site Morris

Parents cannot see the faults in their own children. It's a curse. School teachers know this far too well

Oh please fuck right off, are you telling me that most adults are able to point out their own faults?

i'm overweight
a know it all
could speak better with less slang and jargon
love myself a bit too much

easy as pie fudge!

are you telling me that most adults are able to point out their own faults?

Yes,

Sometimes I throw down some serious sarcasm on the internet, it's an awful trait. And one that I'm really trying to rectify.

i just re-read the entire thread and unless i'm sorta dumb and missed it (and not unlikely), i don't think i saw one parent posting in the thread who's kids weren't perfectly behaved angels.

I'll gladly admit my fellah isn't an angel. He's a pretty happy & excitable kid, but not an angel. I've had to drag him home from the Barley for screaming because I wouldn't let him have lollies from the machine in the restaurant. I know that level of misbehavior isn't appreciated, and he's learnt that screaming & crying there will mean he's brought home.

BTW - if my kid was acting the cunt in a public place, I would remove him from that area and take him home because it would mean he was maybe tired or in need of a change of scenery.

But that's the problem most parents are too boozed up/having a great time with their friends in a pub to give a toss and won't take them home. As my mum used to say, leaving us at home with a babysitter ''you'll be bored'' and she was right. We still went to restaurants, but were trained at home how to behave. a pub is not a place where such training should begin. I still disagree with that hancock dude of the union saying it is still positive rather than negative yet little brats were putting their toys allover the place. that to me is bad parenting in a public space.