children free zone

[Asset]

virus not new, neither are children. both can be annoying but only one will keep the human race going (good or bad thing debatable)

[PeckhamRose]

Clockhouse junction of Barry Road and Peckham Rye SE22 side.

Here

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=534411&y=175132&z=1&sv=534411,175132&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf

No kids there this afternoon, except a few outside.

Azul Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I asked about the clockhouse, dunno know where

> barry road is but I'll find it out.

> went to uplands this morning, I thought that kids

> wouldn't go there.

>

> bullshit, 5 minutes after we got in, 3 of them

> came around.

> they're everywhere, just like that new virus.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I've got to add my tuppence worth.

I've had four kids and have a 1 year old granddaughter so am used to having kids around me, but I really think that slapping horrible little kids in pubs should be compulsory for parents who have brattish kids.

I tend not to slap other people's kids, as their parents aren't usually very happy about this, but if some croc wearing little child does somthing very irritating or naughty and their parents are lamely smiling as though it's normal, I shout "OI, STOP IT!" in a very loud voice, and they tend to scurry back to their parents and stop annoying me.

Seems to work for me!

[Keef]

I just think that if you take your kids out, which you have every right to do of course, you shouldn't take it as a lisense to give yourself a break from them and let everyone else have to deal with / put up with them.

Just keep them close to you, and if they start screaming and shouting take them away.

[KalamityKel]

Would it b wrong of me to suggest that those screaming kids on buses should b removed (along wiv the parents)? Not only is it horrible for us poor passengers but it really must distract the driver (more so than when they're on their own phones etc).

**awaits judgement** :p

[MadWorld74]

We were in The Plough a few days ago on a FRIDAY NIGHT...and I actually asked the bloke behind the bar why the pub was full of kids, and he said "Oh, a freak occurance, it's not usually like this"....which after reading these threads is an obvious lie! There were hoards of them charging about and the parents were just laughing. I nearly spilt my pinot on the way back from the bar because one the f*ckers nearly ran me over.

Yes kids in pubs is okay now were are non smoking but runnign about all over the place? Most pubs in ED kick them out come 6-7pm but it seems that most places in Ed are more kiddie friendly than money paying adults!

Mr MW74 told me that in some pubs (your real boozers ie: Wetherspoons) that if you are an adult with a child you will only be served two alcoholic drinks and then your out or onto the soft drinks. This they hope will stop the pityful scenes of adults getting smashed on cheap pints all day, whilst their kids run amock in the bar.

[mockney piers]

actually its 2 drinks full stop at weatherspoons. They feel they don't have facilities for kids so it's cruel to keep them in a pub for longer than that apparently....or something.

[Domitianus]

So does that make them family hostile or socially responsible? I think many local hostelries could learn from WS. I remember seeing a baby who was barely 6 months old, crying incessantly, being held by a woman in G&B who was sitting drinking wine with her friends/family at 7-45pm. The place was full and noisy, the child was obviously distressed and the parent/carer did not appear to give a damn - seemed quite content to swill wine and chat to her pals who were equally oblivious to the child's welfare. I discretely spoke to the bar staff about it who admitted that no child should be in the bar after 7-30pm but who were also clearly to embarrassed to say anything. I imagine they were fearful of being labelled 'child hostile' on some internet forum and suffering the boycott that might ensue.

[mockney piers]

I suspect its more to do with not alienating customer base than social responsibility. I bet you they haven't rolled it out across all their brands.

[RosieH]

would be interested to know if there are any parents on here who take their kids to pubs / bars in the evening. what do parents think of people talking about inappropriate subject matter around their kids? it seems to me that pubs are adult spaces, where adult conversations take place, but many people may feel the need to self-censor if there are children close at hand.

I'm not saying I have the mouth of a fishwife (although sometimes I do), but I want to be able to swear if I feel like it, or make like Sex and the City and discuss the finer points of my sex life if I so choose.

[Domitianus]

RosieH Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> would be interested to know if there are any

> parents on here who take their kids to pubs / bars

> in the evening. what do parents think of people

> talking about inappropriate subject matter around

> their kids? it seems to me that pubs are adult

> spaces, where adult conversations take place, but

> many people may feel the need to self-censor if

> there are children close at hand.

>

Hear hear!

> I'm not saying I have the mouth of a fishwife

> (although sometimes I do), but I want to be able

> to swear if I feel like it, or make like Sex and

> the City and discuss the finer points of my sex

> life if I so choose.

[mightyroar]

I agree with you about the evenings.

But a lot of this thread is castigating anyone who takes their kids to the pub (or even on the bus) at all.

And attempting to make some kind of joke about it.

must be lovely and quiet up there on that child free moral highground.

[PeckhamRose]

mightyroar, if it's been said once it's been said twice.

We childfree folk are NOT against kids. We're just tired of having to share space time and energy surrounded by loud noisy undisciplined offspring of parents who think it's perfectly acceptable for their kids to be loud noisy undisciplined running around as if every pub restaurant (bus) they were in were a playground.

If parents want to take their kids to the pub at 11 at night when the pub is full of us drunk loud foul-mouthed adults, well as long as the kids are quiet and well behaved we don't care!

[Domitianus]

mightyroar Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I agree with you about the evenings.

>

> But a lot of this thread is castigating anyone who

> takes their kids to the pub (or even on the bus)

> at all.

> And attempting to make some kind of joke about

> it.

>

>

> must be lovely and quiet up there on that child

> free moral highground.

If there is child-free high ground (moral or otherwise) please point me towards it and I will gone like a shot.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

We need to bring back hanging, that'll show them!

[Michael Palaeologus]

and will help revive the rope-manufacturing sector.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

good honest workmanship

[Asset]

How many pubs have you been in that have kids in at 11pm? I fear that may be somewhat of an exaggeration.

I sometimes go to the pub with my kids of an afternoon but have rarely stayed beyond 5pm.

I also went on the bus with them as babies and I most certainly would not have got off if one of them was crying, what a ridiculous suggestion. Perhaps persons could carry around a set of earplugs and when forced to share the same airspace as a crying child - insert them.

As has been said before, some people think children are being badly behaved if they merely raise their voices.

I think it is perfectly reasonable to have to share social spaces with children and there are plenty of places to go without children around.

Sometimes children are a lot better company than the obnoxious and badly behaved adults that frequent pubs in the evenings.

[dulwichmum]

Darling KalamityKel,

I was of the opinion once that people with noisy poppets should not be allowed to use public transport due to the discomfort that they cause to all and sundry...

but actually, mothers driving four by fours while transporting/entertaining the said munchkins are actually a danger to the public. In my opinion parents should not be allowed to drive unless they can prove that they had at least 6 full continuous hours of sleep in the previous 24. The darling babies involved should not only be strapped into their car seats, but could (it may be argued by some unforgiving husbands) be gagged and handcuffed also - in order to ensure that they do not scream or drop their organic raisins on the leather upholstry...

[applejck]

Well to be honest East Dulwich has a vast population of kids as usually there's an army of enormous buggies waiting around the corner and quite frankly, the children seated in them are renowned for their obstreperous behaviour and indecorous conduct. Though what can you really expect? they're children it is a conformity for children to behave in that manor and a pivotal part of growning up is restraining yourself from that kind of vivacity as obviously you mature with age, well hopefully.

[dulwichmum]

Well said Applejck!

[Alan Dale]

'child free' is a funny term.

I'm not going to go out much in January because I'm 'cash free'. I gave my last pound coin to a 'home free' guy at London Bridge.

My friend is not going to have kids because her husband is 'fertility free'. She got mugged last week which is lucky because now she's 'hand bag free'.

[Dulwich_ Park_ Fairy]

As has been said before, some people think children are being badly behaved if they merely raise their voices.

I think it is perfectly reasonable to have to share social spaces with children and there are plenty of places to go without children around.

Sometimes children are a lot better company than the obnoxious and badly behaved adults that frequent pubs in the evenings.

Pretty much hit the nail on the head there Asset, how many of the anti-family pub crowd would have dared to venture into the Plough or the Forresters before they were re-invented. The bottom-line is that pubs allow, even encourage, families during the day because it makes commercial sense to do so, because a family of 4 will normally spend more money in two hours than the individual who goes there to read the Sunday Times whilst nursing a pint of bitter. To complain about this shows about as much commercial awareness as the forumites who feel that house prices in East Dulwich should be kept artificially low. Furthermore, there are many pubs in the area that are not family-friendly; Clockhouse, Castle, Inside 72, Palmerston, Liquorice, Franklins etc, more infact than those that welcome children. Apart from the garden at the Herne, I never see children (other than babies) in the pubs mentioned after 19:30, roughly the time that "real" grown-ups like to come out and play. I suggest some people would be happier living in the Docklands, not many children there, although I imagine they'd soon be complaining about the braying yuppies.......

[annaj]

Alan Dale, it's all about perspective. Some people do choose not to have children and are happy with that choice, in which case child free is not a funny term at all. So, whether it's child-free or child-less depends on whether it's through choice or bad luck.

Also, even people who are very happy with children might choose to be child-free for an evening now and then don't you think?

[Alan Dale]

Good point about babysitters.

I think you have to have children before you can be 'child free' otherwise childless is more appropriate.

Child free in the place of childless sounds like people are putting a positive spin on a bad situation.

'It's great being child-free because I get to concentrate on improving my banjo skills while the missus can really ramp up her painting by numbers...'