I am writing in response to Brenda Anderson’s column Jan. 9 on allowing minors into pubs (“Raise a glass to no kids”).
If every family that wanted to dine in a pub was made up of adults and toddlers, then I would agree with Brenda.
What she has failed to recognize is that there are more families with children between six and 18 than there are five and under. When our kids were toddlers, our goal was to get into a restaurant, eat, and get back out again as quickly as possible. I can’t imagine parents wanting to linger when dealing with a bored child. If it’s simply a matter of conduct, our sons as teenagers were much better behaved than some adults I have seen in pubs.
We have personally experienced the frustration of wanting to stop for a meal (not a fast food pit stop), but our teenage sons were not permitted in the pub so we were left with the option of driving around looking for fine dining that would not put us in the poor house or family dining.
My kids aren’t crazy about sitting next to the Pirate Pak set either. There is a compromise though, one that has been in place in resort communities like Whistler for years. Minors are permitted in pubs until 8 p.m. provided they are accompanied by an adult.
Another very serious point that Brenda raised was the issue of parents drinking for “hours” before strapping their kids into car seats then hitting the road. I hope she isn’t suggesting it would be okay to drink and drive as long as kids weren’t in the back seat.
The flip side is that my husband and I have been able to enjoy a drink or two with dinner, after which our 17-year-old designated driver got us safely to our destination.
What I find interesting, now that our sons are all of legal age, is their decisions on where to spend their social time is usually based on where the food is the best and not the age of the patrons.
Wendy Gage, Delta
