Bubs In Pubs
There are many things adults shouldn’t do whilst under the influence of alcohol. Operate heavy machinery, drive cars, embarrassingly post on social media or cowardly dump their partners by text. Following some unruly behaviour (I’m guessing crayoning “devil” on their children’s foreheads whilst they slept, not shaving off their eyebrows), the Wetherspoons pub in Gravesend recently displayed a poster informing customers of their national enforceable guidelines not to serve adults more than 2 alcoholic drinks if they have accompanying children. Aimed at protecting kids from harm, the rule says adults can only be served a second alcoholic drink if they have a sit-down meal. Obviously, this policy will horribly backfire if the children start a food fight. After the 2nd drink, the staff would legally refuse to serve alcohol to the customers because being drunk in charge of a child under 7 years old in a public place is illegal according to the 1902 licencing act. Anyone found guilty can be fined or sent to prison for a month, where, ironically, some parents would probably appreciate the peace. But whilst the pub ruling reprimands the adults for not looking after their kids properly, the guideline is actually there to stop the children from being unruly by running around the pub unsupervised or bumping into tray carrying staff and unsteady customers. If anything, they should display posters on every table saying: “Children behave and stop embarrassing your parents, this isn’t a playground. Sit down, keep quiet, eat your food and leave your parents to relax, drink and play Bubble Breaker and check football scores on their phones. It’s what they’ve really come out for.” Some adults, like my late dad, would bar children completely from pubs. He strangely relented when I turned 18 and could legally buy him a pint. Whilst others suggest providing on-site softball play areas for the children, so beautifully giving the drunken adults somewhere nice to be with their kids and somewhere comfortable to sleep off their hangovers.
