A daycare is a place where you leave your kids, not a place where you hang out with your kids. A place where you hang out with your kids is called a drop-in center, and the only one I know of is at Beth Elohim.

More drop-in centers, please! Obviously, they are needed. No one should be exiled to Chuck E. Cheese, it's a nightmare both expensive and commercial. Mothers and their children need a place to go in winter besides Teas Lounge and Barnes and Noble. Someone bring back Landmark.

Hey, Any parent who thinks the only "potty-mouth" talk comes from the outside world has never listened to themselves @ home and/or watched "A Christmas Story". They have also never listened (like my kids) when I watch a State of the Union Address or CNN covering the cands (both parties). My kids know "words are words". Words are part of the real world. If They can't take the language, have them live their lives wearing Bose noise-cancelling headphones. There is NO WAY any f'ing parent should crit an adult in a ETOH-serving place-of-business for language. Besides, where else are the kids gonna learn it? I strongly suggest to parents Youtubing G Carlin's seven words, let them get over it, let 'em know the appropriate sits (FOR ADULTS), teach them alternate vocab, & GET ON WITH IT! It's not like the guy blasting "Oh, F-ck" is going to ruin your kids lives. My kids would say, "Bad toss!".

Dadoc

i'm the first to admit, i have quite the potty mouth. things get competitive during bocce league play on weekend afternoons and my teammates and i have been known to let loose with an expletive or two. in the last few weeks i’m sure we have permanently traumatized some little ones with our language, not noticing them standing nearby.

i’ve noticed not only more and more parents bringing their infants/toddlers to union hall on weekends, but also throwing children’s parties and baby showers there! by no means do i think parents should be confined to their homes for choosing to have children, they deserve to go out and have fun too. but its not like i’m going to chuck e. cheese to play skee-ball, I’m going to a bar to play bocce and drink alcoholic beverages. when i'm out having fun at a bar i shouldn’t feel like i need to be on my best behavior, lest i be scolded by one of the parents for swearing in front of their child.

Most of these commenters know nothing about the issue here. Most of the mothers who take their children here are taking babies, during the day, when the place is empty. These women have a glass of wine/beer or two and chat. If you think that everyone who goes to a bar is an alcoholic or only goes to get drunk, then you either need to find some nicer bars, or find some counseling.

But it is all moot anyway, most of the young/childless aren't crazy about kids, and most parents can't see past them. But because many of these complainers will eventually have children of their own and there will be a whole new group of "young folks" who will hate their kids, and they will be writing this comment.

I am childless by choice, but certainly not heartless.

As soon as I see a child in a bar, in any any context - running around, sitting down, I do immediately wonder about the parents. I look @ them to see if they looked tipsy and hope that are simply having a drink or two.

If the child IS running around in my vicinity, I get paranoid. I MYSELF start keeping an eye out for it, because I worry that it will hit its head. And you know what, half the time it does! Or it runs smack into someone.

Then the parent suddenly awakens from its' I'm-cool-and-laid-back-and-I-bring-my-kids-to bars persona. The parent will start yelling @ the kid for offending a patron, or running around. I usually find that the parent blows up and says something like: "I asked you three times to stop running around!" Well guess what, that's what kids do - they run around. And when you are sitting w/your friends talking over beer, the kid is just gonna start doing it again as soon as you turn back towards the conversation.

We are not your baby sitters. We're out @ a bar, get it? I don't want kids. And I don't want to feel like I should have to watch YOURS -and for free- when I'm out at a BAR.

Kids love to run around - @ the playground with other kids. Taking them to YOUR grown-up playground and talking w/your friends bores them to tears, get it?

I do baby sit on occasion for friends. If I were to kick back and have a beer or two while babysitting - they would look @ me funny. They would wonder why I felt the need to drink @ that moment. They would search my face to see if I was drunk. They would look @ me the way I look @ all you of totting your tots to bars - suspiciously.

jaja007 blahblahblah.

your pathetic psychobabble prattle adds nothing. This topic doesn't rule anyone's life, and there is no vitriol being spewed.

Talk about a book whose NYT review you haven't read yet? Go out and earn some self-respect, and the respect of others?

Save the lecture for your offspring, of which, thankfully, I am not one.

When I lived in small towns in the 70s and 80s, it was actually normal for kids to be in bars (until a reasonable hour). However, everyones' parents didn't expect other patrons to clean up any behavior, but they all knew one another anyway and probably had brought their own children in as well.

In theory this doesn't bother me, but it doesn't work in NYC. First and foremost you DO have to be considerate to the target demographic at the bars, those without kids. Second, parents these days (for the most part) are way more uptight about exposing their kids to "unsavory" elements, and you really CAN'T care if we're at the next table talking about, for instance, blow job techniques.

If a small local bar wants to allow kids, I don't really care as long as I'm not expected to act in a G-rated manner. I can also avoid it.

I wouldn't take my well-behaved two-year-old to any bar. In fact, I used to hang out at Detour on 13th street back when they had free live jazz every night, but I stopped doing that when the owner brought his kid to the place. It just ruined the whole vibe.

Some of you say reasonable things, even if a subset play to an extreme for effect. Most babies get taken outside when they cry. Most toddlers do behave in public or get removed. As they should. Bars are social places, and you don't stop wanting to be social in a comfortable setting just because you have children. Likewise, social places shouldn't have their vibe broken by sustained outbursts. There are definitely assholes out there who also happen to be parents. Just like, clearly, there are assholes who happen not to be parents. If you emotionally feel the issue is about children, you're misdirecting your attentions.

The rest of you - grab a hold of some perspective, use two hands and pucker up. This topic should not rule your lives. The vitriol spewed speaks volumes. Talk about a book whose NYT review you haven't read yet. Go out and earn some self-respect, and the respect of others. Then maybe someone will care that you need another prescription antidepressant because yet one more crying child has had the gall to remind you of mortality or an unhappy childhood.

Oh right...you're still children yourselves. It makes sense now. No worries, you can still get into the bar. You just can't sit at it.

Jesus. Your mother would be embarrassed for how you behave when you think it doesn't matter.

it's not about shielding kids from alcohol. it's about sheilding ubar patrons from your stupid brats.

Politburo, I agree, america needs to demystify booze. I was born in the UK and then moved here. Drinks were always part of family meals at home and out. I would get a shandy, (beer and 7-up) from like 13-14 on. When I got to cellege all these kids from uptight boarding schools or homes just went crazy, while I went almost crazy.

I am not joking when I say of 32 people in my fraternity pledge class only 8 graduated in 4 years. Booze and drugs took the rest. So next time you see a kid in a bar buy him a drink. See how the parents feel then. And if some shit filled diaper is checking out you girl you should call out his dad. "Is your boy trying to pick up on my girl?"

This whole "kids don't belong in bars" is part of the weird mentality in this country that says children should be shielded from alcohol until they're 21. With the no smoking laws, I don't see any safety reason to exclude kids from a bar. Drinking happens. People like to drink. Why act like it doesn't exist? If most of the patrons don't want children there, and the proprietors agree, that's fine. And obviously if the kid is being a disturbance, the parents should (quickly!) finish up and leave, and they shouldn't be asking anyone to watch their language.

In the interest of full disclosure, it wasn't uncommon for my dad to bring me to the bar. And I don't have kids.

Of course children should be in bars. What are airplane bottles for? Duh, people.

parents would think twice if there was still SMOKING allowed in these bars...i hope...this babies in bars seems to be a nyc phenomenon...only for the regulars

and dadoc,

good for you for understanding what discipline means.

you and my parents would get along.

I don't understand why anyone would bring a child into a bar. Or why anyone would think it's ok to bring a child into a bar. What's next for you, bringing a toddler to a club on a Friday night? Hey, if you can't get a sitter, it's everyone else's problem, right?

Fuck off.

If you need to have a drink when your kids are around...and after observing how many kids are today, I can see why you would...go to TGI Fridays.

That's exactly the kind of trashy place you belong.

Hell, you can even get a free dessert for your kid by saying it's his birthday.

While I'm all for banning kids from bars, and strollers from the subway (especially during rush hour), and hate kids and their overdoting parents as much as anyone, I don't have a problem with kids on planes or at restaurants as long as they are well-behaved.

When your kid acts like a monster, don't ignore it. Deal with it. If you can't bring things under control immediately, leave the movie/restaurant, whatever. If you are flying with a kid and it acts up, at least show everyone else you are making an effort. Don't ignore it or act like it's cute.

This is a debate? Parents: Bars are for grownups. Go have a drink at your favorite family friendly restaurant if you really have the urge for a swig of alcohol...in the middle of the day...while being in charge of your children's safety...

You chose fruit, you live with fruit.

whatever, bring your babies. but i'm getting them drunk when you're not looking! muahahahaha

It's actually quite common for parents to take their kids to pubs in the UK. However, if you just want to get your drink on, isn't is more economical to drink at home?