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Depends on the nature of the drinking establishment, really. And the child, too. No reason a child shouldn't go along with mum or dad to the local village pub when it isn't crowded, and have fruit juice while the parent has a quiet beer with friends. A packed bar full of smoke is no place to bring a kid, though. And if a child can't be fairly well behaved, parents should not inflict junior on other adults, who are unlikely to appreciate their child's noise and poor behaviour. And a child in a stroller, in a bar? NOnono! There has to be some other sort of more appropriate place to get a drink with a toddler in tow.

I may as well mention, though, that I think the legal drinking age of 21 is absurd; kids just drink on the sly, anyway, so it makes more sense to have a minimum age for alcohol purchases of 16, and increase the age at which you get a driving license to 18, giving teenagers a couple of years to get a sense of how to handle booze; part of this includes seeing adults drink responsibly, both in private and in public.

I don't drink for religious reasons, but if I did I think that bringing the children along to the strip club, rave party, or happy hour seems a bit tasteless. Pubs however are family places, and children should be more than welcome. For a explanation of the difference between a bar and a pub, ask any Brit, Scot, or Irishman and I'm sure they can clue you in.

I agree with seadkdc; pubs can be quite family-oriented. I think it also makes a difference whether smoking is allowed; if you're in a nonsmoking pub in the late afternoon, having dinner and drinks, why not? In clubs and smoky bars, you'd think that simple common sense would prevent parents from bringing their kids. But maybe not.

I'm grateful to live in a city with a smoking ban, personally-- I think it makes restaurants and bars friendlier to everyone, whatever age.

I am nearly 60, and I remember my folks bringing me to neighborhood bars (not pubs, bars) growing up. I looked cute for the patrons and got nickels (yes, nickels) to put in the juke box, and all the Shirley Temples I could handle. I met some really interesting people, too - like the late Louis Lurie, the Aliotos, and the real Shirley Temple, to name a few. And these were not top drawer establishments, they were small neighborhood bars in the SF bay area. And there was smoking. And my folks sat at the bar, with me. They carried me in a homemade backpack til I could walk, and I learned how to behave, keep quiet so I could hear some really juicy gossip, and how to drink responsibly. Well, as responsibly as folks drank in the late 40's and '50's. I never saw anybody fall down, but I did see some singing along to the juke as well as some extra jocularity not normally seen in those gray suit conformist days. Although I wasn't the only kid in those bars, I was considered highly privileged by my peer group, who longed to watch grownups sing to jukebox music and tell inappropriate jokes.

My spouse, Bulldog and I go to a Texas roadhouse to do some western swing dancing in our old age. That place is crawling with kids of all ages, from babies asleep in carriers to toddlers dancing with their parents, to teenagers and college kids. And it can get pretty raw on Saturday night, but by the time that happens, the families have probably left.

But - please no stroller traffic jams. How can you dance to Two Tons of Steel if the place is full of strollers?

When I was little, my dad took me to bars to watch Packers games. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything, and I don't think they could've happened outside of a bar.

I understand the liability thing. I also understand that most people (myself included) don't want to have to watch their language (among other behaviors) while drinking. That's cool. I don't think it messes up the kids any, though, and for me, at least, it was a positive experience.

In addition to strollers being absurdly large, there's been another change: kids are routinely bratty in public. There have always been brats, as well as parents who think their child's brattiness is adorable, but it seems to be more and more common. Of course healthy children have heaps of energy, but if keeping reasonably quiet and sedate in an adult venue is beyond them they don't belong there. Not fair to them, not fair to the adults. This isn't an unreasonable or impossible expectation: I know of plenty of (even as young as four) children who can control themselves, and behave when required to.

I just wanted to point out that about... oh... a block and a half away from the initial focus of the article (Union Hall) is a venue (the Tea Lounge) that is ideally designed for families to gather - as it offers tea, coffee, food and has a bar attached, is huge, has special events for kids and parents, and is full of comfy couches and chairs. So moms can have their cocktail while their child can hang out with a grilled cheese and milk (soy milk) or whatever. Personally, I think the parents shouldn't be attacking Union Hall (which is too small for the big double-wide strollers that Park Slopers seem to love), but instead should be petitioning for more spaces like the Tea Lounge. And perhaps focusing on giving their business to places that are family friendly.

Also I agree that there is that bratty/misbehaving in public thing. Even at the Tea Lounge I've witnessed children using bar stools as a jungle gym and jumping from one to the next while their parents ignored them. This totally freaked me out and I couldn't help but watch with every muscle in my body tensed to go catch a falling child and I ended up not getting any work done while this was going on.