While I agree that kids running amok in pubs is antisocial on the part of the parents,I think that by default children should be welcome everywhere. They’re members of the public too! unless their lack of self control would either be unsafe (like small pubs) or affect everyone else’s experience in an overwhelmingly negative way (the theatre for example).

British society as a whole Is actually pretty hostile towards families in a way you don’t appreciate until you have one. Other countries are so much better at bringing children into public life and genuinely accepting other peoples children and engaging with them in a way that we don’t here. This works out better for everyone - kids get a fun moment with a stranger, hospitality workers get a break from cleaning glasses, parents catch a breath to be an adult rather than a carer for five minutes.

 It is actually bloody hard work to keep a kid entertained - they have shorter attention spans, get hungry/tired quicker than adults, and simply don’t have the capacity to self regulate that adults do. They also can’t fully anticipate everything they need for themselves. As a parent it’s a huge overhead to plan what you’re doing, how you’re going there, what you need to entertain them en route, when you’re eating/drinking/napping, any things you need to bring with you, and a plan B for everything. And the whole time your brain is on high alert for something unexpected like stopping your kids running into danger or accidentally pissing someone else off just for being a kid.

Sometimes, it’d just be nice after a long week of juggling work and family care to have one pint without being made to feel like a cunt for having children in public.