By Jamie Neben

Imagine this:  you’re looking forward to a guy’s night out—or girl’s night—as you arrive at your favorite corner bar where everyone knows your name.  It’s happy hour, your favorite sports team is on the big screen TV, and the joint is jumping.  As you prepare to take a swig of your beverage of choice, you notice that you’re being watched.  Not by your friends, not by a stranger across the room, not even by the bartender.  The eyes belong to a child sitting in a stroller. 

In the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, this has become a real issue.   At one bar, the stroller situation got so out of control that the owner had to ban them due to liability reasons.   More than once, I have personally witnessed parents take young kids into a bar.  I’m not talking about a restaurant that also has a bar.  I’m referring to establishments that serve alcohol and don’t offer much else.   My feeling is there are very few good reasons why it’s acceptable to have children in those places.   I say this not because I believe the people inside are dangerous.  On the contrary, most are likely respectable, well-behaved individuals just out for a drink and some social interaction.   There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a cocktail if done responsibly.  But as more drinks are poured, and more customers walk in, there is a greater risk of carelessness, diminished cognitive and motor skills, and vulgar language among those who aren’t quite as responsible.  Purely by accident, somebody could stumble right into a stroller. 

What do you think?  Should the bar scene include infants and toddlers?  Have you seen it yourself?