Kids At The Bar ?

As I have been told numerous times, a minor is allowed in bar areas which was posted one page one; however, it is illegal for them to sit at the bar itself in the state of Kentucky.

As a side-bar to this discussion, a guy who used to work for me back in MN got pulled over with his 2 y.o in the car after he had a couple of drinks with the boys. I can't recall exactly what he blew but it was something just barely over the limit. As a result of having his child in the car what would have been a moderate slap on the wrist turned into a gross misdemeanor and cost him jail time, thousands and thousands of dollars in fines and legal fees and almost cost him his career. Parents should think about THAT the next time they consider having a drink or two while waiting for a table.

I appreciate your feelings. But that sidebar has nothing at all to do with the original topic. I doubt anyone here would defend drunk parents driving around at all, much less with kids in the car.

Mark,

My apologies, I wasn't aware the topic was so narrowly defined and that I had inadvertently colored outside the lines.

Apologies aside, if more parents understood the potential (elevated) consequences of enjoying a couple of drinks with the little ones in tow perhaps more of them would think twice about doing so....maybe to the point where we wouldn't need this debate.

As I have been told numerous times, a minor is allowed in bar areas which was posted one page one; however, it is illegal for them to sit at the bar itself in the state of Kentucky.

I have to be honest, Sue, I don't see anything in the Kentucky statutes to support that. It is certainly possible that Louisville (or any other city) might have a local ordinance that speaks to that, but I don't think minors are barred from sitting at a bar (no pun intended) statewide.

As a follow-up - I could not locate a Louisville ordinance that says anything about minors sitting at the bar.

The Kentucky Administrative Regulations, specifically 804 KAR 5:070 Section 1 adds to the statutes, saying that "Premises that qualify for the restaurant exemption, pursuant to KRS 244.085(6), shall only be exempted during those times of the day that meals are served to customers." That is of course open to interpretation, but if it is not a time meals are served to customers (I really don't know if the focus is "normal meal times," or if as long as the kitchen is open things are fine), minors cannot be in the bar area of a restaurant.

An interesting aside ... less than 50 years ago women were not allowed to sit at a bar in Kentucky.

An interesting aside ... less than 50 years ago women were not allowed to sit at a bar in Kentucky.

Last time I was in the Pendennis Club, (circa 7-10 years ago) women were not "supposed" to go into the "Men's Bar" (although I don't know how strictly they enforce it). I do know that I was meeting my boss there, and I was expected to stand outside the door of the bar waving madly to get his attention so he could come into the lobby to greet me. *shudder*

Last time I was in the Pendennis Club, (circa 7-10 years ago) women were not "supposed" to go into the "Men's Bar" (although I don't know how strictly they enforce it).

That has changed now. Women can enter the bar and believe it or not become members themselves, I think. When I was little we went with my grandparents every couple of weeks and my sisters could not go and play pool in the bar area. I loved that. Now of course it seems silly.

When my daughter was about 6 years old, my extended family went to Buckheads on the river for Sunday lunch. We briefly sat at the bar while waiting. The bartender told us that she couldn't sit there - she got mad and stuck her tongue out at him - he laughed and returned the gesture. We thought it was a funny incident and still talk about how she got thrown out of a bar. For a few years after that, she didn't like Buckheads because of this - she was pissed.
There are times when a brief visit to the bar can be OK, in my opinion. Roger mentioned that Germans have kids in the bars and I've heard it's common in English pubs. Drinking does not always equal bad behavior and seeing bad behavior in adults doesn't necessarily damage a child.
Another topic to get everyone talking - what about serving your teenage kids alcohol? I don't mean buying them a keg and letting them party, but giving them a half glass of wine at home and talking to them about it. It's highly controversial (maybe illegal) and my first reaction was "no way," but I am thinking that it could be OK if done thoughtfully and controlled. I know it's common in other countries. Here's an article on the subject - http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/YouthI ... 04048.html.
Let 'er rip....

I believe in moderation and have no problems with tastes of alcohol for children. I think the idea of "demon rum" does more to encourage underage drinking than actual tasting and sensible discussion. The problem is in order to have some laws, definitive lines must be drawn and adhered to. Without specific guidelines too many cases would go to court and then be dismissed because of various interpretations of the law. Some parents are good parents, others constantly put their own children at risk. My ex and I had numerous arguments over this.

Another topic to get everyone talking - what about serving your teenage kids alcohol? I don't mean buying them a keg and letting them party, but giving them a half glass of wine at home and talking to them about it. It's highly controversial (maybe illegal) and my first reaction was "no way," but I am thinking that it could be OK if done thoughtfully and controlled. I know it's common in other countries. Here's an article on the subject - http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/YouthI ... 04048.html.
Let 'er rip....

In Wisconsin a parent can buy and serve alcohol to their minor children in restaurants.

When I went up to Madison for The Great Taste of the Midwest beer fest, there was an option to buy a full-priced drinking pass for minors, but the parent had to hand the tasting glass to the servers and then hand it to the child themselves. I didnt see anyone doing this though.

In Wisconsin a parent can buy and serve alcohol to their minor children in restaurants.

Law's the same in Ohio, at least as recently as I was living there (2004).

I'm noting that Wisconsin and Ohio are both north of the Bible Belt. Different world up there.

In Wisconsin a parent can buy and serve alcohol to their minor children in restaurants.

When I went up to Madison for The Great Taste of the Midwest beer fest, there was an option to buy a full-priced drinking pass for minors, but the parent had to hand the tasting glass to the servers and then hand it to the child themselves. I didnt see anyone doing this though.

Interesting that I came across this article today: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/us/16 ... ref=slogin.

It would be interesting to know how the percentage of child and spouse abuse in Wisconsin compares to other states.

It would be interesting to know how the percentage of child and spouse abuse in Wisconsin compares to other states.

Not sure, but the article references Wisconsin's extremely high drunk-driving related arrests and accidents relative to the rest of the country.