I certainly enjoy a good rant from time to time. OK, all the time. And when a rant involves beer and babies, well, I’m all over that.

No matter what breeders might think, bars are not family-friendly. If I am out drinking and sobbing about a bad breakup, I don’t want my cries to compete with those of an infant sitting next to me. If I go to the bathroom to correct my wayward mascara at the end of a long weekend night, I don’t want to watch a baby being wiped down on the soggy sink counter.

Nor do I want to be scolded by parents like the ones at the Gate, a favorite bar, where friends have witnessed a few mothers with toddlers actually wagging their fingers when young people cursed too loudly or got a little sloppy, while conveniently overlooking the fact that alcohol, blaring punk rock and drunken partiers are not pediatrician-approved.

I really haven’t noticed too many children hanging out at bars around Helena, though many of the bars we frequent definitely are not family-friendly. But we will often see a toddler or more strolling about the local brewery. I guess I’ve never had any strong qualms about it, but I can see how this would be annoying at a more jovial bar where you’re just as likely to hear f-bombs dropped by the jukebox as are you are likely to hear them exploding from patrons’ mouths.

What do you guys think? Are bars a no-go for babies? Does this place drinking as a family activity? Is it a bad influence for children?

New York Times City Room Blog — Complaint Box: Baby Barflies