Readers defend a London pub’s decision to ban entry on children under 10
Following Grace Dent’s review (14 May) of the Alma in Crystal Palace, London, you published a letter (When pubs leave parents out in the cold, theguardian.com, 17 May) contesting the pub’s seemingly “bizarre” ban on children under the age of 10. I feel compelled to provide a counter point of view.
As a woman who has chosen not to have children, a choice many others know is something we are judged for almost on a daily basis – “you’ll change your mind”, “you just haven’t met the right person”, “when are you having children?” – I for one am really interested to see a local pub making such a decision. If this were a policy coming into force across all London boozers, then I too would be raising an eyebrow, but we must remember that parents have ample choice. If we’re discussing the “kind of attitude [that] disappeared along with the sticky carpets” of the pre-1990s, then I think it’s only fair that we consider how many feel alienated and/or “excluded” every single day by their lack of children (be that by choice or because of infertility).
