Children In Bars

THE date is 16 September 2004, the time is 23h10.

My wife and I are sitting in a bar in Tal Street celebrating my wife’s birthday with a drink. Then we saw something which I thought was wrong but my wife thought it to be an utter disgrace/irresponsible/selfish etc.At a table, around which about 5 adults were having some drinks was also a child aged, I would guess, about seven.Now to some people this might not be a big thing but picture this: A child of that age sitting in a bar, that time of the night, around him adults are drinking and smoking.People, I am not even mentioning the passive smoking issue.That kid’s lungs, phew.Could this mother not arrange for a baby-sitter or better still, stay at home with her child if there was nobody to look after him.We endured this for approximately 20 minutes and by the time we left the kid was sleeping on mom’s lap.Poor child.Now how is that for irresponsible parenting? I would love to hear the mother’s response.M Jemane WindhoekThen we saw something which I thought was wrong but my wife thought it to be an utter disgrace/irresponsible/selfish etc.At a table, around which about 5 adults were having some drinks was also a child aged, I would guess, about seven.Now to some people this might not be a big thing but picture this: A child of that age sitting in a bar, that time of the night, around him adults are drinking and smoking.People, I am not even mentioning the passive smoking issue.That kid’s lungs, phew.Could this mother not arrange for a baby-sitter or better still, stay at home with her child if there was nobody to look after him.We endured this for approximately 20 minutes and by the time we left the kid was sleeping on mom’s lap.Poor child.Now how is that for irresponsible parenting? I would love to hear the mother’s response.M Jemane Windhoek