Last night’s fun at the Cat And Dog brought to my attention the fact that kid avatars aren’t allowed in many establishments. I can understand that we’re all RPing here and if you’re RPing as a bar for adults then people who RP as kids don’t fit in that. But our place is a pub, not a bar; pubs as a rule will allow all ages. But, again, since we’re RPing here, we expect that someone RPing as a kid has someone RPing as a guardian with them. I want to include everyone I possibly can. Nobody likes being discriminated against. But there does have to be some semblance of order; I’m not here to babysit.
So far, it’s working out well. Last night’s DJ was a centaur. Tonight’s is a furry. We’ve had same- and opposite-gender couples dancing together. We try to all be tolerant, welcoming, and mature (read: moderate on gestures and talking body parts, lol); and as long as that continues, we are go. It’s a lesson in patience for me; there are things I personally do not like (like just about any gesture that takes more than 3 lines of text and/or makes the “HOO!” sound, clicky shoes, face lights, and baby-talk-typing) but I’m learning to be patient with all of the above so long as they don’t get so overwhelmingly frequent as to annoy other patrons. I’m trying to find that balance between being all-inclusive “anything goes” and being a hard-ass. So far I think I’m doing OK.
I realize that I may lose some clientele for choosing to allow supervised child avatars in the pub. I really don’t mind that. There are gazillions of nightspots one can go to and not have to deal with pixellated “sprogs” (passing thought: Childfree and Child-av free people… same people? Probably, though not necessarily…). I still loathe talking tummies, though, so if you would be so kind as to shut that thing up while you’re inside I’d be much obliged.
So, yes, pass it on. You can be a kid at the Cat And Dog. You can be a furry at the Cat And Dog. You can be a neko at the Cat And Dog. Just don’t be a grand pain in the ass at the Cat And Dog, regardless of avatar, and we’re good.
Mistletoe Ethaniel's Blog 
I was personally a little upset about the number child Avs got there, and yes, the gesture behavior too. I felt a little more than dumped on, even though that wasn’t the intention, and I felt overwhelmed trying to figure out how to control children I didn’t even know.
And, I was embarrassed. Because all of that behavior at least *stemmed* from us.
Well, no, you can’t blame yourself for that happening anymore than I can myself. Things happen that are beyond our control. But, you’re right, you’re not at the pub to be a babysitter any more than I am. The responsibility, I think, ultimately rests on the parents/guardians of the kids; but when they don’t take responsibility then it becomes MINE, not yours. So if in the future you get to feeling that way again, shoot me an IM and I’ll be Grumpy Old Elf.