It's not uncommon for people to get drunk in the tent.
It's also pretty common for some of them to come to the tent with their kids. Leaving aside the fact that 4-year-olds drink unthinkable amounts of Coke and eat tons of potato chips, what annoys me is seeing the adults getting plastered under the eyes of their children. Luckily, this doesnt' happen frequently. But when it does happen, it's enough to knock out my zen & positive energies.
Two nights ago I was behind the bar and all of a sudden this little one shows up, asking if he can help me. Sure, kid, except that it's not so crowded now and I spend my time smoking and chatting to those who come by for a refill.
Now I know I can easily relate to mostly anyone, but I've never been a magnet for kids. Whenever there's kids around, they will most likely not see me as a potential friend / playmate. This little one felt safe behind the bar, that's my bet (I'm aware I may be over-interpreting the whole situation, but I somehow feel I'm not). Anyway, he started asking questions about the beer kegs, the cash register, the Batman action figure we keep behind the bar, I was doing my best to answer clearly, without making any grammar mistakes - I don't care if my Polish is not perfect when talking to grown-ups, but with kids it's different, they should hear a language that's spoken correctly and without mistakes. And so we spent quite some time behind the bar, until the Father shows up and says "it's time to go". The Kid says no, he asks for his toys and tells me a story I didn't quite catch, but I kept asking questions and then he showed me how his toys glow in the dark. In the meantime, the Father, who had serious problems with his diction (bigger than mine, a foreigner who's just learning the language, bigger than the Kid's) insisted they should go home.
Eventually they left. By bike. Or at least the guy tried to ride his bike, which had a baby's chair attached to it. And of course he couldn't - he could barely stand, not to mention walk (actually, he looked as if he was sailing). So he fell and so did the kid. Luckily, at about the same moment, one of the guys who sometimes hangs out in the tent, and one of the few people who know that drinking and driving aren't a match, took the bike back in the tent, told us he'd leave it there until the next day and took the two home by car. I was extremely sorry for that kid, and utterly annoyed for the rest of the night, no smiles were delivered with the beers, no chit-chats, and I guess it was quite obvious by the look on my face that I'm not exactly in the best mood. When Pan Janek showed up around midnight, the first thing he asked was: "you've had enough today, haven't you?".
Now I don't particularly care if my customers drink until they fall into a coma. Or into something else. It's really none of my business. Last winter, when I was somewhat more emotional and one of our old regulars almost froze to death after having spent a few long hours drinking in the tent, I felt quite guilty. In the end, I had been the one pouring him beer. Now I don't care anymore, I don't feel responsible in any way, they pay, I pour, end of story, they're all adults and it's their decision to drown whatever they want to drown in alcohol. Although my theory is that problems can't be drowned, for they are excellent swimmers, and if you're happy, you're naturally high. For the rest of it, you can sometimes get drunk (it happens to all of us, once in a while), have a drink with your friends, have another drink if you feel like it - but there's a huge difference between enjoying a drink every now and then and being an alcoholic.
Things are more complicated when there's kids involved. And I sometimes hate my lack of initiative and my incapacity of doing the right thing. That child does not belong with that father, and in this particular situation no argument can convince me that the little one is better off with that guy, just because he happens to be his father. But I just stood there and did nothing, I'm still sad when thinking about the little fellow, and the worst part is that I have absolutely no idea how can things be sorted out.
It's also pretty common for some of them to come to the tent with their kids. Leaving aside the fact that 4-year-olds drink unthinkable amounts of Coke and eat tons of potato chips, what annoys me is seeing the adults getting plastered under the eyes of their children. Luckily, this doesnt' happen frequently. But when it does happen, it's enough to knock out my zen & positive energies.
Two nights ago I was behind the bar and all of a sudden this little one shows up, asking if he can help me. Sure, kid, except that it's not so crowded now and I spend my time smoking and chatting to those who come by for a refill.
Now I know I can easily relate to mostly anyone, but I've never been a magnet for kids. Whenever there's kids around, they will most likely not see me as a potential friend / playmate. This little one felt safe behind the bar, that's my bet (I'm aware I may be over-interpreting the whole situation, but I somehow feel I'm not). Anyway, he started asking questions about the beer kegs, the cash register, the Batman action figure we keep behind the bar, I was doing my best to answer clearly, without making any grammar mistakes - I don't care if my Polish is not perfect when talking to grown-ups, but with kids it's different, they should hear a language that's spoken correctly and without mistakes. And so we spent quite some time behind the bar, until the Father shows up and says "it's time to go". The Kid says no, he asks for his toys and tells me a story I didn't quite catch, but I kept asking questions and then he showed me how his toys glow in the dark. In the meantime, the Father, who had serious problems with his diction (bigger than mine, a foreigner who's just learning the language, bigger than the Kid's) insisted they should go home.
Eventually they left. By bike. Or at least the guy tried to ride his bike, which had a baby's chair attached to it. And of course he couldn't - he could barely stand, not to mention walk (actually, he looked as if he was sailing). So he fell and so did the kid. Luckily, at about the same moment, one of the guys who sometimes hangs out in the tent, and one of the few people who know that drinking and driving aren't a match, took the bike back in the tent, told us he'd leave it there until the next day and took the two home by car. I was extremely sorry for that kid, and utterly annoyed for the rest of the night, no smiles were delivered with the beers, no chit-chats, and I guess it was quite obvious by the look on my face that I'm not exactly in the best mood. When Pan Janek showed up around midnight, the first thing he asked was: "you've had enough today, haven't you?".
Now I don't particularly care if my customers drink until they fall into a coma. Or into something else. It's really none of my business. Last winter, when I was somewhat more emotional and one of our old regulars almost froze to death after having spent a few long hours drinking in the tent, I felt quite guilty. In the end, I had been the one pouring him beer. Now I don't care anymore, I don't feel responsible in any way, they pay, I pour, end of story, they're all adults and it's their decision to drown whatever they want to drown in alcohol. Although my theory is that problems can't be drowned, for they are excellent swimmers, and if you're happy, you're naturally high. For the rest of it, you can sometimes get drunk (it happens to all of us, once in a while), have a drink with your friends, have another drink if you feel like it - but there's a huge difference between enjoying a drink every now and then and being an alcoholic.
Things are more complicated when there's kids involved. And I sometimes hate my lack of initiative and my incapacity of doing the right thing. That child does not belong with that father, and in this particular situation no argument can convince me that the little one is better off with that guy, just because he happens to be his father. But I just stood there and did nothing, I'm still sad when thinking about the little fellow, and the worst part is that I have absolutely no idea how can things be sorted out.
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