Parenting brings on a whole new set of perceived “shoulds” and “should nots” and while I try to avoid that game as much as possible, I’ll be the first to admit that I never thought that I’d visit a bar with Laurel any time soon. But so it was last week as we accommodated last minute plans with friends who were stopping very briefly through Boston for the holidays and had limited time and transport.

As it turns out, now that smoking isn’t an issue, hanging at a pub with a toddler actually was rather convenient and far less stressful than trying to go to a regular restaurant. We met our friends at The Phoenix Landing in Central Square where the seats were vinyl (easy cleanup), the pub fare was middling but basically toddler friendly (veggie burger, French fries, and plenty of ketchup), and - most refreshingly - the noise level (at the 6pm pre-show hour) made us just feel like part of the crowd. And as if to assuage my sense of social correctness, the staff and other guests didn’t bat an eyelash while we were there, other than to try to make friends with Laurel (who had a grand time).

I suspect visiting pubs with Laurel won’t become a regular occurrence for us, but in a pinch, it works for social gatherings.