[Sundae]

It's the lateness of the hour on what is presumably a school night which would bother me.
Children need routine and rules, and to do this for no other reason than a custody night happens to fall on the same night that your friends are playing... well - children should come first.

If it was that big of a deal, then they should have negotiated a change of custody night.

When we went on holiday we'd be out way past our bedtime, and usually in places that served alcohol/ played music/ had other patrons who didn't have a reasonable understanding of general etiquette (I learned quite a few swear words hearing Scouse Mums talk to their kids when we went on holiday). Even then it wasn't every night, because my parents couldn't afford it every night.

And when our Uncles came down from London we would always go out for an evening in Dad's work social club, where children were allowed, but yes it had its fair share of semi-professional drinkers (they must have had jobs at the firm in order to be members). But again, it was understood that this was the exception not the norm and would only ever have occurred over the weekend.

I'm not the best example of a kid exposed early to alcohol turning out perfectly fine, but my sister (normal, casual drinker) and my brother (teetotal) show that it was nature, not nurture.

I suppose that the bottom line is that even if the mothers are being irresponsible, at least they're not leaving the kids alone at home under the dubious care of the 11 year old.