Who’s Normal Anyway?

I drove a round trip of 2.5 hours and 80 miles to Bury St Edmunds this morning to go on a home ed brewery tour at Greene King, only when we arrived they looked in horror at L, said, “This is a food production site, we don’t allow babies!” (what did they think he was going to do, sneeze in their beer?? I felt insulted) and so we came home again. M was in tears, it was one of the activities he most wanted to do.

After thinking it through a bit longer I went back in and questioned the woman on the desk a bit further. Usually they only allow over 12s on the tour, but they do a shortened tour for primary school pupils. “We don’t expect people to bring babies on a brewery tour” they said - so I’m supposed to leave him home alone?? I complained they hadn’t told us in advance and they swore blind they had sent the home ed organiser an info sheet with it all on, she said they hadn’t, then they backed down slightly and decided they’d made a mistake. But still couldn’t comprehend why anyone might have a baby or toddler with them. What a ridiculous idea to take your baby around with you in every day life!

Apparently it’s all down to “health and safety” regulations - isn’t that just the handy cop out? They have open staircases and steep walkways and it might be slippy and I might fall carrying the baby - oh yes, I fall over while carrying him all the time. I’m sure primary school kids always walk nicely and never fall over, and if the floor is slippery that’s their problem to correct, not mine. Can you tell I was seriously unimpressed? Can’t believe they get away with such blatant discrimination against the disabled either - there’s nothing on their website to say there are restrictions and I complained and said they should add the info there.

The home ed organiser offered to let M go around with her, but I didn’t want to send him off by himself for a couple of hours somewhere unfamiliar where he hardly knows anyone and he said he didn’t want to. So I tried to interest him in the cathedral or generally looking around, but Bury isn’t very interesting and M wasn’t in the mood so we got some food and drove home again.