I have never been anywhere in Portugal where my babies/toddlers/kids have not also been welcome.In fact, the only time anyone has openly complained was in an Indian restaurant in the Algarve and the complainer was English. That's the only time in the last five years. Truly.
The very opposite is true in fact. Wherever I go with them and regardless of the mess they make - and they do make a monumental mess, especially in restaurants - I have had nothing but kindness and understanding.
They are always invited to weddings, parties, dinner parties, nights out and every event I've ever attended since my first was born. This doesn't mean I'm not embarrassed sometimes by their screaming or when a spoon goes flying across the room. Instead of the eye-rolling and tutting I have had in other countries, though, here I get supportive comments and people actually communicating directly with my children. Interacting with them; Wow!
This is one of the greatest blessings of bringing up children in Portugal. They are a part of daily life, seen as a part of society as a whole and barred from almost nowhere.
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