So, are you a bad parent if you take your 8 & 10 year old kids to a sub-zero bar?  See what you think…

The story behind this is that we went to visit the Glaciarium, a museum all about glaciers. After touring the glaciers Perito Moreno, Spagezzini, and Upsala the other day, we were interested in learning a little more about how glaciers are formed, how they change the landscape, etc. so went to the local glacier museum.

The whole thing was pretty fascinating for science nerds like us, but what was the most fun was going to the “Glaciobar” in the basement after the kids were able to answer three parent-selected questions about the exhibits (we try to use the “carrot and stick” method as much as possible). Somewhat similar to Minus5 in Las Vegas, the whole thing, including the bar and glasses, is made of glacier ice and housed in a sub-zero walk-in cooler. After donning our sparkly silver insulated ponchos and mittens, we were escorted in to the “bar” for 25 minutes of free drinks, pounding music and flashing lights….the first real night-club experience for the kids! The parents had a few bartender recommended drinks known locally as “The Hangover” (pretty good but awfully sweet) and the kids indulged in unlimited CocaCola. During the 25 minutes, both kids learned how to do shots and dance with drinks in their hands.

It was really great fun for us to share a bar experience with our kids – they came out with smiles from ear-to-ear and began to create plans for bar-hopping when they are old enough stating, “wouldn’t it be awesome if we got to do that with our friends!”. We are grateful that because, unlike their parents, they were only drinking Coke when they went to their first real “bar”, they will be able remember it! We are also beginning plans for an annual Shindell Sub-Zero Party for winters at home in Reno.