No children allowed!
What’s the matter with kids today and why doesn’t anyone want them around?…
Lately, complaints about screaming kids are being taken seriously, not only by airlines, but by hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, and even grocery stores….
Even running errands with toddlers may be off limits. This summer Whole Foods stores in Missouri are offering child-free shopping hours and in Florida, a controversy brews over whether kids can be banned from a condominium’s outdoor area. That’s right, some people don’t even want kids outdoors.
When did kids become the equivalent of second-hand smoke? Blame a wave of childless adults with money to spare….
Most parents with young children have self-imposed limits on spending and leisure. This new movement imposes limits set by the public. And the public isn’t as child-friendly as it used to be. As businesses respond to their new breed of ‘first-class’ clientele, are parents in danger of becoming second-class citizens?
~ Piper Weiss, Shine, July 26
[Photo via chicagonow.com]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
While some of it may be the desire to avoid normal baby, and toddler antics, I would also blame parents who let their kids run wild and don’t require respectful, self-controlled behavior.
Back when my grandmothers were young women, W.C. Fields was saying, “Anyone who hates kids and dogs can’t be all bad.”
I agree that part of the problem is that too many parents let their children run wild. I can’t count the number of times that we’ve been in nice restaurants with our children and suffered through other families children running wild and screaming.
Part of the answer is to have management discipline the parents on the spot, and not to create blackout periods for all families. The other part of the answer to this first class v. steerage class mentality is to boycott any establishment that engages in this behavior, robbing them of the profit incentive for doing so. Other businesses should be quick to capitalize with a campaign touting themselves as “Family Friendly,” and “Our doors are always open for you.”
If businesses only want childless customers, where do they think their future customers will come from? and I would say those bans on children (at the supermarket or the condos outdoor areas) are ripe for a challenge a la Rosa Parks. It would almost be worth a trip to Missouri with my 8 kids to visit Whole Foods.
I have three boys. We are a loud, messy, running, jumping, spirited bunch. Which is probably why I only take them to Burger King. I refuse to go to a nice, quiet, romantic restaurant with them. :)
Punish the masses for the ones that have children that do not live up to someone else’s standard of appropriate restaurant behavior.
I confess at one time I became irritated at the sound of children crying in church. God touched my heart, however, to tell me it wasn’t my house but His, and He wanted those kids there, crying or laughing.
DINKS….double income no kids. I guess they are the sought after group but I agree with the comment…where are the future customers going to come from.
Carla,
And yet, apart from a romantic restaurant, my favorite places are those where children are free to express their exuberence. God help us the day our churches and public places fall silent.
Part of it is bad parents who don’t discipline their children. I worked in retail in high school and I remember a parent thinking it was “cute” that her daughter was hiding under the rack, pulling all the clothes off the hangers to sit on. Adorable. Part of it is parents bringing children to inappropriate places at inappropriate ages and times. At a matinee of a children’s movie – you’re going to have kids making noise. At an 8PM adult movie (as in PG-13/R rated – not as in porn :-), I’m going to get pissed off if there are children running amok and babies crying.
I sympathize with the frustration, but there has to be a more targeted way of dealing with the bad parents and not punishing everyone. And grocery stores are not optional outings. Everyone needs to get groceries and what if they can only go during child free hours?
Eric:
“I confess at one time I became irritated at the sound of children crying in church. God touched my heart, however, to tell me it wasn’t my house but His, and He wanted those kids there, crying or laughing.”
That’s a very beautiful way to think of it. I actually struggle with this (trying not to get irritated b/c I know I shouldn’t) and I’m going to use this thought from now on. Thanks!
As a mom of many, I wouldn’t mind shopping at Whole Foods during their child free hours! Grocery shopping is usually the only time I have out to myself and I always, always end up in a store with obnoxious children.
Not that I don’t love kids! I just like some peace sometimes!
Parents who refuse to discipline or reign in their children ruin it for the rest of us who do.
As for taking kids to movies, that’s a whole different story. I’ve had movies ruined for me not because of misbehaving kids, but by the mere fact that young children were brought to entirely inappropriate, non child friendly movies by irresponsible parents. Just thinking about how a 4 year old must process on-screen violence was enough to ruin the experience for me.
And on an off-topic note, my little guy, not yet 2 years old, just pointed to the ad above that shows the feet of a preborn child, and he said “baby.” Out of the mouths of babes… :)
I’ve had movies ruined for me not because of misbehaving kids, but by the mere fact that young children were brought to entirely inappropriate, non child friendly movies by irresponsible parents. Just thinking about how a 4 year old must process on-screen violence was enough to ruin the experience for me.
I agree. I went to see The Passion of the Christ, which is not a kid’s movie. There were some young children there, and one started crying. The kid’s parents said “Shut the F___ up.” Inappropriate, to say the least.
I agree that parents with misbehaving children are a problem, but there is a segment of society that dislikes children and doesn’t want them around at all. In fact, it’s becoming more and more hip to be “childfree,” especially in places full of DINKS, like San Francisco. I don’t have a problem with this, but some of these people seem to really hate children, and I think that’s sick.
Societys answer to everything is this.
A few evil terrorists=grandma and junior get sexually harrassed
A few peanut allergies=no more homemade peanut butter sandwiches allowed at school.
etc, etc, etc, To smooth an inch, nuke a mile………….
So,
A few parents who are afraid to hurt their childrens feelings or self esteem by properly disciplining them, and societys answer is wholesale chilld banning.
Couple this with a generally pro-death culture, and child banning may soon pale compared to what “society” approves of next.
As a mother of twin 1st graders, it is frightening. Hold your children ever closer, and pray to God for wisdom regarding their safety.
To be fair, how about obnoxious-adult-free-days at movies? When I go out, it’s not the toddlers that are talking on their cell phones and ruining the movie for me, it’s the grown-ups!!
Some people simply are not temperamentally suited to having children, and when they do, they ruin it for the good parents by being unable to control or discipline their kids adequately, if at all. All the more reason to support affordable, easily accessible birth control for the people who need it most.
More and more people come from small families. They are not used to kids running around. I’m the eldest of six. Patience may be a virtue, but it also has to be learned and experienced.
To be fair, how about obnoxious-adult-free-days at movies?
Oh please, yes. This. We must make this happen.
Joan, no one is unable to control their children due to their temperment. They are either unwilling to learn how or don’t see the need to correct the behavior in the first place.
Gerard,
I agree!! I find myself having MORE patience for the moms with the four children under the age of 5, the tired mom of three just trying to get through Walmart to put them down for naps, the mom with one toddler and a baby on the way, the single mom who doesn’t have time for herself.
I have strong willed children and while I do my very best to reign them in it is so hard at times and grace from others means a lot! I absolutely have carried a kicking, shrieking, hitting toddler out of stores and other public places. To be unwelcome in certain places because you have children is really too bad.
We are all in this together.
Psalm 127
3 Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
While I think a lot of parents don’t know how to properly discipline and deal with out of control kids, society by and large has also forgotten that kids will be kids. Expecting a 2 year old to be perfectly behaved is scary! At one time a tantrum from a toddler would have been met with offers to help, cary groceries or bags, watch a younger/older child, put your cart back away, help distract, etc. Now it’s met with the evil eye. Likewise a happily exuberient 4 year old laughing, talking loudly, and saying ‘hi’ to everyone, at one point society had a popular t.v. show just to watch such behavior! Strangers would have cheerfully replied, waved, offered them a candy or penny, etc. Now they are seen as ‘distruptive’ and they ‘ruin’ dinner/lunch/shopping/etc for everyone. Yes, a lot of kids aren’t properly disciplined, but a whole lot more adults just seem to hate kids. What’s more a lot of people who want to discipline their kids in public are terrified if they do some busybody who only believes in ‘talking and hugging’ an unruly kid will turn them into DHS. Or at the very least that they will get just as many evil eyes for disciplining a child as for him being allowed to scream and tantrum. Since *somebody* believes *anything* past a calm and quiet sentence or two is ‘abuse’ now-in-days how can anyone expect parents to discipline in public?
I’ve noticed a lot of people with the mentality that because they are at liberty to choose against something (and a lot of things can be the something but religion and childbearing/rearing are the ones that seem to crop up most often) they should not ever have to acknowledge the existence of the thing they have not chosen. In this case the attitude is that since they have chosen not to have children, they should not in any way need to interact with children on any level. At all. Ever. And if you’re curious what that looks like in a super-distilled form, you may click here. (Very NSFW and NSFB. Comments and entries may be rage-inducing.)
Obviously this is a totally insane mentality and wrong in multiple ways, but it exists. And it’s really, really annoying.
Looks like a good time for identity politics to come to the rescue of the kids. Some federal civil rights lawsuits ought to do the trick. “Kids deserve at least the same rights as gays!”
Maybe if the kids were gay, places would be scared to discriminate against them. “You’re just homophobic for discriminating against my gay child!”
Geez it’s fun to contemplate how you could make people scramble to avoid seeming politically incorrect….
Or wax wroth about the place’s non-compliance with ADA, claiming your kid has a rare pairing of ADHD and Tourette’s and they’re failing to make reasonable accommodations (yeah, I know that’s a workplace issue but it would still scare the average rude yahoo).
Heck, go a step further. Have your kid in on the act, and when some adult goes all umbrage and dudgeon about something, the kid starts crying persuasively, leading to convulsive sobs and finally a really bad seizure.
Failing that, just throw glitter at the offender or, always prepared, pull out your handy cream pie and put it in their face.
Or start an escalation beginning with “Do you know who I am? Any idea who you’re messin’ with? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” and raise a huge scene — leaving in a huff (“Man are you gonna regret this. I can’t wait to see the look on your lawyer’s face…”) and, of course, never getting around to explaining who you are. Leave ’em wondering.
If it’s a restaurant, make a [fake] cell call. “Hello? Yes, who do I talk with to report a restaurant infested with rats?” or, in a trembling voice “Police? Yes, we’re being held hostage in [restaurant name and address]. They have a bomb and they’re forcing us all to continue our meals as if nothing was wrong. Please don’t send a SWAT team running in or anything; this thing looks like it could take out a city block.”
The point would be that absurdity should be met with absurdity.
;-)
I read a couple blogs and articles on this yesterday. I agree with ninek and others who say that it’s not always kids who are the disruptive ones. There are many adults who are much more annoying. While I see the point in keeping your cell phone on in case of an emergency, if you want to talk on the phone while I’m watching a film, go outside. Then there are adults who don’t know how to tone down their voices. At least kids can be taught to be quiet. If you ask someone who is at the next table over at a restaurant to keep it down, they’re likely to start a fight, or get louder just to make you even more angry.
In a couple of the articles I read on this yesterday, there were some people saying it was discrimination against their children with autism, who can’t help it if they start screaming for no reason. Sometimes it’s not bad parenting, but a disability that cause children (and some adults) to be loud. They were saying that people who discriminate against screaming children are breaking the law by going against the Americans With Disabilities Act.
All in all, I think children need to be exposed to different places in order to learn how to act in those situations. If the kids won’t calm down, you get the check and leave.
Jespren makes some excellent points. And Alice, egads!! Those people must really despise their own mothers as well. As if they were all so perfect when THEY were toddlers. In fact, that’s what I say to people that get angry at children in front of me, “Oh really, if I call your mother is she going to tell me YOU never had a tantrum? Really?” But I usually reserve that kind of comment to someone I know. I would probably not get in someone’s face that was a total stranger.
I do blame part of our family breakdown on Freud who started the whole “it’s your mother’s fault you’re a neurotic mess” way of thinking. Combine “blame your mother” with “babies shouldn’t be the result of sex” and you end up with what we see today.
Ninek, don’t forget the ‘kids don’t need both parents’ philosophy and specifically that ‘kids don’t need a dad’ mentality to add to the ‘mom made you neurotic’ and ‘sex doesn’t make babies’!
I have 2 small kids, and it’s amazing what even some other parents will say. I had one father _yell_ ‘you need to teach your kid not to touch other kids!’ Because his kid and my kid were playing ‘catch’ (toddler tag) and they crashed into each other, resulting in his kid falling (no injury, no tears, no harm).
I had one father _yell_ ‘you need to teach your kid not to touch other kids!’ Because his kid and my kid were playing ‘catch’ (toddler tag) and they crashed into each other, resulting in his kid falling (no injury, no tears, no harm).
Well, that would make for an interesting game of tag, now wouldn’t it? What did you say??
A few peanut allergies=no more homemade peanut butter sandwiches allowed at school.
etc, etc, etc, To smooth an inch, nuke a mile………….
I’m not understanding the comparison here. A child with a peanut allergy can literally die from just a molecule of the nut oil, depending on the severity of the allergy. I’d say that saving the life of a child trumps a kid not getting his favorite sandwich. It’s the charitable and compassionate thing to do.
Jespren all good points and very true. But I think it’s also fair to say that in the past parents had some sense of propriety about what were appropriate places for children who will, of course, be children! If someone goes to a nice restaurant at night or an R rated movie, I think it’s fair to ask not to have kids being kids in there. If you’re in friendly’s or applebees or a showing of a movie oriented towards young people, then there will be some kid behavior naturally. But maybe, even in Applebees, after you’ve let your kid run up to my table and shout hi 8 times, during which I smiled and waved back very indulgently, I could be granted a reprieve to eat my dinner (true story). Even cute behavior needs to be kept in check. At least in my area the parents are SO awful and the kids SO badly behaved and entitled that people who wouldn’t normally be as on edge get pushed into the “I hate kids camp”. I LOVE kids and I find myself fighting it sometimes. But yes, there are a lot of people who, like Alice said, just feel entitled to never have to deal with anything they don’t like, which is just ridiculous.
Interesting thing re the autism issue – I just saw something at a local movie theater where there was a “sensory friendly” showing of Harry Potter. Upon further digging, I find out it’s for kids with autism or similar issues. The lights are kept up, the volume kept low, and people are encouraged to talk or walk around or shout or whatever. I thought that was kind of a cool idea.
Kris:
If my kid were THAT allergic to ANYTHING, I wouldn’t be sending them to public school and forcing other children and their families to live like THEY had the illness. I would be at least charitable and compassionate enough not to inflict that on others. Plus, I would realize that peanuts and peanut derived products are EVERYWHERE and make a more concerted effort to protect my child than sending them out into public where they are VERY likely to contact it.
Forcing other families, especially whole schools, to bend to your minority needs is just WRONG. I have a child with food allergy and would never DREAM of imposing her food restrictions on others. How selfish and cruel.
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I agree with previous commentors. How can you teach your child to behave in a restaurant if they are never allowed in one? And then how can you correct their behavior once they are there if any discipline you employ will be reported as abuse to DFS?? So many adults now have no children and/or grew up without younger siblings that they have no idea what age appropriate behavior is and can’t tell it from actual behavior problems.
That being said, if a business doesn’t want my children there, they don’t want ME or my pocketbook there, and they will be obliged.
Kids will be kids…. However, I’ve been on some planes where most of the passengers wanted to kill whatever poor misguided person brought that baby on….
Been in some stores where not only did some kids need a good beating, but the parents needed it thrice over.
Buffets destroyed, trays on the floor, food mixed together and mixed with….I shudder to think. Big change in the last 15 years.
CT, I agree. My husband and I went to a Pg-13 movie the other night and there was about a 4 year old in front of us who kept whispering (loudly) ‘daddy? Daddy, I want to go.’ But my personal pet peeve are the grotesqueries that are called costume shops around Halloween time. Most are so bad they actually have half the store segregated with big ‘warning, graphic, not for children’ signs. Yet every year I see little kids getting drug into/out of those shops, wide eyed and hiding behind mom or dad, crying, or clearly terrified. Half the parents seem to think a terrified kid is funny! I just want to shake ’em! I don’t practice Halloween but my inlaws do and every year out comes these discusting screaming and cackling witches, reapers, and gouls that she swears the kids just *love*. Yeah, when kids run away from something, that means they don’t like it.
You’re telling me. Between the scary stuff and the porno costumes, Halloween shops are terrible for kids anymore.
I don’t practice Halloween
I’m really good at it without practicing, too. Halloween’s my favorite. ^_^
But my daughter isn’t into the scary monster stuff, so she does pretty princess and the like (even though sometimes when they have the motion-activated stuff in the shops, it scares her silly. I laugh. It’s funny. She makes fun of me when I get startled sometimes, too.) Now my son-that’s a different story. He loves monsters and all that good stuff. I can tell when he gets a little older, and he’s ready for it, we’re gonna have a blast. But what gets me is some of the costumes they have for little girls. I can’t believe parents will let their kids out of the house in that stuff, Halloween or not.
But lately what concerns me since I’ve moved to Wisconsin have been the many signs advertising an event called a “Brat fry”. Some people just really hate kids, I guess.
Jespren, years ago, my husband and I went to see Pulp Fiction and were astonished to see a family sitting behind us, with small kids. Thankfully they left partway into the movie.
The Brat in Brat Fry is short for Bratwurst (pronounced “Brought-worst”), a German sausage which goes well with cheese, beer, brown beans, and potato salad. In my German heritage experience in the upper midwest (and living in Europe with the military), events that have brats (“broughts”) are very family-oriented events with lots of children.
LOL Xalisae.
WI LOVES THEIR BRATS!! :)
Braughts & Beer….Yum… good.
Doug: How about kids putting their mouths directly on the soft-serve ice-cream dispenser in a buffet-type restaurant, and pulling the lever? I’ve seen that too. Yuck!
I think people who hate kids are total hypocrites, because they hate what they themselves have been. They are also intolerant, anti-life weirdos. Instead of being catered to, they should be told to shut up, grow some tolerance, and stop being so selfish and spoiled.
Oh, and about Whole Foods, they’re too overpriced anyway. But I will try to get the address of the company headquarters so I can tell them that I’m offended at their anti-child policy, and that even as a childless person I probably won’t shop in their store anymore.
Thank you for recognizing that as a joke, Carla. I don’t come off as being that dense, do I? :P
Not at all!!
I thought it was hilarious, so thank you for that! A little WI humor never hurts!
Hey anyone that knows me, knows I love babies, but… I agree with the ban. You can raise your children to be respectful. You can raise a child to go into a resturant, and sit and eat, not trun around and scream like a banchie. I have raise my child, and believe me, I am now at the point in my life when my husband and I go out to have a nice quiet meal, we do not want it interurpted by screaming and unruley kids. So if you do not want to be banned to returant with playground then do a better job at raising your kids.
I feel sad for you, Donna. Perhaps restaurants should ask the screaming, unruly kids along with their parents to leave the restaurant while the other quieter ones can stay.
Let’s punish ALL parents no matter their circumstance. BY BANNING THEM! BAN THEM ALL!
This has probably been brought up before but children with autism and other developmental delays may be quite vocal, not out of disobedience but that is just the way it is.
Reply to CT, Isaw where you made a comment about a movie theatre and what they did. I think every theatre should show their movies in two rooms,. One for 1o and over, then the other from infant to 10, if the person wants to go tothe show that has all the screming kids in it, go for it. I feel more people would start going back tot he movies. I know I would. And oh yea, NO CELL PHONES: please people shut them off, not just mute, you are in a drak room, you ohene lights up and it is a distraction also Reply to Cecilia, I agree with whole food, I am so tired of people that go shopping and turn their kids loose to run through the store and do what ever while they go off and shop in peace. Like I said before. I have raised my child, I do not need to help raise someone elses. I was at Food Lion the other day and these two kids were buggy racing as I came around the end of the isle and I got hit. I am disabled and I can not afford to get hit or to fall. So to the parents of the world out, there, if you do not want you cchild banned, then take the responsibilty and teach them to be human beings, not little monkeys
Edited by mod
Donna,
There is no swearing allowed.
When my kids were small, my 2 oldest were very well behaved in a grocery store and yes, they got bored and started to play things like “don’t step on a crack” while I kept them in check, it was difficult because the “eye” in the back of my head hadn’t developed. ;) When my 3rd came along, shopping or going anywhere became a night mere. I would have to lock him into the shopping cart, that was very uncomfortable for him (can you imagine sitting on the plastic seat with your legs hanging for about 2hrs?) My husband worked long hours, and I didn’t have people willing to babysit so I could shop. Now they’re much older and able to stay home and take care of themselves, it is a blessing. However, i have helped mothers with small children, espcially babies when they’re crying because now I have more time at the store, I usually introduce myself and let them know that I have 5 kids and understand their prediciment, people are more willing to allow you to help if they have some sort of info about you. Just imagine if people everywhere just offered a small bit of help–espcially those that don’t like kids, the baby would calm down, a frustrated mother would find what she needs and be out of the store quicker, and you would have a calmer experience while shopping. Etc. if they ask how can I “repay” just say pay it forward.
Sorry about that, i did not realize that ja was not allound. Anyway, i think what I said was taken out of context. If parnets can not control there kids at home, then they should not bring them into fancy resturants, I am not talken about your everyday resturants. We went to Yamatos the other night for my birthday. A couple cam in with a 2 yr old, and a 4 yr old. The entire time they screamed. I am so sorry there is no reason for that. A couple of nights later, in another very upper class resturant, a couple was in with 3 very little ones, and you never knew that were in there….. Why???? Because the parents keep them entertained while waiting on the food, and one the food came, they still made sure the children were feed and taken care of, when they left I complimented them. There is no reason for child to scream and act up. My grandson is now 14, and when he was 3 we took him to the Grand Canyon, we got so many compliments, because he had manners, that is something that is not taught today… So to all the parents out there, teach your children some manners, andyou want be ask to leave or you want get those strange looks. All the parents in the world that have raised their kids and are enjoying retirement, Teach your kids some RESPECT…….
I wouldn’t go to an upscale restaurant anyway. I like kids better than snobby adults.
I love everything Jespren has said in this thread!!
And this, Carla –
“We are all in this together”
that is how I try to live my life. I have no kids but I really wish there were MORE kids in public places, not fewer. Kids learn by doing! Nobody’s perfect at first but hey, a 4-year old giving it his best shot whenever he remembers he’s supposed to is a good start! I’d rather he try and fail for a few years than he just never try and be released, proudly and stubbornly imperfect, into the world upon adulthood.
I was very encouraged last week on the subway; just as the train entered the longest leg between stops, a little 3-year old boy ran to the corner next to me and puked all over the floor (and a little bit on me…). The mom was mostly concerned with her kid, obviously, but I could tell she just felt like the whole train of people must have been glaring at her back. I got some baby wipes out of her bag for her so that we could clean the boy off and then we covered the puke with a bunch of them, to keep it from…seeping. Honestly it wasn’t the best way to start a workday, but (given that the boy was totally fine after getting it all out) I was so so so happy about it because I didn’t see one person glare at her or get annoyed. I mean, being locked in a train car with a puking kid is no one’s idea of a good time – but everyone had enough of a grip on themselves to realize that the kid wasn’t at fault, the mom wasn’t at fault, and it was just an all-around sucky situation.
We need more kids being kids in public. We also need more adults who respect kids as they naturally are – parents and bystanders. I hate seeing parents try to force a kid to behave well through something they’re clearly not ready for (long walking tours, fancy meals, whatever) and I hate seeing bystanders get annoyed at very age-appropriate behavioral obstacles (meltdowns in grocery stores, etc).
Monarch!!!
Love what you wrote!
I always smile at women or say something positive to them or offer to lend a hand when I see them struggling. It was only 3 short years ago I had 2 little boys that tore up any outing we were on.
Alexandra,
I love your thoughts and the snapshots of your life. Thank you for helping that mom and her son. :)
We need more kids being kids in public. We also need more adults who respect kids as they naturally are – parents and bystanders. I hate seeing parents try to force a kid to behave well through something they’re clearly not ready for (long walking tours, fancy meals, whatever) and I hate seeing bystanders get annoyed at very age-appropriate behavioral obstacles (meltdowns in grocery stores, etc).
This.^
Sometimes I wonder why people have or had kids in the first place when I hear some of this mess essentially stating “I had MY children, now I never want to even know another little brat even exists in the world!” At least the child-free people had the courtesy to not parent a child while maintaining such an attitude (unless they aborted, which is far worse than just having the attitude itself.)
I hope I’m surrounded by happy, boisterous children until the day that I die.
I am one of the people who are excited about these guidelines. I love well behaved children. I make a point of telling the parents of well behaved children how impressed I am and how much I appreciate how they are raising their child. Unfortunately, it is not a conversation I have to have often. I think that what guidelines are fighting are THOSE parents, the ones who shop with the child until it is exhausted and then let it scream at the top of its lungs while they ignore it. The ones who let their children run up and down the aisles playing at the restaurant while everyone is trying to have a quiet dinner. I especially feel bad for parents who have hired a babysitter so they can have a night out and now have to deal with someone else’s children.
And I know that babies cry, I’ve been there/done that. But the difference is, either my husband or I would stand up and take the baby outside so as not to disturb the other customers. Not that common of a practice.
Some parents these days are just so selfish that they won’t disturb themselves. They would rather disturb others. The other day I was at a movie that was PG13. One woman brought a baby, about 6 months old. Why? And the baby cried from the first loud noise all the way through the end of the movie. How selfish is that?
If people would train their children to be good citizens in public, they would be welcome everywhere. In the 50’s, you could take children everywhere because children were well trained and well behaved. Our society needs to swing back around to that type of parenting. But until then, child free nights/areas work for me.
And for those who made the comments of “children learn by doing” and such, that is absolutely true. A child will never learn appropriate behavior without being exposed to various settings. HOWEVER, that child’s parent has to use the opportunity to teach the appropriate behavior and that is not what a lot of parents are doing today. We have taught ours from birth practically what is appropriate and what is not. When my children would start screaming in Target, I would leave what was in the cart, take them out to the car and drive home. Was it inconvenient? You bet it was! When they would start screaming in a restaurant, my husband or I would stand up and take the child out while the other ate and then switch, was it inconvenient? You bet! We would go to the park and run rampant, yelling and chasing because that was appropriate behavior there.
All of the children I have raised or help raise are now wonderful young people who know please and thank you and are aware of what is appropriate. They do not stand and bounce in the booth at the restaurant. They do not scream in the store. They do not have a hissy fit in public.
Children learn, not just by doing, but by being taught. And a lot of parents today are not doing that teaching.
Kudos to those restaurants and establishments that have put up “NO CHILDREN ALLOWED” signs.
While I applaud this, I am not sure it is always the child’s fault.
What is wrong with the parents who allow their children to scream in restaurants, stores, etc.
I work in a very popular arts & crafts store and you would not believe what Parents allow their children to do. Kids open packages, throw items all over the floor, break items, and virtually destroy anythign they want.
While it is our job to ensure that you have a pleasant visit to our store and to make sure you leave with what you want, IT IS NOT OUR JOB TO ACT AS BABYSITTERS FOR YOUR CHILDREN. DO NOT DROP THEM OFF AT OUR STORE WHILE YOU GO SHOPPING ELSEWHERE. We are way too busy to watch your child.
Do not allow your children to throw products where ever they want to – If your child has broken an item, hand it to an associate and tell them that you found it that way. If your child spills something in the aisle, tell someone.
The toys that we have for sale are not YOUR child’s toys. Just because it is whithin arms reach does not give them the right to play with it and than throw it where they want.
But a child will copy what they have seen their parents do.
When you or your child breaks, destroys, or even steals something, it costs you more in the long run, as we have to make up these loses. So instead of blaming and accusing store management and “big box” stores, why not start blaming you and your kids for the destruction you have caused.
Doug: How about kids putting their mouths directly on the soft-serve ice-cream dispenser in a buffet-type restaurant, and pulling the lever? I’ve seen that too. Yuck!
Rasqual, ahahhaaaa!! Never seen that but can picture it…. : /
I have no problem with well manner children @ restaurants, movies etc. However, for children whose parents have not taught their children manners and parents who think the whole world should revolve around their children I do take exception.
Pls do not impose your unruly, ill mannered children on me. Take the time, like your parents probably took with you to teach your kids some manners and respect.
Half of the problem with bullying in schools and the offensive behavior of some children is lack of guidance by the parents. Those parents will get to witness the consequences of raising children who think they world owes them