I can understand not wanting disruptive behavior from children in certain venues. Heck, it raises the hair on the back of my neck to hear a kid who just won't quit when all I want to do is shop (code in my house for getting out because my ears are tired of bored/tired/hungry/miserable kids). My kids have been guilty of vociferous transgression in public. In fact, I've waited in line for 15 mins at a Walmart and still been two people back from the register when they've started to whine or cry. I've waited it out, letting the kid cry because my cupboards at home were bare and I couldn't afford to just leave the cart and order a pizza.
But why begin a culture that is exclusive of children? Families with kids go out to eat fairly often, and kid portions are restaurants are dismal. I'm sure that the $3.50 we paid for our daughter's grilled cheese and small pile of French fries yesterday was about seven times the amount of money the restaurant paid for those ingredients. On the other hand, an adult who orders a full spread is obviously putting more money into restaurant pockets than my tots are. Perhaps these venues are trying to keep the most profitable customers happy.
On the other hand, there is nowhere an airplane passenger can go to escape a child who doesn't understand how to relieve pressure in their ears. A DINK (dual income, no kids) can simply go to a fancier restaurant to avoid brats. If you go to Chick-fil-a, there will be children. But do they have the right to banish children from a portion of an aircraft when they themselves can simply apply a pair of cheap ear plugs or noise cancelling earbuds and achieve quick peace?
I don't know of many parents who can afford first class plane tickets in the first place. And I can understand how some restaurants simply aren't appropriate for the little ones, specifically black tie or sports bars. On the other hand, why Whole Foods?? Why on earth would I continue to shop at a store where I must memorize and respect exclusive rules when my life is already laden with obligations? I have a hard enough time remembering that Costco closes early on Saturday nights (shame on them, as a Costco trip happens to make a fine date for us old parents) without keeping a whole list of store hours that I might reasonably observe on my person at all times lest I embarrass myself by entering, with a child, during the wrong business hours.
My least favorite comment on the article is as follows:
If you dont know how to raise a child then don't have them.
Ha! As if anyone on this planet has any idea on how to raise a child from scratch before actually having one and raising it. The only people who seem to do well with this from the get go either have degrees in child development or a passel of younger siblings they were forced to raise. I can understand that those who don't know how to drive a car shouldn't own one, but what about houses? In owning one, you sort of learn as you go and mistakes will be made. There aren't classes on how to maintain a home, are there? If so, I want to take one as soon as possible. But even classes on child rearing can't possibly prepare you for the day Little Johnny learns that screaming in public makes mommy crazy, and the fact that it takes a lot (a LOT) of training to get some of them to behave.
I dunno. I writing this in a sort of fatigued haze. I know I feel outrage, especially because kids are the future of our species and treating them like an inconvenience is kind of churlish. But, on the other hand, I hate it when I have to listen to kids scream.
What do you think?
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3 comments:
A young child, especially one who hasn't learned to talk, has no other way to express hunger, discomfort, anger, tiredness, than by crying. A parent usually tries to calm the crying rapidly but is not always successful. Oh, don't get me started. Obviously these childless people have never been children themselves. Have some patience, world!
So, as a DINK (for the last 8 years and for the foreseeable future) - I have to say that I'm on board with most of these suggestions. To me there is nothing worse than having some bratty kid kick the back of your chair on a flight or scream/cry during a movie or nice dinner out. I think it's ridiculous to ban kids from parks & condo community space. As for banning them from first class, that doesn't really help me because I can't afford first class anyway. Maybe have a kids/parents section at the back of the plane and an adults-only section at the front? I would pay a little extra for that. For Whole Foods - I think since they are offering childcare for the parent to use while they shop, that's a nice feature - not an insult. Kind of like how IKEA offers free childcare so you can shop without your kid tearing through the store.
I also find it very annoying to have a child throwing a tantrum at a nice restaurant - that's what a babysitter is for. I don't plan on taking future kids to fancy places specifically because I go there to be with adults in a quiet/nice/romantic setting.
Your dad told me about a theater in Salt Lake (we went by it early in our marriage) where long ago they charged something like $2 per adult ticket or would even take trade (eggs, a bushel of apples, etc) but the price for children was $10 gold only per child! I thought that was a hoot! I agree that having some places for people who do not want the company of little children is a viable thing, but I do not like the idea of it becoming exclusionary. Having adult only viewings of Harry Potter sounds reasonable to me. Having no children in the first class section of airplanes is not. I think it could work for restaurants to have adult-only nights or hours, and airlines could offer adult-only flights, though I doubt they will bow to ethics as much as to the dollar, as has been mentioned.
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