In my view, children have different abilities from adults. Their different abilities - in terms of self-control - mean we should grant them more leeway than we grant adults.
Yes--this. It took me FOREVER to get over the feeling of mortification that I felt when Owen started fussing in public. But I think the unrealistic expectation of some childless people is that the kids should act like miniature adults. Which is ridiculous.
I certainly wouldn't fault the owner of the restaurant for asking parents to control their children. But perhaps pointing out specific behavior WHILE IT'S OCCURRING is more effective than painting all parents and children with the same wide brush. Insulting the parents of ALL children and making them feel unwelcome because of the normal behavior of their children is wrong.
Not all childlike behavior is disruptive to diners or staff and it shouldn't be held up as such.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2005-11-09 04:28 pm (UTC)Yes--this. It took me FOREVER to get over the feeling of mortification that I felt when Owen started fussing in public. But I think the unrealistic expectation of some childless people is that the kids should act like miniature adults. Which is ridiculous.
I certainly wouldn't fault the owner of the restaurant for asking parents to control their children. But perhaps pointing out specific behavior WHILE IT'S OCCURRING is more effective than painting all parents and children with the same wide brush. Insulting the parents of ALL children and making them feel unwelcome because of the normal behavior of their children is wrong.
Not all childlike behavior is disruptive to diners or staff and it shouldn't be held up as such.