the culture wars...

[flea]

In addition to their ongoing anti-feminist articles about young women wanting to stay home with children, the New York Times also has had repeated articles about clashes between people with children and people without children. Today's instalment is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/09/national/09bakery.html?8hpib

My response is well-covered by Bitch, PhD in this essay (http://bitchphd.blogspot.com/2005/04/moms-at-work-over-there.html) and can be summed up this way: children are part of society. Yes, parents should encourage them to be well-behaved in public, and should not take one-year-olds to Michelin 3-star restaurants. But a casual neighborhood cafe at brunch time or early evening? Give me a break.

Comments

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

Yes, the anti-feminist feminist bookstore was a little mind-boggling.

How I miss the halcyon days when Casper could be counted on to sleep or sit happily mouthing a spoon for a 45-minute meal! But we do go fetch her immediately every time she slips out of her chair, and our rule is, twice out of the chair means it's time to sit on someone's lap for a while.

And on the glare side, yes - I got glared at in an art museum, outside the cafe which was hosting a 4th birthday party, as my quiet baby crawled along their clean, carpeted floor. The elderly woman said to her husband, "People take babies anywhere these days!" And if they're not disturbing you except by simply existing, why not?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I find that the same people who object to children being anyplace that isn't specifically kid-oriented also sneer at parents for "not having anything interesting to talk about anymore."