A little while ago there was some kerfuffle about restaurants banning children under 6. Emma Waverman blogged about it over at Embrace the Chaos and even got interviewed on Q by Jian Ghomeshi. So I’m not going to make this about restaurants or the unfairness of banning an entire group of people from an establishment. No, this is about a larger issue that has been on my mind.
Restaurants are not the only place where parents are made to feel unwelcome. The tension is palpable on a bus when a baby or child starts crying or whining. More than once I’ve had someone tell me that I shouldn’t bring my stroller on the bus in rush hour, one even comparing my stroller and child to his bicycle (to which I responded, “Yes but I can’t ride my kid to work”). I’m not going to argue that a stroller is a pain in the ass but not everyone can use a carrier all the time, not everyone has a car and everyone has the right to go about the city at whatever time they choose. I was left wondering how these men expected parents to get their kids home from daycare.
So let me get back to the point. Despite what some may say, our culture is not bending over backwards to accommodate parents. Whether it’s restaurant bans, surly transit riders or employers who disapprove of employees taking care of sick children, parents are constantly coming up against people who see our children as a nuisance.
Somewhere along the way we have forgotten that children are a basic and fundamental part of life, without them we cease to exist. For every time someone rolls their eyes because a child is crying or misbehaving, there is a parent who is tired and stressed and desperate to calm that kid down. Between those two people, which one do you think is more affected by that kid's noise? If you think my stroller is a pain in your ass, imagine what it’s like for me trying to get around the city with the thing.
Kids are people and they are part of our society. If you want them to grow up to be sociable, contributing members of society then you have to accept that they will be part of public life.
So tell me, what do you do when you’re faced with these attitudes?
"Kids are people and they are part of our society. If you want them to grow up to be sociable, contributing members of society then you have to accept that they will be part of public life."
ReplyDeleteExactly. Kids learn what is expected from them by being in the situations in the first place. We can't keep them hidden until they are 18 and all of a sudden set them loose in the world and expect them to know what to do.
Crazy. Sheer craziness.