Children should be seen and not heard?

Have you ever been in a public place and there is THAT parent with THAT child that just will not stop screaming? Been on a coast to coast flight and YOU get the seat next to THAT CHILD? Been at restaurant for a romantic dinner and YOU get the table next to THAT CHILD? Well do I have some news for you!




Hungry? Try The Olde Salty Restaurant in Carolina Beach, N.C.! They recently placed this sign in their window. Reviews have been mixed with some patrons saying it's a great idea (I'm guessing they have no children...or fall in the "senior" category).

Or maybe you’re in Pennsylvania? McDain's Restaurant of Monroeville, PA has had it with noisy kids. In an email sent to customers, owner Mike Vuick wrote, "Beginning July 16, 2011, McDain's Restaurant will no longer admit children under six years of age…”

Flying internationally? Kick out that extra money and fly Malaysia Airlines first class…. Babies will no longer be allowed to travel in the first-class cabins of Malaysia Airlines flights. The ban, which will affect flights from Kuala Kumpur to London, Amsterdam and Sydney, is thought to be the first such imposed by an airline.
In February, airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic also said they were considering creating children-free flights.
What?!
I noticed a trend this week while watching the news and I thought for sure these were isolated cases….then I hit up Google.
It seems to me that we are headed back to the times when children should be seen and not heard.
Not sure where I stand on this issue. At first I was shocked, mad, etc. but not sure at who. Maybe I should be mad at the parents who have autistic children and just can’t make them be quiet while I eat. Or maybe I should be irritated by that single mom on the flight with a screaming baby who is so exhausted because her baby has colic and her husband is deployed so she is flying out to be with her family for help? Or maybe it’s that young couple who couldn’t afford both a sitter and a nice dinner so baby came along?
You see my point. Oh, believe me, I have been in a restaurant where there is a screaming child and the parents sit completely unaware that you want to hurl a glass at their heads. And I’m sure I have been the one of the receiving end of that glass a time or two.
Yes, there are times when it’s just parents who don’t discipline their kids and just don’t understand why everyone in the restaurant is staring at them. But stop and think, instead of telling these children they aren’t welcome, step up to the plate. Ask that mom on the plane if she needs a break…..tell the parents who look terrified that their child is currently throwing mashed potatoes at the next table….”I have been there too” and smile.
My point is you don’t know where some has walked unless you walked in their shoes. Instead of getting mad because someone is intruding on “your” time remember it’s not all about you, really.