Amen!

How do you distinguish between a restaurant that doesn’t really like kids (but still has the boosters, crayons etc available) and a single server who is child-unfriendly? I’d think waitstaff who are parents themselves would be much more eager to help than young singles.

I like the signs Comfy Mom suggests – they get the point across without having to have a picture of a kid with a huge red slash over his/her face!

I’m a Commentator for “Marketplace,” public radio’s business and economics program.  I did a piece on this topic way back in 2006.  I’m not suprised that the movement is gathering speed.  I just wonder why it took so long. http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/06/15/kick_out_the_kids/

My kiddos are nearly 6 and 9 I expect them to behave and to eat “grown up” food. I think to give my kids a hotdog or cheeseburger menu at a Thai place or some other ethnic restaurant is ridiculous and insulting. That being said I usually look for places that are business casual or less casual unless it’s a very special event. That is when I find a sitter If I am paying $$$ for my family to share a dining experience please be nice to us, we are generally well behaved and like to try new things…heck we might even come back and suggest your place of buisness to friends. (On a side note my husband is a professor who asks his students to share their favorite place to eat out and often the places announced are tried by our family and if they come up again and were bad he says so to his new classes)

I like it. I don’t want to be anywhere where I am constantly getting ‘stinkeyes’ either…

It doesn’t bother me one bit if a restaurant has this in place, as long as they make it well known…even Disney does it at one of their best restaurants…Victoria and Albert’s….ages 10 and up only…if the the most child friendly place on earth can do (and do it well), then why not?

I’m of the kids don’t need to be everywhere mindset. It’s not just because I don’t think it’s fair to other people (meanwhile, my kids are actually really well behaved for the most part). It’s for ME. And my own enjoyment.

Do I want to take them into Sephora? HELLS NO.

Do you remember when I wrote about being at the fancy place ($100/head) here in Atlanta and a couple put their baby in the baby car seat ON THE BAR. Like next to my $15 drink.

But do I think there needs to be policies? Not necessarily, but
unfortunately, common sense doesn’t seem to run rampant these days.
There’s a lot of entitlement with a lot of parents.

It’s one thing if it’s a public place, during the day. It’s another if it’s clearly an adults-only sort of thing.

I’m kind of torn on this one.  I think the “no kids allowed” movement is a reaction to shrinking resources, including less money, less patience, less attention, less empathy, less community.  Take air travel, for instance.  Air travel is so cramped, so hot, so inconvenient, that I think people traveling without kids think, “oh, it’s because I’m sitting near a kid that this trip is so awful.”  I feel like we’ve lost the sense that we all belong to each other, that the kids I’m raising are going to grow up to be good decent members of society who will contribute and give back (hopefully!).  It’s so middle aged to complain about the loss of community, but I guess at 44 it’s official.  I’m cantankerous.

It might have more to do with the wait staff being annoyed that you’re using a table that could have 2 couples ordering wine and thus a substantially higher tip for a similar or less amount of work on the part of the server.

I’ve noticed in the past 15 years with the popularity of wine increasing that when I’m not ordering wine the enthusiasm of the staff is muted. It’s just poor service to cater to those who are likely to generate a higher tip and you should complain of poor service on Trip Advisor so the owner can address the problem.

Another thing is that wait staff should get your food quickly to avoid any disturbances from kids. Many servers are young and don’t have kids so they don’t know how the time factor affects behavior. It’s always possible to speed up an order. a good wait staff will do this. A bad restaurant will take longer when you have kids and then it’s your fault their behavior becomes worse.

Instead of talking down to kids by calling boys “Bud’ or “buddy” they should talk to them as if they were adults. Calling them “gentlemen” and “sir” sends the message to kids to act like adults.

Kids can sense when nearby people are hostile toward them. They’ll react accordingly, especially when it comes to air travel.

I think drunk loud people or people who are too demanding and patronizing of the wait staff are much more annoying than any kids I’ve ever seen.

My mom would love this child-free movement.  She purposely sits in the smoking section (she’s not a smoker) because there tends to be less children in that section.  Not that she doesn’t like children but when she and my dad go out to dinner they don’t want to go and listen to screaming children, or screaming parents disciplining screaming children who are, most likely, running around.  I think I could get on board with this too. I know mom would.

I disagree.  Children are just as much a part of society as adults are and should be welcomed.  The US is odd in it’s attitude towards children (or so I have heard).  The problem is when parents allow their kids to behave badly but from my experience there are just as many bad behaving adults in public as there are children.  And many, many children are very well behaved.  I mean who has not been in a restaurant and had to endure the “cell phone guy” loudly talking away as if he were in a room alone for 15-20 minutes.  That has ruined my restaurant experience more than once.  Or the gaggle of girls/young women (who I know I was once part of!) who loudly laugh and squeal the entire time.  I could go on and on.  I just disagree with the anti-kid movement.  After all, who is going to take care of these old biddies when they get old?  hehe.  But I do get the point you are making.  I just think the solution is for people to get over their prejudices, that’s all.  Either that or ban all obnoxious people!

I don’t get what all the fuss is about. It’s that restaurant owner’s prerogative to set that rule. Free country. If people don’t like it they can *gasp!* eat somewhere else.

I, personally, like going to “grown-up” restaurants on occasion, like The Melting Pot, where there aren’t kids around. Sometimes I just want to be fully in “adult” mode and not “parent” mode, y’know? We have the baby with us most of the time when we go out, and we have our list of restaurants that are family-centered. There are plenty of those. Take yer pick.

I would like to make the point that the “child-free movement” itself is not about removing children from society. It’s about people who choose not to have children being accepted as just as normal as those who do have children. I have been harassed because I don’t want children. I’ve been called selfish, stupid and ignorant. I don’t care if others have children, I don’t care if they are at my favorite restaurant (although I don’t think they should be in a bar), just please don’t judge me for being child-free. However, if a restaurant posted that is is not child friendly, I would be a regular customer!

 Kids are little people, but does that mean we allow them to do anything they want … NO way !! They are like little animals that need to be taught how to live civilized .. who’s going to do that ?  … the inconsiderate in the bubble parents who think their rug rat is the best thing .of course. But they don’t,  for fear that their kids won’t love them anymore .. so they give in to their every whim.  Dumbass kids and even dumber parents just drive me up the wall, this is how this is why this world is becoming so rude  … parents are cultivating it. They deserve it when they get banned out of places, why should we have to put up with your crap.