Enjoying the Public Sphere

When children are quite young and their public behaviour not yet moulded through parental patience and guidance to ensure that they are aware that graceful conduct is anticipated of them when in a public arena, there are places where they should not be brought by their proud parents.  Places where people migrate to, in the evening or even afternoons to share a quiet social experience.

That could be a dinner out in a local restaurant, or out to a movie theatre, where people expect to be able to relax and enjoy themselves.  When young children are on a train, a bus, a plane, there's not much that can be done when they decide to loudly express their dissatisfaction with life, and everyone is exposed to a loud, protesting, wailing child. 

It seems that Air India has introduced a "quiet zone" on its flights, and there's little doubt that while some parents of young children will be offended, the greater majority of passengers would be grateful.  Cineplex has evidently understood the need for people to be able to rivet their attention on the screen for full dramatic effect, uninterrupted by children's loud plaints.

And most restaurants try to accommodate in every conceivable way from baby change rooms to baby seating arrangements, the families that like to get out for a catered meal, hauling children along.  The problem invariably is, in catering to young families with young children, older people's comfort and wish for a serene atmosphere is impinged upon.

It's difficult to serve one without under-serving the other.  Decades ago it wasn't the norm to bring young children into places where ordinarily adults congregate.  In these more relaxed times of socially casual atmospheres, children are brought to all manner of places.  And while some children are naturally well behaved, many others are not.

Add to that parents who don't feel it is truly incumbent upon them to make an effort to control the wild antics of a super-energized child; who seem to feel that anything children do in public is acceptable, mostly because it's their child.  The combination can be utterly offensive to those in close proximity who may have a salt shaker or a loaded bowl tossed their way.

So enough, already.  Enough of the entitlement felt by clients who feel that they are perfectly entitled to behave as they wish without regard for others sharing the environment they clutter and confuse with the addition of obstreperous or tired and querulous children.  Get a baby-sitter; that was the norm at one time, while parents went out for the evening unencumbered by their progeny.

Children are wonderful.  In their place and in their time.