No brats allowed!

[XCashier]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14136994/?GT1=8404

Interesting article, about how children are perceived in stores and restaurants nowadays.

[lordlundar]

Let's see, where I work, the parents drop their little kids off in my department to play video games while they get a new electronic toy (TV, computer) and when they start being little brats because they don't get their way, I have to track their parents down and tell them to get their kids. Most of the time they do, sometimes the response is:

"You work here, you have to control them!"

I reply to this "No, I only have to control them out the door if they cause problems or damage."

One time, they went to a manager who told them the same thing!

I have to deal with kids in my department daily and for the most part I like them. They know what they want and are rarely rude. (I suppose me being 5'9" and slightly over 200lbs is a factor) I gladly help them because they're curteous and polite, and I respond in kind.

The ones who throw a temper tantrum because they don't get their way are the demon-spawn I could do without.

[ArenaBoy]

I do not mind children but it really depends in certain areas. I have seen children behave well in a bookstore (except for one who pinched me while I was reading a book, the parent did not do a thing about it.) Some parents are to blame, I think I mentioned this but when I was waiting to get a haircut, a child who looked to be 8 or 9 pinches my nose and the mom just says don't do that. She was still focused on what hair product she wanted to buy.

I do believe that there are certain places that children do not belong in, movies with PG-13 or R ratings is one thing, fancy restaurants, or art museums. On art museums, there was a twelve year old who put his GUM on a painting. I know some parents want to bring their kids with them everywhere but there are people who are trying to have a nice evening out and some of us do not want to be witness to a piece of bacon flying when they are out to breakfest, same goes for a piece of bread.

[Crosshair]

Several Points.

1: I want that sign in the article.

2. Why does NBC hate Firefox?

3. I generaly was good and quiet when I went out in public for several reasons. First was that I would get spanked when I got home. (I generaly got a couple warnings.) When the big town you where in was 25 miles from home, you had alot of time to think about what was comming when you got home. Second, if I was good, my parents would get ice cream bars while we where at the store and we would get ice cream every day or so if we where good.

I believe such parenting is good. It is a reflection of how life is going to be later on. If you are good in the big world and work hard, you (generaly) get promotions, raises, get cut a little slack when you make a mistake, and get to have nice things. If you are bad, you get someone smashing a beer bottle over your head, get tackled, tazered, maced, etc by the police, and get featured on your own episode of "COPS".

Whenever I was spanked as a child I had done something to diserve it. Most of the time when I was bad I simply didn't get ice cream, that often was punishment enough. I had to really do something to get spanked.

[MamaMootz]

I will weigh in from the opposite end of the spectrum and say that I'm getting tired of all this anti-child stuff floating around. I'm not saying that there aren't bad kids, because there are and I've seen them. But what is ticking me off is that all kids are being painted with the same brush - without being given a chance to see if they are "good" or "bad" in public.

It's just automatically assumed these days that if you have a kid, then the kid must be a bad kid and you're a horrible parent. Not all parents are bad, and not all kids are misbehaved.

[gundam40]

I agree with Crosshair. I was raised this way too.

If I misbehaved, I got toys taken away, or no treats.

If I REALLY misbehaved, I got hit. I once ran away from our apartment, when I was only 7 or 8. Parents were running after me, it's funny now when I look back on it :P Oh did I get hit that time :P

[Lace Neil Singer]

I will weigh in from the opposite end of the spectrum and say that I'm getting tired of all this anti-child stuff floating around. I'm not saying that there aren't bad kids, because there are and I've seen them. But what is ticking me off is that all kids are being painted with the same brush - without being given a chance to see if they are "good" or "bad" in public.

It's just automatically assumed these days that if you have a kid, then the kid must be a bad kid and you're a horrible parent. Not all parents are bad, and not all kids are misbehaved.

But sadly a lot of them are. It's those bad kids and parents you should be mad at, cuz they are the ones giving you and other good parents and kids a bad name. No point misdirecting your anger at the victims of bad parenting.

[MamaMootz]

No point misdirecting your anger at the victims of bad parenting.

Yes and no to that one. Yes, because I understand the reason people are upset is because there are a lot of folks out there who don't/won't control their kids, or even teach them right from wrong. But then again no because the victims of the bad parenting are painting all the kids with the same brush (all kids are automatically bad) and that's not right, either.

Should stores post signs outlining acceptable behavior? Yes. Should stores, restaurants, movie theaters oust kids that are behaving badly? Hell yes. No one should have to endure that in a public place. There are many times I've been out in public and had to bite my tongue over the behavior of another kid. Does that put stores in the position of second parent? Maybe. But stores, etc. would also ban any adult that acted that obnoxiously too.

[Lace Neil Singer]

True. I have to admit, I would love a child free restaurant. I'm child free myself, and it sounds just super.

[Rapscallion]

If this continues into a debate about being child-free etc, we'll close it.

Rapscallion

[Ljt09863]

i have to say i agree with both sides of the arguement on certain points.

any child that is misbehaving and disrupting others should be disciplined. but any child that is behaving and not disrupting others, needs to be praised.

i do get sick and tired of hearing children scream and run through the store. constantly, im hearing children in the toy aisle playing with stuff, and ill go look and they will be about 6 years old, with no parent around. not a god idea in the area my store is in. im sick of having to pick up the candy that the child spilt all over the store. first of all, if my mother gave me candy, she didn't let me have until i was home. second of all, if i was that hungry in a store, my mother would open a box of crackers for me to eat till we got to the register and paid for them. not candy.

my mother raised me well. she has always bragged about how she never had to worry about taking me out in public, because i never fussed.

i do have to say, that not all children are like this,and i know that. what i am saying here, is not bashing ALL children. i know the difference between a well behaved one, and one who is not.

i do not hate children. as most of you know, im expecting my first one. and its not that ih ate misbehaved children, i just hate having to deal with the headaches i get afterwards, and how i have to clean up after them because mommy and daddy didn't take care of them.