No Brats Allowed!

MSNBC ^ | 8/15/06 | Victoria Clayton

[steve-b]

For Cindy Nooney's 3-year-old twin boys, playing with the Thomas the Train set at their local bookstore in Southern California is a major thrill. Jack and Sam push Thomas, Arthur and friends down the track, they run around the table, jump up and down — and, of course, they squeeeaal.

Nooney expects as much in the children's section of the store. But on a recent afternoon, she was surprised by an employee who confronted her, calling her darling Jack a tyrant.

"He was a little loud but this is a children's section," says Nooney. "They run a noisy, cavernous bookstore but they don’t want kids to make any noise? It just seems ridiculous and leads me to believe that they don't want kids, they want silent kids."

The bookstore is not the only place that likes quiet, controlled children — and isn't afraid to say so. Across the nation, there are signs of a low-burning uprising against children supposedly behaving badly in public.

Eateries from California to Massachusetts have posted signs on doors and menus saying "We love children, especially when they are tucked in chairs and well behaved" or "Kids must use indoor voices." In North Carolina an online petition was started last year to establish child-free restaurants — the petition loosely compared dining with children to dining with cigarette smoke....

[Quix]

Oh, for the good old days where corporal punishment by ANY adult close enough to take a swipe at you was the norm. If I or my 5 brothers and sisters were ever caught 'cutting up' in public, we would be summarily smacked by the closest adult at hand - no questions asked or answered. Then we would be marched to our parents where we would be smacked - IN PUBLIC - again! Somehow we managed to survive our childhood intact. I see similar situations now and yearn for the opportunity to introduce the little brat into the world of limitations on behavior.

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For sure. And all the more so at any church function.

[Quix]

Amen to that. I'd say 95% of the world's problems is bad parenting.

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I strongly agree.

Especially when we trace it all the way back to Adam.

[Mjaye]

Funny you should mention merchandise. I have noted that a local Marshall's store, which used to be tidy with well-displayed merchandise, is now full of opened packages of perfume and other toiletries. Lots of stuff scattered on the floor, etc. I hate to say it, but along with unruly kids, there are apparently many adults who frequent the store and think it's OK to rip open sealed packages to see if they like how something smells. I don't get this culture of disrespect.

[GEA232]

I’m not a homosexual or a feminist and I don’t appreciate kids. And you say that like there is something wrong with being either of those -Not! What is wrong is me having to listen to rude little brats. I chose not to kids of my own b/c I like my freedom, but they are kind of cute if you bound and gag them!