I can echo axa. this happened more than once. I took my 2x younger children to restaurant. They were enjoying themselves / carrying on a conversation, laughing, etc. etc.
older (women) at nearby table made loud comments akin to ‘children should be seen, but not heard’. wtf, i thought??? … children growing up are exploring and discovering … audible expressions of laughter, surprise, discovery, etc … are they forbidden in public? should children be like swiss dogs in a restaurant?
At the same time, I have seen parents enforcing themselves on younger children, while not listening to what the child says, and in return the child just shrieks and makes a bigger scene … are children people who are learning, growing and discovering on their own?
I haven’t really noticed this trend myself* but I don’t doubt it. And this is exactly where I’d support some sort of cultural messaging that favours children and family values and normalising kids in public spaces instead of treating them as disturbances.
*with the exception of some clearly selfish parents who essentially let their kids run wild.
I dont mind kids having the zoomies. But when they start screaming at a pitch that shatters dogs and makes glass howl I have to go as I find it physically painfull.
Good luck with that. I’m a parent but even I have an off day where I cannot abide some mummy’s darling little (over-tired) cherubs whining in a restaurant.
Yes, kids should be allowed in most public spaces (maybe not a nightclub at 2 am) but you can’t reckon with EVERYONE being fine about it ALL the time, even if you put cute posters up and launch an “Everyone has to love kids even if they are being little bastards on the train” campaign.
Agreed. Several lanes over live two little girls who have voices that could etch glass, and the moment they get going, screaming on their trampoline, I can count to 10 and their cat appears in my garden looking for peace.
Fair enough. The idea wasn’t meant to be a magic bullet nor to excuse bad behaviour, but rather attempting to normalise valuing children and families again.
And I haven’t personally experienced anti-child sentiment with my own kids here, although admittedly we don’t go to many restaurants.
Me and my wife continue to gasp at how badly kids seem to behave more or less in any country we’ve been to in the last 10-15 years, and how much worse their parents are. One exception, Swiss schools: we were positively surprised and amazed at how in school end of year gatherings the teachers address the kids, not the parents, parents are expect to stay quiet and - at most - carry a chair for other parents etc. Or so it seems to us dumb foreigners. Flipside I know, and my wife knows for her country, that Greek parents are shitheads, and their precious flowers are the mostest preciousest flowers in the world, who can never do any wrong. And woe to whoever suggests they did…
the cultural demonization of masculinity is one thing, but the sperm activity of Swiss men is just too low… real beta cucks - which, if you look at the avg. Swiss dude, is absolutely no surprise…
Edit to add the detective’s comment: After questioning Thompson and Venables, Detective Phil Roberts said, “As far as I’m concerned that day… I stared evil in the face.”
