Disclaimer: Originally published in September 2018. It is being republished since it still remains an interesting topic till today.
Breakfast Babble: ED’s own little space on the interwebs where we gather to discuss ideas and get pumped up for the day. We judge things too. Sometimes. Always. Whatever, call it catharsis and join in people.
Before I get this started, let me specify – I love kids, but there are conditions applied. Kids are cute, sure. But only as long as they are minding their own business. Once you intrude in my personal space, even if you’re a kid, I’ll be offended. There’s no other way around it.
We have all been through situations where a kid (usually cute, or maybe not, whatever) runs around in a place like crazy, be it in a metro, a hotel lobby or even a restaurant.
They might be cribbing for their favorite candy from their parents and throwing tantrums while they do it, or maybe that’s just lack of sleep. I neither know nor care.
But it annoys me when their parents do nothing but smile or sometimes even choose to completely ignore what their child is doing. Some parents even encourage such behavior, expecting us strangers to go ‘aww’ at every antic of their kid.
Now, I won’t blame the kid here. After all, what does s/he know about conducting itself in public when his/her own parents couldn’t care less?
I understand that a child might get bored in a public place. It is unrealistic to expect a five-year-old to remain quiet in a place where s/he seems to have nothing to do. That is normal.
Also Read: Breakfast Babble: When Are We Gonna Let People Enjoy Mainstream Music Without Shaming Their Choices?
What isn’t normal and is rather unacceptable is the habit of some parents who just smile at their child and fail to control him or her.
Mind you, I’m not telling the parents to tie their kids in public places as if they were a dog. No, that’s not what I’m promoting. However, there are ways to handle kids that are effective, without any form of aggression.
I even get the notion that parents might think that this is the only time that their kid comes out of the house and so they should be left on their own, free to do whatever they want. This notion, however, does not take away from them the basic responsibility that any parent has.
A kid throwing tantrums by lying on the floor of a metro, or coming to intrude upon my plate in restaurants, or shouting at the top of his voice in a hotel lobby is an act that disturbs the public as a whole and is definitely NOT cool.
It shouldn’t even be an incentive to control your kids in public places. It’s downright obvious.
Your kid is your responsibility and you need to take it. If your kid is a well-behaved one, it’s a win-win for both you and the public. Try it sometime, maybe?
Image Credits: Google Images
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