Ban on ‘small screaming children’ by Canadian restaurant stokes outrage and support; barrage of “hate and threats” forces restaurant to reverse the policy and plea for forgiveness.

For those of you who are railing against children in public places, in my twenties I was one of you too. Now that I'm older with three children, I have learned first hand that it can be hard (for even a good parent) to keep kids quiet and obedient at all times. Further, the stress on (good) parents in public places that are intolerant of noise (e.g., restaurants, airplanes) is acute. You cannot image the pressure until you're a parent with a child crying on a plane.

Now, let's set aside the straw men. The lazy parents who don't care. The undisciplined children who run wild. Let's focus on the well-behaved children of a good parent. They too will on occasion have an episode that can result in discomfort and anger in strangers.

For us, I ask you to be patient. Instead, look at us as if we have a handicap. We are poor souls just trying to have a little bit of the life that we had before the children came. Sympathize with our anxiety and struggle. We're not asking for help, just for you to find enough inner calm to resist the angry looks and passive-agressive comments.

When you finally become parents, then you will move to the next level. I actively support and protect families in public places. If I see a (good) parent going through a difficult time, I will correct people in proximity who are acting inappropriately. If you put your airline seat back with a mother behind you, I will tell you to move it forward. If you're complaining about a child on an airplane, I will remind you that you were a baby once before too. If you're in a restaurant and your kids are going nuts despite your best efforts, I'll walk by your table and talk about how wonderful it is to be a parent with you.

TL;DR — Luke Skywalker wouldn't complain about kids in public places, why would you?

/r/worldnews Thread Link - theprovince.com