The article states, "With many parents across the country juggling work and home life, they don't often have much choice about bringing the children if they want to get out of the house." That statement implies that parents absolutely must bring their kids because the parents themselves "want to get out of the house." So it's more about what the parents want than about whether it is appropriate for the kids to be there.
"I think there also has to be the understanding of how difficult it is to be a parent these days, how difficult it is to find child care," Murphy said. BooHoo. It is "difficult" to be a parent, and we all need to "understand" that. One of the reasons many of us have chosen not to be parents is that we DO understand that.
Brilliant, ILSummer!
When you dig deep down when talking with parents, it often (not always, but often) does come down to what they "want". Perhaps that's why they're so quick to paint us as "selfish"...do they protest too much, methinks?
Also, when the CF zones come up, many parents tend to bring up the specter of "discrimination" against kids. Yup, it's discrimination...and it's different from discrimination of any other kind. People grow out of being children. It's a temporary state. We discriminate against kids all the time...we don't let them drive, vote, run for office, etc.
Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where the glamour and benefits of being a grown-up had actually returned? Since parents seem to drag their kids everywhere nowadays (and quite of a few of them also insist on having no manners themselves and enforcing none in their kids, either)...the CF Zones idea is one whose time has come (or at least the time to discuss it has come; it would have been unthinkable even a decade ago).
I'd far prefer that parents were responsible and took their kid to whatever establishment the child could handle (start with McDonald's and go up from there). I remember going to a fancy NYC with my mom, all dressed up, and ordering a quiche and a salad at about age 8. It was wonderful...but only because it was an accomplishment for us both and she could enjoy it because she knew I wouldn't suddenly throw a fit.
With rights come responsibilities. So many parents have ignored those responsibilities (focusing instead only on their rights and their convenience --- or worse, talking about their
kids' rights, when kids have NO responsibilities) that the idea of CF Zones is now on the table. This could get interesting.
