I love Salon's column writers, not because I sometimes agree with them, but because they bring up interesting thinking points. I know kids can be annoying, but let's remember, at many of the very nice places we have dined at in the past during our travels, Phillip and I have seen adults act like totally out of control monkeys too.
It's all relative. Any person at any age can act childish. As a society we just notice the tots more because they scream, throw food at the floor, and whine while the adults dining have more subtle ways of showing their displeasure. passive aggressively arguing with their dinner partners, skipping a tip for a bad waiter, sending back food, asking for the manager, or making the waiter "run" in the duration of the meal. Not to mention the drinkers who don't realize their conversations aren't that funny, they aren't that smart, and they aren't important enough for everyone else to have to listen to.
that said....
In the end, I do think businesses should be able to decide what age customers it caters to. It is a form of discrimination, to a point....a logical point. If I want to go eat at a high-end place for romance and ambience, I should feel secure that some tot is going to ruin the mood. Now, if someone doesn't like this rule then they can vote with their money and go to a place where they can bring their children. It's free choice. I have worked at 4 restaurants (2 higher end and very busy), and watching people drag their kids to dinner when they should be in bed was never fun. It almost never worked out. Other patrons would have a ruined meal just because Mom and Dad were too lazy to get a sitter and make their kids meals at home. That said, I think businesses (again) should be allowed to make that choice. Child friendly to attract families, or child-free to assure patrons of a nice quiet dinner out. Hee hee "child-free".
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