Would you feel the same way?

A comment by an acquaintance on the following ban surprised me. Wait, not surprised, but annoyed actually. The comment was about how more Singapore restaurants should have this ban, because it is more supportive of dating couples, including married couples with no children.

I wonder if you would feel the same way once you have your own kids. I'm not saying I support having kids running amok in restaurants. I personally might not even bring my kids to this particular one just because it is so out of the way and am aware the restaurants along Ann Siang are not particularly spacious to begin with. I wouldn't even fault the restaurant owner/manager for coming to this decision. It is after all, business, and if they are in a position to choose who patronizes their eatery, good for them. 

What annoys me is the seeming notion that married couples with children in tow do not need to date at nice restaturants and so MORE restaurants in Singapore should ban children. Is going out as a family not considered a date at all? So when the children are around, the parents don't talk to each other? Are there that many restaurants in Singapore crawling with screaming children that warrant that hope? If there are, then should the blame lie on the absence of the ban or the negligence of the parents? How about parents who genuinely put in the effort to and succeed at educating their children to behave well at restaurants? Are they and their children to be put at a disadvantage? This is like saying, since fire is dangerous and my child does not know how to handle fire, so I should not expose the child to any form of flame whatsoever. After all, he can learn all about the properties of fire from books and documentaries right?

Just because our generation has grown up a certain way doesn't mean we cannot be critical of the methods used by our caregivers. In the name of blind submission, or perhaps laziness, couched by the term "Respect", we perpetuate what we innately disagree with because of convenience.

So I hope for the person who made the comment, that he/she feels the same way after the kids come along.

P.S. Yes, I am annoyed and it shows in this entry, and so the argument might not be water tight or even complete. I'm happy to leave it as that, just a commentary. It is, after all, my blog :)