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Wednesday, November 9, 2005 12:00 AM

Should cafes be kid-free?

Next time you bring your baby to Sunday brunch, make sure he or she uses an "inside voice."

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  • Wednesday, November 9, 2005 02:05 PM

    "quiet" does not = "kid-free"

    One mother suggests that cafe proprietor McCauley "be responsible for three children for the next year and see if he can control the volume of their voices for every minute of the day." But nobody's asking anyone to control anyone's volumes "every minute" -- just the 10-30 that are spent in the cafe. Anyone who can't recognize the distinction is either not terribly bright -- or is deliberately misstating the situation.

    And anyone who can't keep their childrens' behaviors within appropriate bounds in a space clearly designed for the quiet enjoyment of its patrons of all ages -- or take them outside until they can quiet down, or come back at an other time, or any of a number of reasonable solutions -- is too selfish or inept or both to make a good parent, regardless of what parenting theories one subscribes to. This isn't anti-child, it's a simple recognition of the fact that the people around you have rights, too, and that those rights are sometimes defined by location and circumstances.

    If you can't play nice, you can't complain when nobody will let you play.

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