Are You in Favor of Brat Bans??

Recently my husband and I had the rare opportunity to indulge in an honest to goodness date night; meaning, it wasn’t on our couch in front of the television, and our children were nowhere to be found within a five-mile radius.
We chose a local restaurant in one of our favorite parts of town and sat down to enjoy a simple meal that wasn’t ordered off of a kids menu and didn’t come with a side of interruptions.


We were having a delightful time until someone else’s kid began acting up and my blood pressure began to rise. After 10 minutes of this I’d finally had enough. After all, my date night is a rare and precious commodity in my life, and I’d rather not listen to someone whine through their meal during my coveted “adult” time.
We promptly paid the bill, took our leftovers in a doggie bag, and enjoyed the rest of the evening having coffee (me) and drinks (him) at a local bar, where we were guaranteed a child-free atmosphere.
It seems we aren’t the only patrons who go searching for a kid-free experience, and businesses are taking notice.
Known by some as the Brat Ban, restaurants, hotels, airlines and even some movie theatres are jumping on the bandwagon and declaring their locations as Kid-Free zones. It’s not the newest trend in marketing, but it seems to picking up pace in recent months as industry experts realize that patrons are seeking out experiences that promise to be geared specifically towards grown-ups, and prohibit children from participating.
So are children becoming second-class citizens? Are families being unfairly targeted by businesses and consumers?
I wouldn’t jump to any media-fueled conclusions yet. When I tried googling different variations of kid-free locations that essentially banned your little ones in and around Orange County, I came up short and was instead directed to a slew of websites filled with child-friendly activities and eateries that offered special discounted menus for kids.
I certainly don’t have to look far to know that at least in my community, children are still driving the market trends; my local Target, McDonalds, Ruby’s Diner, Chuck E. Cheese, parks and recreation facilities, libraries and kid’s museums are tell tale signs that families are still the primary focus for both big and small businesses.
I’m also not particularly offended by the idea of having specific venues dedicated to an adult-only crowd. Because even though I’m wise enough to know not to bring my children to a five-star restaurant that features fine bone china and crisp white linens, not everyone else is. If it looks like my boys won’t be getting a box of crayons and a separate menu upon our arrival, we avoid it. It’s a matter of common sense and courtesy (plus, to be honest, it’s not very much fun for anyone involved if we force ourselves into an environment that regards us as an annoyance before we’ve even ordered).
By having establishments designate that kids are not welcome, it takes the guess work out of deciding where to go with your own brood (or, on the flip side, where to go when you are in need of some serious down time that doesn’t require a diaper bag and booster seats).
Of course, I felt no ill will toward the family who was dining in the same restaurant with us during my date night with my husband, because it was a place that regularly catered to guests with children; we’ve eaten there countless times with our own two boys. The burden was on us since we knowingly chose to eat there (with our fingers crossed that maybe it would be a slow night) and though we ultimately decided to pack up early and leave, we did so without any resentment toward either the establishment or the child.
Had we been dining in a more formal venue however, one that did not serve apple juice out of sippy cups and offer endless refills on fries, we may have felt otherwise.
Because everyone, especially overworked and exhausted parents, deserves to dine somewhere void of tears and tantrums, nose-picking and naughtiness, drama and defiance.
Of course, if we go by these criteria then I know some adults who would have to be banned as well.

Restaurants should have just taken their old smoking areas and made them kid-free zones. People with kids never sat in smoking areas anyway.

Can we ban cell phone talkers?

Mr. B says cell phones ARE the new cigarette.

He means from a psychologically addictive standpoint. People use to have a smoke when they didn't have anything else to do, now they talk on their cell phone.

People with kids never sat in smoking areas anyway.

I don't mind the kid bans but I do wonder what they'll ban next. People with Tourettes who can't control the noises that they make? Mentally handicapped people who can't always control their behavior in "adult" ways? ...