Adults draw line in the sand in Lake Forest
Lake Forest draws line in the sand for adults who want peace and quiet on lake
By Susan Kuczka
Tribune staff reporter
June 22, 2007
Pails, shovels and the kids who tote them no longer will be allowed in a kid-free zone that opened this summer on the public beach in Lake Forest.
"We're creating a quieter space for those adults that are in search of that type of atmosphere," said Sally Swarthout, program manager for the north suburban city's Parks & Recreation Board, which created the 21-and-older beach at the request of several residents. About a quarter of the city's nearly mile-long beach is now for adults only.
Baby Boomer Cindy Janke called it a welcome oasis.
"It's just nice to have a break away from the noise and crowds, and have a little peace and quiet, and listen to the waves, and kind of lose yourself in the tranquility of the shoreline," said Janke, whose children are grown. "Everyone's so used to being around kids when we were younger, but here you might be able to socialize with a few members of the older generation."
The beach ban is one of a growing number of prohibitions against kids that have popped up in recent years. From hotels to coffeehouses, child-free seems to be gaining popularity in an otherwise family-friendly nation.
Experts say a combination of factors may be at play: the increasing number of childless households across the nation; the demise of the old saw that children should be seen and not heard; and a huge Baby Boomer population with a 'been there, done that' attitude toward children. And in a more hectic world, people are trying to carve out some solitude.
The efforts to restrict children's behavior usually don't come without controversy, especially if they make parents feel like outcasts. A Taste of Heaven in Andersonville made national headlines when owner Dan McCauley put up a sign in the window that read: "Children of all ages have to behave and use their indoor voices when coming to A Taste of Heaven."
The Lake Forest beach ban also could brew a storm, some experts say.
"To close off a space that is quintessentially associated with children and sand castles and pails and bathing suits seems to me to be a sad commentary," said Diane Geraghty, director of the Civitas ChildLaw Center at Loyola University Chicago. "It almost sounds like people want to create their own country club on [public] property."
But some parents with kids at home said they, too, relish the rare quiet time at the kid-free beach. The city's Park and Recreation Board approved creation of the adults-only section last fall.
"If I came here, and there were a million screaming kids, where would I go to get away from mine?" said Dawn Kirsch, a 40-something mother of four who sneaks to the shoreline when she can. "Sometimes I just want to get away from the phone and the kids and just relax and hear the sound of the water."
Joanne Philpott, 36, goes to the beach with her three children, unless she can get away by herself, like she did this week.
"When I have the kids, I have all that craziness, so when you can get an hour of relaxation to yourself, the last thing you want to do is watch someone else's kid running all around," she said.
Still, some residents wonder why a kid-free beach is necessary. They said adults tended to gravitate to the area that is now for adults only because it was farthest away from the beach playground.
"It has typically been used by a lot of adults who want to get away from the kids kicking sand and throwing Frisbees and making lots of noise," said parks Supt. Wendy McKiernan.
With more people living in kid-free households, it's also become acceptable for adults to request a child-free zone, according to Bernard Beck, an associate professor emeritus at Northwestern University in Evanston.
"It didn't use to be respectable to speak out in public in ways that were anti-child or anti-family, but now that sort of talk is very acceptable," Beck said.
The pint-size beachgoers never bothered Joanne Martin, who said she considered the kids' play as natural to the beach scene as the sand.
"I can kind of understand when the kids are playing Frisbee and running all over, but I really like to hear the voices of children on the beach," said Martin, a mother of three, who visited the all-ages beach recently with her 7th grader.
Although there's no fencing or signs surrounding the adults-only zone, the beach staff has been told to keep an eye out for anyone under 21.
Lifeguards said they aren't worried about teenagers trying to sneak in. "The kids never really hung out there anyway because of all the adults," lifeguard Julian Bulaon said.
Some teenagers, though, don't like being singled out.
"It's not very nice," said Alyssa Loicano, 13.
Visitors to the adults-only section will be asked to show proof of their age, a requirement that monitors don't expect to be too onerous.
"We'll just eyeball people, and if they look too young we'll get them out of there," said Bulaon, who at 18 is technically barred from the adults-only section. "But I'm the lifeguard, so if I have to go on it to yell at somebody, it'll be OK."
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Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
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