to want one, just one, coffee shop, cafe, eating place to be child free?

[NearlyMrsCustardsHardHat]

AIBU? Really?

All I ask for is that between the hours of 11 and 2 during the week my precious half hour lunch break is not interrupted by my ankles being rammed by a pushchair, or a grubby little urchin throwing food or wailing or just being within a 5 meter radius of me. It's not much. Actually, rewind, can I just ban the ineffectual mums that come with said urchins?

I love kids. I just don't love them between the hours of 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday.

AIBU to just want a small bit of child free/floppy parenting sanctuary?

Absolutely Thzumba (nice Hallowe'en name, BTW :) )

I'm a big fan of the British Isles' culture of having separate adult time.

I remember the sense of excitement of the rare occasions when you'd sneak downstairs when guests were over, or be brought somewhere that adults had their adult talks about what I imagined were the most important, mysterious things.

Of course now I know they were wittering on about froot shoots (fruit shuits?) and the rules in cafés and how annoying children are.

OP, YANBU, but I like places with kids in, usually make me laugh.

Was recently in a cafe and remembered a column where someone had described toddlers as being like drunk adults and if adults behaved that way would be chucked out. Feet on table, falling off seat, dropping stuff, running then stopping abruptly. It amused me anyway

Constance - no uppity from me, I'm just enjoying the thread in my own way.

But actually, there were posts earlier slagging parents off for reasoning with (predictably enough) "little Tarquin".

Unfortunately for me, my children are still too young to ignore.

Oh, but when I can...

Pessimist - yeah, that's an agreement I can sign up to.

Agreed ConstanceTenchOfZombies, its not the fact children will have a bad day that bothers me as that is normal, its when the parents basically ignore them and their behaviour.

Whatme - the floppy parenting guru Lisa McKittridge recommends starting each day with a stiff G&T. Children are so much easier to bear from behind a veil of mild, but constant, drunkenness

That's disgraceful!

I don't like G&T :o

Will Pinot Grigio do as a substitute?

SlinkingOutsideInSocks... You are a witty gal, very funny posts. [hgrin]

SheCutofftheirTails... I didn't read your post as light-hearted, not a bit. It might just be how it comes across in print but...

YANBU.

As mentioned already, All Bar One doesn't admit under 21s. Although it's crap, so that doesn't help much.

Having said that, I've not really been bothered often by children in caffs and whatnot (notable exception being horribly behaved bunch in a lovely pub when DP and I were trying to enjoy a rare dinner out together).

I got a bit teary once though when I was working away for a week and missing ds desperately, seeing other people enjoying their children's company whilst I ate alone. Dozy arse that I am.

wrt big prams - I had one. It was brill - ds was all cosy and safe, it was a dream to push and I was able to cart shedloads of crap around with me. It did mean that lots of places were out of bounds though - that's commonsense.

Some of those big prams have so many useful places you can hook things on to, don't they? I see some that are truly laden with stuff sticking out everywhere, artfully positioned... and I expect the mum to start calling, "Any old iron"?

YANBU. There is a great place in my town, for years it had a sign up outside the door saying "please fold prams and pushchairs" This put off anyone with kids and now it's a great place to go for a quiet lunch, plus the food is excellent!

That was me SCOTT. And I still don't like ill-disciplined little brats with feet on tables, running around, shrieking, throwing food, having meltdowns etc etc whilst mummy dearest tries to tell them "We don't do that darling... no, that's not nice, the lady doesn't like you throwing food at her... no darling.... oh pleeease don't do that... ". I don't want to dine surrounded by them either. And yes, they are generally middle class mothers, in this area at least, and I suspect in most.

I'm wondering, given that you've taken it so personally... are you such a parent or is your chid called Tarquin? :o

Lying - but what?

You know my mind better than I, and can tell me that my heart is heavier than it feels to me?

Amazing - Ooh, I like it - "please fold"! That is genius :o

How can anyone object to being asked to fold their pushchair? (and yet we will go to lengths to resist it). You're practically laying out a welcome mat for small children (while ensuring they won't come in).

It does run the risk of attracting those dreadful baby wearing mummies with their children called awful things like James and Catherine.

Lying I used mine to cart stuff home from the garden centre - poor ds balanced on top of a bag of compost. I could get a week's shopping on it if need be.

I miss my giant pram. It pissed all over those piddly little Bugaboos.

The continent is just brilliant.

My pram was continental.

OP, from what I can see, you have had a terrible time on this thread. Completely 100% undeserved in my view. I feel exactly the same as you do and would also like to extend child-free zones to include shopping centres too - maybe on 1 day of the month
Like you, I love children and don't object to them at all, so long as they are reasonably behaved and not being a menace. I agree with a previous poster that children only learn how to behave appropriately by being given a chance to experience different social situations, but it is fully the parent's responsibility to manage their behaviour. Some it seems can't be bothered/don't know how.

YABU. Children are people, and calling them 'grubby little urchins' highlights you as the miserable twunt you are. Go and sit in your car and eat a roll.

yes ruby but mine was unique (-ish).

One of those Hitler prams, probably.

SCOTT - you have a very dry wit. It took me a while to "get it" - but I'm there. [hgrin]

OK - for those who seem to believe that children should be allowed everywhere...

DP and I went to a spa. It was bloody lovely for all sorts of reasons. It would have been a completely different atmosphere if children were allowed in. So should the spa ditch it's over-16s policy because children are people? Really?

No wonder the OP's miserable if she has to suffer someone's grubby little urchin wailing, whinging and lobbing food around during her lunchbreak, Gloribe!