To wonder why 'family friendly' doesn't seem to include older people

[user1485342611]

Just thinking about a couple of threads recently that really seem to reflect the way society is going in relation to older people. Libraries need more 'families' using them so older people will just have to put up with noise and racket. A restaurant is 'family friendly' so if you don't want to have kids running around and screaming while you're eating 'go somewhere more expensive'. Churches want to be more welcoming towards children so that means that everyone else has to put up with their experience being ruined and drowned out by young children.

There seems to be this attitude in some quarters that anyone who objects or makes any kind of request for a bit of consideration is some kind of tweed wearing 1930s school marm, glaring through her pince nez before going home to her cat.

AIBU to think that it's possible to welcome young people into places while also giving older people equal right to enjoyment of a facility?

I disagree with the comment that museums are 'dumbed down' for children. I'm a member of the British museum and on the contrary, the material aimed at inspiring children is at best minimalist. This is a shame as a lot of the exhibits have exciting stories to tell and the lack of opportunities for engagement is what leads to badly behaved an bored children. There's probably a case for 'relaxed days', like relaxed performances in the theatre, especially in the school holidays, when everyone knows children are welcome, and there are child-oriented staff on hand to help explain the stories behind the most exciting exhibits.

As an aside, the problem nowadays in museums isn't so much badly behaved children as badly behaved adults, who think it's appropriate to stand in front of the exhibit taking photos of it with their mobile, even though the place is peppered with signs saying this is not allowed. Grrr.

Uposter thatmustbenigelwiththebrie

As a person that used to work for a libraries and cultural services dept there is sort of a truth in the changes though I wouldn't have expressed it quite like that. I personally still like a nice quiet museum and interactive stuff is not what I personally need but some dc do plus some adults do like this. Museums and Libraries are at risk of shutting because of funding and many have been shut so many try anything to keep people coming through the door. However some refurbishments are quite frankly crap and the designs are terrible.

My local library had a major refurb about ten years ago. It now features a large amount of terminals. but the entire library is open plan, they took all walls down. All they needed to do was keep one room as a quiet reading room, maybe If they wanted that modern airy feel they could have put in a glass wall. So if you want to study quietly in that library and it is baby rhyme time there is no way to not hear that session. That's just utter stupidity on who ever designed and also whoever approved that design.

I have been to lots of family friendly restaurants and I have never seen children running round the tables! I have found some older people tend to glare at the slightest noise a child makes whilst all shouting at each other and talking at once on their own table. Some older people seem to just hate children.