So many child haters here

[Sabrinasummersamples]

So many threads on here seem to attract the same sort of answer along the lines of
-In my day we'd have got a smack. Never did me any harm. Give em a clip round the ear.
-kids today are entitled shrieky brats
-kids should stand for adults
-kids shouldn't be allowed in restaurants

Yet often those same posters are the first to call "agism" when people disagree.
Why do so many people hold such contempt for kids?
I mean I know kids can be annoying but honestly you could say that about any group of people. Plus we were all kids once 🤷

I'm going to be a corpse one day. I wouldn't want to live with one of those either.

I have 2 adult dcs and actively avoid anywhere where there could be kids. Really can't stand them

“Hate” is a bit of an exaggeration. Also, I think the dissatisfaction is aimed at parents who do not control their DC or teach them manners, rather than the DC themselves.

I think there's a general rise in childfree adults, both due to delay in people starting families and falling fertility generally, and to be honest it can go hand in hand with a degree of selfishness.

Having children forces a family to accomodate them and sacrifice their own wishes to ensure the needs of the child is met. This can mean tolerating a bit more noise etc. People seem less and less willing to put aside their own individual priorities and can't tolerate anyone else any more.

I do think "gentle parenting" has also given rise to more children who aren't very obedient as well though. They can't follow an instruction without it being explained or do anything they don't like when told without distractions and rewards and what have you.

It's badly behaved children dragged up by feckless parents that are the problem not well behaved kids .

Agree with the rise of individualism so lack of tolerance alongside gentle parenting.

Trouble is……most kids today are entitled brats, undisciplined and noisy. Parents don’t parent anymore. It’s gone steadily down hill over the last few years and after covid, any primary teacher will tell you, kids are feral.

I don’t hate kids. I do very much dislike parents who don’t make an effort to enforce boundaries for their children or who think that there children should be able to go everywhere.

Not the children necessarily but badly behaved ones whose parents don't actually parent.

^ This!

DC2 and I were in Caffe Nero, and had almost finished our drinks when what looked like a couple of families with a squad of small children. DC and I looked at each other, "time to go?" so we drank up and legged it.

I don't hate children. I just don't want to be around strangers' kids! I had three of my own thank you. I am always, always the one with a little toerag who keeps kicking the back of my seat on flights...

Most children I have passed this week seemed to have been mid Summer Scream contest - not in distress- just shrieking for the sake of it. One today following their parent around the supermarket sounding out a constant high-pitch squeal - all the parent could say was “this way, Tobey*”

I don't hate children.

I just don't care to spend time around poorly parented, badly behaved children.

Badly behaved kids. And there are so bloody many of them now. But hey we mustn’t suppress their creativity by teaching them manners 🙄

I think it’s wrong to insinuate that people who don’t have children are more selfish in terms of society in general. Lots of people are happy to prioritise their own children and don’t give a shit about anyone else.

I don't hate children. What I hate is badly-behaved children's parents.

I can't stand kids shrieking and running amok in restaurants and cafes for instance, but you can't really blame little children if their parents allow them to do it and won't control them properly.

Having said that, you do occasionally come across some proper little shits. 😂

Children will be children but that doesn't excuse poor parenting.

No it's not OK for your children to be running around in a cafe or restaurant.
Children playing do not sound like they are being murdered.
The supermarket is not a playground.

It's also not just childfree people who comment about children. Currently on mumsnet there are threads where parents talk about tripping children and tipping hot food on them. Not so long ago there was a thread where parents said they would use their step kids as a human shield/step over them/step on them to rescue their children in a fire. That's just the couple I can think of off the top of my head!

100%. Read most step parenting threads for a perfect exemplar of how unbelievably selfish most parents are.

I agree with you OP.

Thankfully I don't think MN is representative of real life. Those kids of threads attract that type of person - crabbit aul whinge bags.

That's not "child hate" - just dislike of children not being taught how to behave properly. What people dislike is over-indulgent parents who breed rude, entitled children. And that's obviously the fault of the adults, not the kids.

There has always been "in my day" types. There's a quote from Plato about the "youth of today" being rubbish. The birthrate is plummeting worldwide. I also think some of the contempt on here is people desperately having to validate their own choice to be childfree. You know, those people who say they're happy but really they aren't. There's quite a lot of childfree people on here. Some are happier than others.

Absolutely this. Lazy parents who plonk their kids in front of the TV at the first sign of boredom, or give them an iPad. Shock and surprise, the kids have no idea how to cope when they’re not receiving a dopamine hit.

Could be a vocal stim. This is how some children with ASD self soothe so don't be so quick to judge.

I don't think mostvposters say this at all. From what I've read here and experienced irl most parents now don't use physical punishment