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No kids allowed: insulting or inspired?
As a parenting blogger I suppose people expect me to be appalled and outraged by the no-kids-allowed movement that seems to raise its head in the media every couple of months. Airlines are banning babies from First Class, and restaurants are banning children under 6 and Whole Foods stores in Missouri even have child-free shopping hours (though that one was a little less draconian. They merely provided childcare service in the store for parents who want to shop kid-free). Bravo! I say.
I love my kids. But I'm not so self involved I think everyone should love them. And I don't think we should go about ruining someone else's date night or travel plans. And I have to say, when I'm paying top dollar for a babysitter, I'm just as irritated as those snotty "Child Free" people are when a baby is crying during my night out at the movies.
If I have my kids in tow, I'd rather head to a place that's happy to see them (and our money). If I don't, I'd sure like the option of a kid-free evening. But some parents can't resist being offended.
"I do believe that it's the parent's responsibility to know when and where it's inappropriate for their kids to wreak havoc and no one else’s," writes This Week in Sarasota blogger Charlotte Abrams.
While that might be true in theory, it doesn't seem to be true in practice. These bans aren't really aimed at the kids. They are aimed at the parents who don't have the manners to take their screaming kid out or to choose an appropriate setting. So it's not the kids I blame.
So how do you react when a business makes this decision? Boycott or Bravo?
--Sharon Kennedy Wynne
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, Comment Policy
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