No Kids Allowed Movement– What Are We Communicating to Our Children?

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the “No Kids Allowed Movement” that a few business establishments are enforcing around the world.  Rumor is it’s spreading…

International airlines have banned infants from first class.

Restaurants and movie cinemas are requiring children to be age 6 and up.

Travel destinations are closing their doors to kids.

Even grocery stores are offering child-free shopping hours.

Is society once again communicating a condescending message to our children? 

While I see some advantages of limiting kids from higher class restaurants or recreation areas intended for adults, I worry this is another slippery slope of our present day. Trust me, there are times and places I enjoy being KID FREE myself.  All of us as parents enjoy some P&Q (peace and quiet) as a sanity saver, and I admit I don’t usually find a crowded and rumbling Chucky Cheese a romantic date destination.  However, I’m not keen on banning children from common places in our community. 

Often times it is necessary for us to go out as a family. Finding a babysitter so we can run errands or get a meal on the go, is not practical in most situations for our family. We often take our boys out in public places, and we work diligently on teaching them to be obedient in our home as well as when we are out and about. Most of the time we are warmly welcomed in the places we frequent, and I would hate to see these opportunities to become limited. 

Children are viewed less and less as a blessing by our culture. Follow us around the zoo or a public place for the day, and you’ll pick up on the negativity that we incur on a weekly basis just as a family of six. We are hardly alone. Families conceiving multiples are viewed as “messing with God’s plan”, large families are attacked by the media to “get fixed” and even celebrities are being considered “bad role models” for overpopulating the world with four children

However, the Bible views children as a blessing rather than a burden or an inconvenience. They are our heritage and to be valued.

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3

So what are we communicating to our children when now the old saying of “children should be seen and not heard” is no longer harsh enough?  What are YOUR thoughts on the No Kids Allowed Movement?  Where do you think “No Kids” should be enforced? Will you welcome it or resist it?