These types of settings, restaurants, movie theaters, concerts… weddings, are universal experiences for everyone present, and generally everyone there is paying a lot of money.
Sure, parents who have been in the thick of child rearing may miss these experiences and wish that they were able to partake in them, but in bringing their children to these places, they are thinking only of themselves. There is a time, and there is a place, and a lot of the time, where someone is paying a premium for an experience that children might ruin; they simply aren’t welcome.
In saying that, are any of us really ready to sit in a restaurant for hours on end? As an adult, even I struggle to sit through such engagements. There’s only so much small talk that you can barely hear over the din of music and other patrons, while sitting glued to a single uncomfortable chair that you can barely handle. For kids and toddlers, the boring nature of these settings and the lack of perception required to enjoy it is only amplified by the relative length of their experience.
Expectations play a large part here, and one can’t expect a child of any age to simply sit through a dull adult affair. Going for a walk in the middle of the event or even taking them outside for a moment not only gives them a chance to reset, but it also gives you a moment away from watchful judging eyes to decompress.
Still, I can’t help but wonder what her husband was doing to help with all of this. If he wasn’t helping to solve the problem at the time, then he is a part of it, and his opinion simply isn’t welcome.



