Babies in the Work Place

BinaryPulsar

I wouldn't bring kids to work either, unless it is a dance project that involves children and they are going to be performing in it.

Anaticula

I like kids and love to babysit other people's kids, but I love even more saying goodbye to them. That being said I don't mind kids in the work place if they are well behaved. I work at a University Library where children aren't forbidden, but aren't really welcome. People, both co-workers and students, bring kids in all the time. While I'm not going to run over to see your new baby or meet your 9 year old, I don't mind them being around as long as they don't cry/scream or otherwise disturb everyone else. And yes, I have asked parents to bring their kid home and come back later because their child/teen was causing a disruption. Doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

just_Jennie1

Maybe I have a different definition of hate then. To me, hating a person or class of persons means, partly, to wish them ill. It's actively disliking them to that point. I hate pedophiles. I hate people who torture animals. I hate the people who during war times put civilians in camps to rape and kill them. I wish these people didn't exist. Hate is a strong word, it's not just indifference or dislike, and it's more than just not wanting to be around them. That's why I can't fathom hating babies. Or hating a race of persons. Or hating homosexuals.

Would it make you feel better if they said that they "extremely dislike" children?

There's lots of things that I say I hate:
Beets, winter, cold, stupid people, fried spinach, slow drivers, little yippy dogs, commercials . . . doesn't mean I wish any of those things "ill will" it's just an expression.

I'm pretty sure you've used that term before.

Jennisin1

Geez.. I actually had to come into work sometimes during my maternity leave for important meeting and would leave my baby with my assistant for an hour... and sometimes they come into have lunch with me and say hi to everyone.

Most people seem really happy to see a cute baby for a few minutes.

ajmaupin

In my office, people are allowed to bring their kids and set up playpens and the like in their office/cubicle space for like 6 months after birth and several people take advantage of it.... I don't get it.

I come to work to socialize with other adults and get away from my kids for 9 hrs a day, 5 days a week. I do not want to be around your crying baby. After having my kids, I was dying to get back to work. Apparently, others do not feel like I do.

Also, kids are gross, they throw up everywhere, bring in all kinds of germs and they are just a distraction. Once i left my office for a drink of water and a group was racing their newly crawling babies.

metaphoria

Children aren't vermin, they are people. Do other people enter your workplace, like friends or relatives of co-workers? Are you this venomous about their presence or are you just bigoted against children? I am actively teaching my children to respect peoples boundaries, speak politely and try to be friendly to people. It's a shame those values arent more widespread on these forums.

There is a bit of a difference between a screaming child and a grown adult who understands how to behave in an office workplace. Either way, visitors aren't allowed in our office. So friends, family and children are all unwelcome inside my office. My work expects is to work while here. Not visit with or babysit children.

Children do other things than scream. What about the adults who talk loudly on the phone?

And obviously visitirs are allowed as per the OP's work policy. I wouldn't want to bring children into a work setting unless there was a specific reason. However, insulting children is a rather low blow whether they are allowed there or not.

KatrinaWilke

I'll complain bc I didn't get enough sleep, and she'll say "I never get enough sleep, I have kids." B!TCH, you CHOSE to have kids. I have no kids, therefore I am allowed to be miserable when I am exhausted. YOU are allowed to be miserable if you're exhausted, you just can't blame your kids for it because you're the one who brought them into the world in the first place. Another example is I once posted a picture of a really cool manicure I did myself, and she said I wish I had the time to do my nails.

This is why I stopped eating lunch in our breakroom at work. I got tired of hearing these kinds of responses to everything I would say!

Why dont you tell them this on their face and not here? Maybe you would hear from them some annoying things you have been saying too! All of us are annoying in some way or other :flowerforyou:

I don't say annoying things to them because I don't talk to them. Well not anymore at least. But it wasn't just that what they were saying was annoying. They were just downright rude. For example, I would say "I am really tired I need some coffee" and they would say "You don't know what tired means until you have kids" or I would say "I need to clean my house" and they would say "We can tell you don't have kids, wait until you have kids, you can never clean your house" or I would say "I am going to go to the gym during lunch" and they would say "Wait until you have kids, you won't be so in shape"

You get the picture.....it's not that they are being annoying, just being down right rude!!!

JeniferEverx3

I'll complain bc I didn't get enough sleep, and she'll say "I never get enough sleep, I have kids." B!TCH, you CHOSE to have kids. I have no kids, therefore I am allowed to be miserable when I am exhausted. YOU are allowed to be miserable if you're exhausted, you just can't blame your kids for it because you're the one who brought them into the world in the first place. Another example is I once posted a picture of a really cool manicure I did myself, and she said I wish I had the time to do my nails.

This is why I stopped eating lunch in our breakroom at work. I got tired of hearing these kinds of responses to everything I would say!

Why dont you tell them this on their face and not here? Maybe you would hear from them some annoying things you have been saying too! All of us are annoying in some way or other :flowerforyou:

I don't say annoying things to them because I don't talk to them. Well not anymore at least. But it wasn't just that what they were saying was annoying. They were just downright rude. For example, I would say "I am really tired I need some coffee" and they would say "You don't know what tired means until you have kids" or I would say "I need to clean my house" and they would say "We can tell you don't have kids, wait until you have kids, you can never clean your house" or I would say "I am going to go to the gym during lunch" and they would say "Wait until you have kids, you won't be so in shape"

You get the picture.....it's not that they are being annoying, just being down right rude!!!

EXACTLY!!!!!

It is bizarre to me that the same type of parents who treat people who don't have kids as if they have no right to be stressed, tired, miserable, frustrated, angry, sad, etc. just because they don't have kids are the same parents that constantly complain about how difficult their lives are because they have kids. Nobody told you to spread your legs, have sex, get pregnant, or keep the child. You made that decision now you can live with it, and you have no right to tell anyone else how they are allowed to feel. I have a sex life, I am on the pill. Should the pill ever fail me and I get pregnant, I would never dream of getting an abortion. I also would not give my child up. From that point on I would devote myself to being a good parent to my child, which would include teaching them right and wrong, how to behave, and raising them to best of my ability to be pleasant human beings. I might still complain about things like lack of sleep, messy house, no money, etc. but that's ok because at the same time I wouldn't be preaching to everyone and their mother about how they should all have kids because kids are made of unicorn poop and glitter.

Fullsterkur_woman

but that's ok because at the same time I wouldn't be preaching to everyone and their mother about how they should all have kids because kids are made of unicorn poop and glitter.

I think it's an evolutionary necessity for the protection of the species. Parents have to tell themselves that having kids is so effing wonderful because if they looked at it objectively they'd probably want to blow their own brains out.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/04/why-having-kids-is-foolish/

Fullsterkur_woman

Children do other things than scream. What about the adults who talk loudly on the phone?

Hate them too. And those mother-effers who talk on the phone in public restrooms! I make rude sounds and flush the toilet repeatedly when that happens. No conversation is so important that it won't keep while you answer the call of nature.

I guess most people have been conditioned to have a strong reaction when someone says they hate something. That's not my problem.

I think their particular idiolect may just have a different working definition of hate. (Just in case, see below.)

id·i·o·lect noun \ˈi-dē-ə-ˌlekt\
: the language or speech pattern of one individual at a particular period of life

BinaryPulsar

It is bizarre to me that the same type of parents who treat people who don't have kids as if they have no right to be stressed, tired, miserable, frustrated, angry, sad, etc. just because they don't have kids are the same parents that constantly complain about how difficult their lives are because they have kids.

The people that are unhappy with parenthood are unhappy with that and think everyone that has no kids has it better that's why they complain about having kids and complain about how life is easier without kids. They'd probably be a grumpy, narcissistic, drama queen whether they had kids or not.

JeniferEverx3

but that's ok because at the same time I wouldn't be preaching to everyone and their mother about how they should all have kids because kids are made of unicorn poop and glitter.

I think it's an evolutionary necessity for the protection of the species. Parents have to tell themselves that having kids is so effing wonderful because if they looked at it objectively they'd probably want to blow their own brains out.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/04/why-having-kids-is-foolish/

I think kids are great, they just cause a lot of frustration for people who aren't their parents when they are really badly behaved, or brought to an environment that isn't appropriate for them to be there, like a nice restaurant or a movie theatre. My stupid cousin would argue that even parents have the right to go out and do something nice together, and they can't always find a babysitter. To this I would say well guess what, when you can't find a babysitter you suck it up and stay home, rather than making the other patrons suffer - you know the people who didn't choose to have children, or the people who DID find a babysitter?

There are many reasons I don't want children. Many parents have created an image of what parental life is like, and it has no appeal to me anymore. I am not in a place where I feel financially stable enough to properly care for another human being, even if I did have the desire. Also, I think this world in the state that it is currently in, is a sh!tty place to force another human being into existence. Welcome to the world, son/daughter, watch out for bullies, teachers who *kitten* their students, murderers, kidnappers, terrible education, taxes you can hardly afford, 7 million holidays celebrating individual food items in a country that is now famous for an obesity epidemic, people who judge you for no good reason, law enforcement and firefighters who make less $ than everybody else, people who play sports for a living that make more $$$ than everyone else, the media/news which used to inform us of important events but now they tell us lies and talk about Kanye West and Kim Kardashian because that's important, police who abuse their power, justice systems that lock up innocent people for life, but put murderers on probation, glorified celebrities who are the worst role models ever, HORRIBLE TERRIBLE MEANINGLESS MUSIC, a government that makes everything 10x worse every single day, doctors who don't give a flying poo about you, health insurance you can't afford but you have to have or the government will destroy your life, I could go on forever. I think bringing a kid into this world would be cruel.

Achrya

Children do other things than scream. What about the adults who talk loudly on the phone?

Hate them too. And those mother-effers who talk on the phone in public restrooms! I make rude sounds and flush the toilet repeatedly when that happens. No conversation is so important that it won't keep while you answer the call of nature.

I guess most people have been conditioned to have a strong reaction when someone says they hate something. That's not my problem.

I think their particular idiolect may just have a different working definition of hate. (Just in case, see below.)

id·i·o·lect noun \ˈi-dē-ə-ˌlekt\
: the language or speech pattern of one individual at a particular period of life

I don't get why people think you can't hate kids AND hate all other groups of annoying people. I hate annoying parents, I hate people who stand at the register talking on the phone while the cashier is trying to talk to them, I hate when people bring their spouse to work for no damn reason (My husband has never just come to my job. he picks me up, and might come in if I'm taking too long, but he isn't there to visit or say hello. I don't think he's ever uttered more than five words to anyone. But we're an anti-social couple...)

zephtalah

Wow! There are a lot of really grumpy people! I could totally see someone taking their infant to work especially if they are breastfeeding. Whether or not I took our children to my husbands workplace largely depended on the type of environment and whether or not it would be a disruption or unsafe. With one of his jobs it would have been extremely impractical, so I never did. Later he had a job closer to home and we would periodically surprise Daddy with fresh baked cookies or a drink, but we went in and saw him; we didn't take a tour of the entire facility getting in peoples's way. There were times that my husband wanted us to meet a coworker or two because he loves his children and is proud of them. Parents should be considerate of others and keep sick children away, but grumpy people can just deal with it. I make sure my children are polite and not getting into things that they aren't supposed to be in, but your disdain for humanity is your issue not mine.

Fullsterkur_woman

But we're an anti-social couple...)

But you make a great team together, right? If so, I totally relate.

Fullsterkur_woman

I think bringing a kid into this world would be cruel.

And I can't disagree with you.

Fullsterkur_woman

Wow! There are a lot of really grumpy people! I could totally see someone taking their infant to work especially if they are breastfeeding. Whether or not I took our children to my husbands workplace largely depended on the type of environment and whether or not it would be a disruption or unsafe. With one of his jobs it would have been extremely impractical, so I never did. Later he had a job closer to home and we would periodically surprise Daddy with fresh baked cookies or a drink, but we went in and saw him; we didn't take a tour of the entire facility getting in peoples's way. There were times that my husband wanted us to meet a coworker or two because he loves his children and is proud of them. Parents should be considerate of others and keep sick children away, but grumpy people can just deal with it. I make sure my children are polite and not getting into things that they aren't supposed to be in, but your disdain for humanity is your issue not mine.

Yet you felt compelled to come in here and comment about it? :huh: Seems legit.

BinaryPulsar

but that's ok because at the same time I wouldn't be preaching to everyone and their mother about how they should all have kids because kids are made of unicorn poop and glitter.

I think it's an evolutionary necessity for the protection of the species. Parents have to tell themselves that having kids is so effing wonderful because if they looked at it objectively they'd probably want to blow their own brains out.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/04/why-having-kids-is-foolish/

I really really hope that people don't have kids because they think it is an economic investment. Do you do everything you do because you see it as an economic investment? Personally, I don't. What about people that donate and do volunteer work? Obviously there are different types of people in this world that like different things. I enjoy having a family. I enjoy my husband. I enjoy my daughters. My family of origin is extremely dysfunctional and I like having a family that isn't. And I like kids so much that I dance once a week with babies and toddlers by choice. I don't expect other people to like children or to want a family and I don't think they should. But, having two daughters does not cause me to want to blow my brains out. Recently I went through something incredibly difficult and was starting to plummet into a depression, but for me it was seeing the joy that my children had and spending time with them that pulled me out of it. Of course I don't expect others to feel about my children the way I do, just like I don't expect others to feel about my husband the way I do.

I also don't agree that my feelings for my children increase if I think they cost a lot. Financial difficulty does not sound rewarding to me. The article makes sense if all people are sociopaths.

BinaryPulsar

Well, no my last sentence isn't true. I just don't understand the article. How is a relationship with a human child different from other relationships in which there is love. If a family faces financial challenges it is more rough on the family and they just need to be resilient, but it doesn't impact the love they have. The article views children as being objects. That was why I said the last statement. But, parents do not experience their children as being objects such as a car or a tv. I would throw away, give away, or sell a car or a tv. I wouldn't do that with my child. That's all I meant.

JoRocka

but that's ok because at the same time I wouldn't be preaching to everyone and their mother about how they should all have kids because kids are made of unicorn poop and glitter.

I think it's an evolutionary necessity for the protection of the species. Parents have to tell themselves that having kids is so effing wonderful because if they looked at it objectively they'd probably want to blow their own brains out.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/04/why-having-kids-is-foolish/

dear god that's true.

Hate them too. And those mother-effers who talk on the phone in public restrooms! I make rude sounds and flush the toilet repeatedly when that happens. No conversation is so important that it won't keep while you answer the call of nature.

I guess most people have been conditioned to have a strong reaction when someone says they hate something. That's not my problem.

I think their particular idiolect may just have a different working definition of hate. (Just in case, see below.)

id·i·o·lect noun \ˈi-dē-ə-ˌlekt\
: the language or speech pattern of one individual at a particular period of life

OMG I TOTALLY DO THAT. if someone is one the phone I get the WORST case of the ****s. Seriously. WORST CASE EVER- just magically happens at the same time. and the toilet must get flushed at least 5 times!!!

. Parents should be considerate of others and keep sick children away, but grumpy people can just deal with it.

work is work- it's not a grocery store where I am FORCED to share the same space with you. Kids do not belong at a work place- I should not be forced to just deal with it because you feel like you HAVE to see your significant other. That's not my problem- it's yours. I have to deal with screaming kids at the store enough as it is... why is it incumbant upon me to "just deal with it" I have to "just deal with it" at every family event- at every trip to the super market EVEN AT MY GYM- where I can hear the rugrats screaming and hollering OVER MY MUSIC.

nope- work and the movies and art museums- places small children should never be (unless it's a kids movie or kids display at the museum obviously- in which case I would NOT be there purely for that reason.)

If a family faces financial challenges it is more rough on the family and they just need to be resilient, but it doesn't impact the love they have

is that way most of family problems stem from money? Financial issues are the number one wedge in households.

BinaryPulsar

If a family faces financial challenges it is more rough on the family and they just need to be resilient, but it doesn't impact the love they have

is that way most of family problems stem from money? Financial issues are the number one wedge in households.

No. I don't know. We don't have anything like that going on in our family. I was just responding to the article. Well, trying. I didn't relate to it. A lot of times challenges do actually bring people closer together because they support each other. If people don't understand love they can interpret that however they want.

Oh, maybe this is a statement, not a question. I interpreted it as a question.

Some people enjoy kids. Some people don't. It's no big deal.

m_johannes

....... I take my dog to work with me. Coworkers love it.

Fullsterkur_woman

If a family faces financial challenges it is more rough on the family and they just need to be resilient, but it doesn't impact the love they have

is that way most of family problems stem from money? Financial issues are the number one wedge in households.

No. I don't know. We don't have anything like that going on in our family. I was just responding to the article. Well, trying. I didn't relate to it. A lot of times challenges do actually bring people closer together because they support each other. If people don't understand love they can interpret that however they want.

Oh, maybe this is a statement, not a question. I interpreted it as a question.

Some people enjoy kids. Some people don't. It's no big deal.

And speaking solely on my behalf, I feel that you are very welcome in this thread because you don't go non-linear about someone else's opinion that a) you can't control and b) you have no right to try to control anyway. (and by "you" I mean "one", not "BinaryPulsar", which, BTW, is just the most awesome name!) I truly like hearing your perspective. You sound realistic about your parenthood, you're not romanticizing it into something it's not, so your deep feelings about it seem genuine. If even 1 in 10 parents was like that, this world would be a lot better place.

Some people seem to view our expressing our opinion as a challenge or threat, and it almost seems like their eyes glaze over and they get into this cultish behavior of "defend and deny", and that's what makes us sit back and say "Methinks thou dost protest too much," you know?

I truly appreciate having someone who likes kids come in and explicitly say it's no big deal for some people not to like kids, because, as you can see, otherwise, people act like we're organizing a public stoning or something.

BinaryPulsar

If a family faces financial challenges it is more rough on the family and they just need to be resilient, but it doesn't impact the love they have

is that way most of family problems stem from money? Financial issues are the number one wedge in households.

No. I don't know. We don't have anything like that going on in our family. I was just responding to the article. Well, trying. I didn't relate to it. A lot of times challenges do actually bring people closer together because they support each other. If people don't understand love they can interpret that however they want.

Oh, maybe this is a statement, not a question. I interpreted it as a question.

Some people enjoy kids. Some people don't. It's no big deal.

And speaking solely on my behalf, I feel that you are very welcome in this thread because you don't go non-linear about someone else's opinion that a) you can't control and b) you have no right to try to control anyway. (and by "you" I mean "one", not "BinaryPulsar", which, BTW, is just the most awesome name!) I truly like hearing your perspective. You sound realistic about your parenthood, you're not romanticizing it into something it's not, so your deep feelings about it seem genuine. If even 1 in 10 parents was like that, this world would be a lot better place.

Some people seem to view our expressing our opinion as a challenge or threat, and it almost seems like their eyes glaze over and they get into this cultish behavior of "defend and deny", and that's what makes us sit back and say "Methinks thou dost protest too much," you know?

I truly appreciate having someone who likes kids come in and explicitly say it's no big deal for some people not to like kids, because, as you can see, otherwise, people act like we're organizing a public stoning or something.

Oh, thanks so much! I really appreciate this. I wasn't sure if I was just butting into a conversation that I should just let you guys talk and not keep coming in here and responding. Yeah, people like different things in life. And life is complex (not black and white, not all good or all bad).

Fullsterkur_woman

nope- work and the movies and art museums- places small children should never be (unless it's a kids movie or kids display at the museum obviously- in which case I would NOT be there purely for that reason.)

I pay special attention to those "Kids Eat FREE!!!" signs restaurants put up so I can know which days to avoid that place like the plague! That's one day that place ain't getting my cash!

Also, Alamo Draft House FTW! They have one show a week where you can take babies-- Tuesday morning. And the rest of the time, "All patrons must be 18 years or older or be accompanied by a parent." Not perfect, but a vaaast improvement. And they have a no-bull@#$t no-talking-no-texting-or-we'll-take-your-*kitten*-out policy. It's been forever since I've been to a theater, but it's been even more forever since I went to one anywhere but there. At least a dozen years.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I also don't judge people for not wanting or even liking kids. They smell funny.

neandermagnon

but that's ok because at the same time I wouldn't be preaching to everyone and their mother about how they should all have kids because kids are made of unicorn poop and glitter.

I think it's an evolutionary necessity for the protection of the species. Parents have to tell themselves that having kids is so effing wonderful because if they looked at it objectively they'd probably want to blow their own brains out.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/04/why-having-kids-is-foolish/

I really really hope that people don't have kids because they think it is an economic investment. Do you do everything you do because you see it as an economic investment? Personally, I don't. What about people that donate and do volunteer work? Obviously there are different types of people in this world that like different things. I enjoy having a family. I enjoy my husband. I enjoy my daughters. My family of origin is extremely dysfunctional and I like having a family that isn't. And I like kids so much that I dance once a week with babies and toddlers by choice. I don't expect other people to like children or to want a family and I don't think they should. But, having two daughters does not cause me to want to blow my brains out. Recently I went through something incredibly difficult and was starting to plummet into a depression, but for me it was seeing the joy that my children had and spending time with them that pulled me out of it. Of course I don't expect others to feel about my children the way I do, just like I don't expect others to feel about my husband the way I do.

I also don't agree that my feelings for my children increase if I think they cost a lot. Financial difficulty does not sound rewarding to me. The article makes sense if all people are sociopaths.

I agree with you (and your other posts)

(general points addressed at the whole thread)

My kids are a PITA at times but they don't make me want to blow my brains out. They're little humans, and I related to them as human beings, not objects. They behave differently because they're at a different developmental stage to adults, and as such do need to be handled differently. I don't see them as a financial investment either, and I also think the cost of raising kids is exaggerated (maybe I'll change my mind when they're teenagers and eating me out of house and home lol). I enjoy interacting with kids generally, and my kids are special to me because they have 50% of my DNA and we evolved that way.

I think there are a lot of important points on this thread, in particular not inflicting your kids presence on people in places where kids are not supposed to be, and just expect them to be okay with it because you think your kids are cute or whatever. Not everyone likes kids, and IMO that's okay. I'm not a big fan of being in the presence of animals. I like to study stuff like animal behaviour, my favourite animals from that perspective are chimps and bonobos, and I care a lot about animal welfare, but I don't want to be around animals, definitely not have them in my home. I'm happy to take my kids to petting zoos, letting them pet the animals etc so long as it's done hygienically and safely, but I'm not into that myself. And if someone took their pet chimpanzee to work with them, I'd report them to animal welfare/RSPCA (I'm vehemently against anyone keeping higher primates as pets because they're social animals who need to be around their own kind) and wouldn't go anywhere near it. And even "normal" pets, like dogs and cats, as much as I like them from a distance, I don't want to pet them or have them lick me or anything like that. But lots of people like animals, have them as pets and I'm fine with that, so long as it's a species that isn't damaged by being kept as a pet, and that it's looked after properly and has all its needs met, etc. So I can see this whole child hatred thing from that point of view. Not everyone likes or wants kids, and those people don't want to be around other people's kids, and there should be child-free options for entertainment.

Another example, yesterday I went to see the Hobbit 2, there was a young child next to me, said child got terrified (giant scary spiders in 3D....) and child's father left the cinema with him about half way through the film. I don't know what certificate the hobbit has (I didn't check because I didn't take my kids) but IMO parents should check this kind of thing before taking their kids to the cinema and even if the child is technically allowed to see the film, a PG certificate doesn't mean "yeah, take the kids" it means "if your child is particularly sensitive, they may be really upset by this film, so find out why it's a PG and don't take your child if they're going to be terrified". And even a U (suitable for all) doesn't mean it won't be scary to really little kids. And it's not fair on kids to be taken to places where they're expected to sit still and be quiet for hours at a time (which includes the cinema if the film is above the cognitive level your child's currently at), so there is some responsibility on behalf of parents to not take kids to places that are not suitable for kids.

Fullsterkur_woman

My kids are a PITA at times but they don't make me want to blow my brains out. They're little humans, and I related to them as human beings, not objects. They behave differently because they're at a different developmental stage to adults, and as such do need to be handled differently. I don't see them as a financial investment either, and I also think the cost of raising kids is exaggerated (maybe I'll change my mind when they're teenagers and eating me out of house and home lol). I enjoy interacting with kids generally, and my kids are special to me because they have 50% of my DNA and we evolved that way.

I think there are a lot of important points on this thread, in particular not inflicting your kids presence on people in places where kids are not supposed to be, and just expect them to be okay with it because you think your kids are cute or whatever. Not everyone likes kids, and IMO that's okay. I'm not a big fan of being in the presence of animals. I like to study stuff like animal behaviour, my favourite animals from that perspective are chimps and bonobos, and I care a lot about animal welfare, but I don't want to be around animals, definitely not have them in my home. I'm happy to take my kids to petting zoos, letting them pet the animals etc so long as it's done hygienically and safely, but I'm not into that myself. And if someone took their pet chimpanzee to work with them, I'd report them to animal welfare/RSPCA (I'm vehemently against anyone keeping higher primates as pets because they're social animals who need to be around their own kind) and wouldn't go anywhere near it. And even "normal" pets, like dogs and cats, as much as I like them from a distance, I don't want to pet them or have them lick me or anything like that. But lots of people like animals, have them as pets and I'm fine with that, so long as it's a species that isn't damaged by being kept as a pet, and that it's looked after properly and has all its needs met, etc. So I can see this whole child hatred thing from that point of view. Not everyone likes or wants kids, and those people don't want to be around other people's kids, and there should be child-free options for entertainment.

Another example, yesterday I went to see the Hobbit 2, there was a young child next to me, said child got terrified (giant scary spiders in 3D....) and child's father left the cinema with him about half way through the film. I don't know what certificate the hobbit has (I didn't check because I didn't take my kids) but IMO parents should check this kind of thing before taking their kids to the cinema and even if the child is technically allowed to see the film, a PG certificate doesn't mean "yeah, take the kids" it means "if your child is particularly sensitive, they may be really upset by this film, so find out why it's a PG and don't take your child if they're going to be terrified". And even a U (suitable for all) doesn't mean it won't be scary to really little kids. And it's not fair on kids to be taken to places where they're expected to sit still and be quiet for hours at a time (which includes the cinema if the film is above the cognitive level your child's currently at), so there is some responsibility on behalf of parents to not take kids to places that are not suitable for kids.

It's almost as if you make your decisions based on what is in the best interests of your children, rather than what suits you in the moment. *YOU* are what's wrong with parents today, madam. :laugh:

FlaxMilk

I love when people bring their babies or kids in. I wish it were ok to bring pets in (even though in reality it makes complete sense why you usually cannot.) My friend and I dream of opening a business where people can bring their children and incorporate childrearing into their days for people who can't afford daycare or don't want to be a SAHP but want to have their child near.

It really depends on the situation. I remember going to work with my parents a couple of times as a child. I'm not sure about now, but definitely when I was younger, our state did not have any kind of sick time as a mandatory benefit. You can and did get fired for getting sick three times in six months. It must have been more worth it to my parents' bosses to have them work that day than to stay home, whether paid or unpaid. It was more worth it to my parents to feed their family than to be popular with their coworkers.

If your boss allows it, and you hate it, look for a child free work environment rather than expect people not to do something they are allowed to do. In that case, you're the one with the problem, you make the change. In a child-free work environment, people who cannot afford daycare or don't have sick leave are the ones with the problem and have to look elsewhere. If babies are being smuggled into your building against company policy, talk to HR.