childfree

It’s the people that changed. It used to be common sense. There were places parents knew that you just didn’t bring kids. But now, parents are taught to be entitled. They demand to bring kids everywhere.

The other night, my SO and I went out for dinner at a nearby place and there was literally a group of kids running laps through the tables while the parents just looked on.

No way am I saying don't get your kids out for dinner but atleast enforce basic courtesy applicable in public spaces!!

I get you. I also hate kids running around. I understand they're kids and they don't know better, but their moms don't even care. That's the problem because the kids never learn to respect other people's space.

Late stage capitalism, savage capitalism, an overcapitalized society, whatever you want to call it... It's a bunch of different factors that all eat away at the social fabric that make raising kids easier

Housing is expensive, and people frequently move for a job. It's pretty unusual to live next door to family, who would often give free childcare. You also don't get neighborhoods full of young parents anymore - everyone is just living wherever they can afford to

For-profit media - thanks to decades of horror stories (of crimes that peaked in the 80s, but are great for viewership), leaving a child not in the hands of a specific, designated adult is grounds for a CPS visit in a lot of places. You can't drop them off at the park (even if there are many adults present) or leave them at home anymore, regardless of if they actually need the supervision. It's one thing if they're 3, but a 7 year old can generally keep themselves alive pretty well, especially if you prepare them for it

Monetization and over scheduling - activities for them are paid and have specific time slots. Tae Kwon do is an hour at 6, soccer is 5-7... If you're late you need to find someone to watch them. And most of that requires money and a big time investment because of car culture

Babysitters are the exception, but they're either rare or expensive. Minimum wage isn't near enough for teens to want to do such a crap job (parents often treat them like crap and expect a lot more from them now), and teens are less trusted. They even have certifications for teens that are a few hundred bucks to teach them what to do in an emergency - basically the heimlich maneuver, how to change a diaper, and when to call 911. Adult professionals have regulations to meet, and are a significant cost

Finally, we're pushed hard to be individuals that can be interchangeable and portable labor. Outside of family, we don't have the same tight bonds of friendship our parents or grandparents did... And even family doesn't mean what it used to

I wish there were more adults only places/days. I am autistic and children are very overstimulating. Plus I like doing childish things so.... Gimme a no child night at an arcade or mini golf or something and I would be there so fast

Sorry to hear, and this isn’t going to help much, but sometimes going childfree can be an economic decision. My favorite place to stay in Las Vegas is Circa, and one of its features are no kids allowed. I don’t mean no small children, or just no children in the casino, I mean no one under 21 is even allowed past the door, ID is checked. Not in the hotel, not in the restaurants, not in the pool. And it’s a great pool.

Because mom groups are filled with awful, awful people who don't care how their behavior affects others.

I understand your frustration. I would be very annoyed if I was in the same situation. We need adult only places that are not nfsw.

Stone restaurant and brewery added an array of chicken tendies and there's kids climbing all over the rocks.

The struggle is real.

Let's expand childcare so it's not so prohibitively expensive!

I don't even get why the mom groups would find it appealing - are the haircuts unusually good or cheap or something? Do the moms partake of the whiskey? There are hair salons just for kids, with Xboxes and everything - if you want to go somewhere and have your kids be able to run around like crazy people while they're getting haircuts, there are way better options.

I have two kids- 7 and 8. Sometimes I want to get away from them (and everyone else’s kids too). If I had a spot like you described and it got co-opted I’d be pissed.

Ultimately it’s up to whoever owns the business though. I’m guessing the two hour waits mean more money for the business owner and barbers that work there.

That’s just bad business sense if they allow that to continue.

I'm sorry that happened to you. Let the business owner know that all of those kids are ruining the vibe that you patronize their business for. Solving this problem could be as easy as the barber shop offering something like a kids day where they don't serve whiskey and instead serve lemonade or something, allowing that day to be the main kids day.

I think you don't see those adult only places much any more because to most they have outlived their usefulness. There are 2 factors behind this. First, there are far fewer children around nowadays than before. When everyone had multiple children, adult only spaces were necessary if anyone wanted to get anything done. The second, and honestly a great thing from a childfree point of view, is that between birth control and abortion, most people who do have kids genuinely want them. I suspect that most of the demand for those adult only spaces in the past was from people who were seeking peace from their own kids. Of course all parents need breaks from their kids, but ever noticed that the people who complain the most about their children are the ones who had them out of obligation rather than desire?