The problem with society right now is that parents just don't supervise their kids properly. It is one or two bad ones running around and shouting that give an ill reputation to the 50 kids who do happen to behave properly.
This is, of course, the central issue. And, I completely agree. I was in a Sheraton lounge last week where a family with 3 kids was completely over the top in terms of being out of control. Both parents were yakking on their cell phones while the kids ran rampant throughout the lounge. One of the little darlings was filling his mouth with milk and spitting it out all over his younger sister while the oblivious parents kept on yakking. And, no, the kids weren't doing this quietly in the corner -- they were yelling and dropping things and bumping into adults who were sitting and standing.
It was astonishing to witness, frankly.
The parents never so much as looked up and I'm quite sure that every other patron in the lounge was staring at this family of 5 at the end.
With all of that said, it puts the hotel in a really tough spot. Do you set policies to affect everyone to protect us from situations like this? Or, do you set no policy and understand that this sort of thing will simply happen from time to time? There is no easy answer.
If I were the GM of this hotel, I would absolutely have wanted a lounge attendant (of which, mind you, there were 3 that I counted) to approach the family early on and ask that the parents actively supervise their brood. Why this didn't happen throughout the nearly 20 minute ordeal is beyond me.