Holy carp

come one get a grip we are talking STARBUCKS not a 5 star restaurant with 7 course meals and 400$ bottles of wine

we are talking a COFFE SHOP ... Not even a good one, so next thing is why do parnets take kids to the public pool

That's why I liked studying at Borders or Barnes & Noble. Much more open atmosphere, has a cafe, and you can peruse magazines and books when taking a break from studying--kind of like a library without the deafening silence.

I think the problem is larger than just coffee shops. I can definately understand the OP's annoyance, in that coffee shops are places to have a chat, not baby sit the kids. But the problem is in the lack of control in general, that unfortunately is extending to 'starbucks'.

I blame it on the mothers. Doubly-offending is that it's hard to hit on them when they have their brats along. I mean I do have some scruples

Who makes the rules that we are supposed to live by in your fantasy world? I failed to notice the sign on the wall that said "No children allowed". It is common courtesy to manage your children in public. It is the right of a private business to decide who they will serve or not serve without discriminating against protected classes.

I continue to be be amazed at the degree to which some are bothered that they cannot completely control the environment in which they find themselves.

Oh 'cmon! You aren't really surprised are you? Isn't it the very nature of man to control other men?

I think we just want the parents to control their brats. Da-dee, da-dee that's all folks!

Here's a litle something for the OP and those who would ban children from cafes to think about:

My niece the barista works in a bookstore cafe. Yesterday I stopped in to pick up a book for my son and I asked her boss, who ownes the business, what he thought about the issues discussed in this thread.

He said moms with young kids are very welcome because they spend money at his cafe. He keeps a basket of toys in the cafe for kids.

However, "laptop campers" are not - because they hurt his bottom line. He's started charging for WiFi to discourage the guys who come in with a computer and expect to tie up a table for 3 hours for the price of one coffee. And the owner really hates people who think his bookstore is a free library, take the magazines into the cafe to read and damage them so he can't sell them.

So maybe who decides about who belongs someplace is the business owner, not the people who feel themselves inconvenienced by paying customers.

He never said they have MORE rights, just as many. I often go to the little bagel cafe not far from my house. I usually read while I am there and children don't bother me in the least. People really need to chill when it comes to children in public places.

They don't belong at Starbucks. They belong on airplanes:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...2&page=1&pp=15

Mike

Coffee places aren't strip clubs or casino's kids have a right to be there every bit as much as an adult does. Secondly I think it's MORE considerate of a parent to bring there kids to starbucks then to a sitdown restraunt. In the past parents may have brought there kids to McDonalds, Starbucks is the a popular fastfood/to go place casual kinda place. Deal with it.

I definately agree Starbucks is a casual place. Everytime I go in there it has been semi-noisy with people chatting over coffee.

I agree. It's about time more people adopted the habit of the English aristocracy: children should be immediately escorted from the birthing suite (if not earlier) and sent out to boarding schools in remote locations until the age of majority. That way, there's no chance that others might face the unbearable trauma of running into them in a public place.

Agreed, kids can't be expected on their own to understand the social environment their in- it is up to parents to make the effort.

I fall into both camps: sometimes I use Starbucks as a temporary workspace when I travel, and when home my 8-year old son loves their rice krispie bars.

It is absolutely true that when I am at my local Starbucks with my son, I spend a ton more than I do when I am alone at a Starbucks when on the road!!

That said, my son knows how to behave in public, and if he starts to get obnoxious I remind him of what the expectations are for behavior in public.

Starbucks was a fastfood restaurant and not a library the last time I checked.