People without children, are you prejudiced against those with children?

Question

I hate to be labelled or discriminated against myself...

-However, when I see people with children enter a theater or a restaurant...I cringe when I think they may sit next to me. I fear that they will not behave well, will be loud, will be up and about, etc...
-If I owned rental property, I would think twice about renting to someone with children, because many times those homes are not maintained well, etc...
-I also know that those that I work with whom have children, miss work far more than those without children...leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack

This, and I love my neices and nephews and thoroughly enjoy spending time with them...and their "noise" does not bother me...however, they are well behaved, and I know one word from a person of authority and they mind well.

Your thoughts? Do you have these same thoughts? Is this prejudice?

So, what are your thoughts

Answer 1

I don't have children. I don't even like children. Today's kids seem to be a bunch of spoiled, overindulged barbarians, with no manners. When I am truthful, and say that out loud, the people who have children look at me like I just said "I eat children for lunch three days a week."
Actually, my experience has been people with kids are more prejudiced against those of us without them. I think it's because they want all of us to be as miserable as they are, like married people when I tell them I am happily single.
Like you, I cringe when children enter the restaurant or movie theater. I usually go to the last show of the night to avoid kids, but I have seen people bringing kids into a 10:45 PM show! Insanity. In a perfect world, all movie theaters would restrict all shows after 9 PM to adults only, regardless of the movie's rating. But I know the people with kids would scream about it.
When I look at people with kids, I think to myself "I have more disposable income than they do."

Answer 2

Not prejudiced, as I have nothing against children who are well-behaved and parents who are actually responsible and teach their children manners and respect...

But brats who misbehave, are disrespectful, and unnecessarily noisy and irresponsible parents who just pump kid after kid out with no thought at all and don't teach their children any better...them I can live without.

I have the same thoughts that you do...I also get a knot in my stomach when I see people with kids, especially little kids, come into a restaurant where I'm eating or a theatre where I'm trying to enjoy a movie, and yes everytime I get new neighbors I find myself praying that they don't have kids. I don't think it's prejudice either...prejudice is an unfounded discrimination against entire groups of people based on stereotypes that may or may not have a basis in truth. Kids, on the average, do possess traits however that most people find unpleasant....they're noisy, they're smelly, they're messy, and too many people who have them display a strong sense of entitlement. But since you realize that not all kids and parents are that way, no it's not prejudice. It's wanting a bit of peace and quiet, not wanting any messes, and wanting things to be fair (re: parents giving equal time at work and not making childfree people pick up their slack).

Prejudice is also based on traits that a person can't change nor will ever change, and there's another reason not liking kids isn't prejudiced right there: Kids grow out of it all. Eventually. In most cases anyway.

And if people have a problem with you not liking kids, so bloody what? That's your right. I mean I know some people don't like cats either but I'm not going to give them a hard time about that.

Answer 3

I do not think I do any of what you mentioned. I don't mind kids in restaurants, I often make funny faces at them and get them to smile and laugh. I would have no problem renting to a family - they are far more stable then renting to a college student who is going to have keggers.

At work, in my dept., only one of us has kids and I will even alter my schedule so that he can have the time he needs with his children. After all, to raise a good human being you have to be there for them when they are young.

Perhaps what you say can be a prejudice; perhaps some think it a personal choice. It works the same in opposite; there are a number of people that think I hate kids just because I do not have any and that couldn't be further from the truth.

Answer 4

Not prejudiced, but envious.

And it is definitely true that people who do not have children are generally less accustomed to the noise and mess that go with children, especially small ones. We tend to assume that they are undisciplined, rather than the more realistic assessment that they are simply too young to be all that civilized. It takes time, I know, for them to learn good manners and decorum. But good parents do start young to attempt the civilizing process.

As to rental property, there are generally laws that protect a family's right to rent. They often limit how many people can be in a given rental, generally based on the number of bedrooms. So who is to say whether an out-of-control adult would not be far more trouble than a good kid?

And while it's true that people who have children tend to be off work somewhat more than those who do not, plenty of people who do not have children fake illness to get a day off sometimes, while parents are generally too conscious of how often they have taken off because of their children, and don't risk faking it. Also, they tend to be more frightened about losing their job as compared to someone who does not have children to feed. So it may even out.

There are good people and bad people at all ages, just as there are good and bad in all races and all religions, etc. It's silly to place too much emphasis on adults only. Seniors run into this all the time: they go into a senior-oriented housing situation, then find that their own grandchildren are unwelcome! Well, of course their grandkids are perfect little ladies and gentlemen, so what's the problem?

Answer 5

I used to loath children. I'm still rather ambivelent about them. I find them noisy, messy, and annoying.

But now I have a three year old nephew whom I absolutely adore and the mess doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I love to play with him, and teach him things. He's so much fun. My sister lived with me for about 4 or 5 months and I found myself not bothered in the least by the runny noses, diapers, and the 4 am wakeups with the hungry baby. It was fun to feed him, change him, and rock him to sleep. Sometimes I'd even get up with the baby so my sister didn't have to just because I wanted to.

I still am not sure I want any of my own and I'm 31 years old so I'm getting a little old to start having kids. But I have to say, it doesn't scare me the way it used to anymore.

However.... teenagers.... well most of them make me want to smack them. At least kids can be excused for being idiots but they really don't know better. Teenagers think they know everything and do things they shouldn't even though they know better because they don't seem to have self control.

Answer 6

Personally I don't get bothered when children disbehave because they are still innocent and wonderful in many ways, it just makes me sad when they have not been taught respect and consideration for others. They may still have a little bit of grace left but if they are never taught proper values, they will be spoiled and arrogant by the time they hit the teen years. It makes me very sad to see that happen.

Answer 7

I do have children, but even when I didn't I remembered when I saw kids- I was one once too- let children be children- they grow up far too quickly. I agree that there are some kids that are not well behaved at all, and that sometimes be the parents, or it can be the kids or a combination- but we should never wish children not to be around us- because Jesus said "let the children come to me". We all have to approach Him with a childlike faith- remember those kids do grow up to be adults- and I can tell you this- sometimes adults are more annoying to be around then kids.

Answer 8

I don't tend to like children, and people change a LOT once they have them, usually for the worse in my eyes. I never intend to have a child, given:

1.) The population is big enough already,
2.) I have no desire for it,
3.) I am uncertain of my own parenting ability,
4.) I do not want to spend all of my time and money on a baby/child/teenager,
5.) I'm already happy in my relationship.

Answer 9

I'm single without childreen and I see them at resturants & movies and think, "How wonderful", a beautiful family." I've even been bold enough to complement them which I belive needs to be done more often.

Real-estate sucks ... I'm a stock market type. If I were shopping for a real-estate agent, I would hire the family agent over the single agent.

I volunteer to teach RE to childreen which gives the parents time to take RE classes themselves; or get adult time.

I refuse to BUY anything from "Revelon" because they don't give proper family time to their employee's. They used to deny a pregnant mother time off. Well, since their consumers are primaily women, I refuse to buy their products because of their actions towards families.

Answer 10

Yeah I don't like the "noise" much either, at least from kids that I don't know. I don't mind my friend's kids' noise at all.

I especially hate it when, I'm trying to eat at a restaurant and there's some loud bastard jumping around everywhere.