A Happy Child Is Unruly, Restless and Noisy
A happy child is unruly, restless and noisy. His hands will want to touch everything, and his eyes will long to discover all the wonders of the world.
We must allow our children to take full advantage of their childhood, which is the most beautiful and magical time in their lives.
Surprisingly enough, a movement has recently emerged that seems to not understand the essence of what childhood is and the value it represents for society.
Today it’s possible to find multiple restaurants, bars and hotels that clearly indicate “no children allowed.”
We all know that when it comes to offering a service, each business is free to propose what it wants, especially if there is a demand for it.
In fact, countries like the US or UK were the first to offer places in hotels and restaurants with the slogan “child free” so that clients don’t have to endure tears, tantrums or children’s games.
We can all understand this idea more or less, but what is more difficult for us is having to respect these situations where “adultism” suddenly arises, and where society stops being empathetic to the world of children.
We invite you to reflect on this.
The unruly child and supposedly “bad” mother
We’re sure that more than one mother has experienced the following situation. You’re in a public space and suddenly your child starts to cry. Soon, all eyes are on you with an air of annoyance, as if we are doing something wrong as a mother.
This is what has lately been denounced on social media and other sites. We can recall, for example, two interesting stories that serve to contextualize the idea of “childphobia.”
Critical and incomprehensible situations
Sarah Blackwood is a well-known Canadian singer who suffered one of the most uncomfortable moments of her life two years ago. She had to fly to Vancouver with her 23-month-old child while also 7 months pregnant.
- The plane had not yet taken off when her child broke down in tears. The passengers then began to look at her and to murmur. It didn’t take long for her to hear the usual comments: “These mothers don’t know how to take care of their children.”
- Soon the stewardess appeared, telling her that she should calm her son, otherwise they would be forced to remove him from the flight because he was bothering other passengers.
- Sarah Blackwood was terrified by this common reaction, by the lack of sensitivity and understanding of what childhood is. Her son took less than 10 minutes to calm down and was relaxed until landing. However, those 10 minutes were enough to annoy a whole plane.
- The same thing happened to another young woman, who published her story on the portal “Love What Matters.” She also had to make a plane trip, and her baby started crying in the middle of the flight. The criticisms, reproaches and comments did not hesitate to flood the plane.
- The young mother entered a state of anxiety that worsened the situation even more, until suddenly a “good soul” appeared. An older man approached her and in a quiet voice said the magic words: “Don’t worry, you’re a good mother.”
Then he began to distract the baby, talking to her and showing her pictures on his tablet. It was wonderful. At least that person understood what childhood is, the needs of a child, and the importance of affection, patience and closeness.
Childphobia versus “family friendly”
A rebellious child who explores, who observes, who is excited, who laughs sometimes or who cries sometimes, is above all a happy child who is discovering the world.
All these uncomfortable situations quoted above almost invite us to conclude that there are people who have the wrong idea of what parenting is.
Children need to interact with us
- If a child cries, it is because he needs something from his mother. Children who are raised in orphanages, for example, often stop crying because they have come to understand that they are not always going to be cared for.
- An unruly and restless child is not the result of a permissive or carefree parent. Each individual is unique and has his or her own personality.
A boy or girl is not a miniature adult. They need to interact with us and with the environment that surrounds them.
Later they will have time to remain quiet, to be adults. But it is necessary to respect that wonderful stage: childhood.
The “family friendly” premises
Faced with the growing trend of “no children allowed,” a response has been aimed at those families who, almost without knowing how, have been denied entry to certain premises.
- Now, we can find fun offers under the motto “family friendly” to go out to lunch or spend the holidays with the kids in hotels and other premises focused on them.
- The real customers are the children, and in every corner it distills the sensitivity of true professionals who do understand childhood.
- All spaces are adapted for children: there are highchairs, colored cups, changing tables, stimulating games… silence is prohibited and children are, at all times, meant to be themselves.
Because growing up in joy, happiness and respect is a wonderful thing that we should all encourage.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Corkille Briggs, D. (1994). El niño feliz. Su clave psicológica, 25.
- Biddulph, S. (1996). El secreto del niño feliz: una guía imprescindible para padres y educadores. Edaf.
- Hogg, T. (2005). El secreto de educar niños felices y seguros. Editorial Norma.
