Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Use your inside voices please

I say it practically every day at school. Some little ones have their volumn level up too high and need a reminder that they do not need to yell to get someone's attention.

Well, a store owner also decided to remind the little ones (and I can't help to think the adults also) that it was important to use their "inside voices" in his eating establishment. And parents got miffed and offended. Read it in its entirety in the New York Times
At Center of a Clash, Rowdy Children in Coffee Shops

The owner of A Taste of Heaven, Dan McCauley, said he posted the sign - at child level, with playful handprints - in the hope of quieting his tin-ceilinged cafe, where toddlers have been known to sprawl between tables and hurl themselves at display cases for sport.

My goodness - a gentle reminder and folks get their noses bent out of shape. If only we had to worry about more important things.....

7 comments:

Emily said...

If one takes offense at that. . .

(now, about those cell phones. . .)

LutheranChik said...

What are the offended parents actually saying about the quality of their own kids' manners???!!! They should be grateful that someone else in "the village" is willing to help them grow up their kids.

Jody Harrington said...

Amen, LutheranChik. Preach it.

Anonymous said...

I'm (unfortunately) not surprised. We have to deal with situations like this all the time. The Berkshires is one of the main vacation spots for people from 'The City' and trust me, these people believe that they and their children can do no wrong.

Susan said...

HI,
I stumbled onto your blog through Norma's Collecting My Thoughts blog.

I heard Dan McCauley on the radio talking with Mitch Albom about this. It's crazy...as a former children's librarian, we sure had to remind plenty of kids to use inside voices. AND, as a mom of an 8 and 2 year old, what mom has the desire to got out to a coffee shop with kids in tow anyway?? My local house of cafe has a drive-thru!

By the way, do you read or pray while knitting? I sure do...what peace! (A little Bach doesn't hurt either.)

Running2Ks said...

Oh geez. Only parents who don't help moderate their children's behavior when they are out would be offended by that.

Maybe the place will quiet down after they leave. Sheesh. Manners are a *good* thing, right?

Cathy said...

Susan,
I try to pray while knitting, especially while working on shawls for our shawl ministry. I do like to try to focus on that aspect of my knitting as part of my prayer life.