I WAS somewhat pleased to note that a few of our larger airlines are leaving a number of rows of seats in their craft to be used by childless adults.
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The significance of this sensible action was brought home to me in the strongest terms the other night, when my wife and I took our elderly mother out to Nowra to tea at a well known, excellent restaurant.
This venue is always a lovely, quiet and refined place to eat. The service is great and the food very good. We always go early so we miss the crowd and can get Mum in and out with little difficulty.
Last Friday night, at about 6.10pm, two couples in their mid-20s came in with a baby each, one about three months old and one about eight months old.
They were unfortunately seated right next to us, and we were then subjected to one mother breast feeding, while the other child screamed, then the youngest one joined in at twice the volume.
Not once did either pair of inconsiderate and decidedly uncaring adults think of taking the child outside or at least off to a place of a little more privacy.
We found out that this constant screaming is the fastest way to turn a lovely evening into a totally unenjoyable fiasco.
After giving the airlines a medal for their child policy, how about we set aside a restaurant area for screaming breast fed babies, or a soundproof room perhaps?
R. Stanyer,
Sanctuary Point.