Children are special. Like politics and religion, everyone has an opinion on their presence or absence from particular areas of life. Employers must recognise their existence (WorkSmart information from the UK union the TUC) and not moan when parents, usually the mother, take time off to be with a sick child, see their sports day or end-of-term play. Fathers are not forgotten though, with paternity rights enshrined in many countries’ laws and work ethic. Adoption and fostering leave is also available from large firms.
Every day on my bus journey from one job to the other, there is either a mum with a stroller-sized child or a gaggle of trolley-wielding pensioners bemoaning the amount of space taken up by said stroller. Sometimes both, resulting in uneasy pushings for space and animated stage-whispered mutterings, often set to a background of ever-louder howling.
A Time of Great Change for Children
That, I believe, is part of the trouble. Children are very visible and require a lot of space when they're at a particularly loud part of their lives, having just discovered their vocal cords. Kathleen Stassen Berger, in her presentation "The Developing Person: Through the Lifespan" says on the slide Adolescence: Biosocial Development that “…the body changes of early adolescence rival those of infancy in speed and drama…the difference however is that adolescents are aware…” Not surprising, perhaps, that babies cry so fretfully. And with legs aching so badly from growing so fast, no surprise either that they need that large and well-sprung stroller to relax in.
Child-Friendly Locations
One of the conversations I overheard last week was between two women discussing a holiday destination. "Not much there for children," remarked one "'you know, little ones?"
Therein lies an issue. Everything these days should be family-friendly. From car parks, play areas in pubs and TV shows to shopping trolleys, event organisation and holiday destinations, the public must be assumed to contain at least one child. No longer do "families" holiday in coastal caravan parks whilst "couples" stay in swanky hotels in town. Everyone wants a choice of either the caravan or the hotel.
Even café culture is not immune. Recently, I overheard a young father who was most put out that the café he had brought his family to did not have a buggy parking area inside. Unlike fast food joints, it appears that at least some coffee shops are unwilling to sacrifice revenue for inclusivity. In contrast, one of my customers at the store last weekend asked me whether I thought the local pub was a suitable place to take his infant son, who was hungry and needed hot food at a time when the store café was no longer open. Fortunately, on this subject at least, I was able to reassure him that I had seen many families in there at all times of the day and therefore I considered that it was indeed a suitable place for the family to visit.
Extended Bedtimes for Children
Now, I'm certain that when I was under the age of 10, bedtime was 7pm or so. But I routinely see youngsters in the store with their parents at far later than that, up to around 10pm, still wide awake but fractious and crying or shouting at their frazzled parents. Dr. Stuart Crisp, consultant paediatrician at Orange Base Hospital, Orange, Australia, suggests in his article "How Much Sleep Do Children Need" on NetDoctor that a bedtime routine is a good way to instill a sense of calm and prepare a child mentally for sleep.
A familiar bedtime story, the child’s usual pillow, or, as in my case, a favorite teddy bear, are various ways to encourage a child to sleep. Sometimes excitement will banish feelings of tiredness, but the element of familiar comfort may encourage them to return. On the other side, as a staff member dealing with an irritable child and his family, it may be best to show the parents some sympathy or talk quietly to the child whilst serving the parents, in order to bring an air of calm to the situation.
Specialist Music for Children
Even musicians have been known to adapt their work for children. Benjamin Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (1946) is one of the most famous examples of this, alongside Prokofiev's orchestration of the Peter and the Wolf fable from ten years earlier.
In the United Kingdom, the radio station Classic FM regularly produces CDs of classical music favorites suitable for, or written about, children and also features a daily request slot named 'The Kid's Call' where those under the age of 16 are encouraged to nominate their favorite piece and have it played for them. Every morning the 'School Run' section takes the form of several pieces of music suggested by teachers and other school staff, mums and students of all ages.
The station is presently also running a series of advertisements promoting a CD of favorite nursery rhymes and has previously produced books aimed at introducing children to the world of classical music.
A Variety of Changes to Adapt to a Child-Friendly World
Everyone today has to accept that the world has moved on from "‘children should be seen and not heard" as practiced by the Victorians in England. These are just some of the changes that have been made, whether or not everyone approves of them.
Paula Thomas - Paula is, among other things, an editor & proofreader. She also enjoys technology - retro or modern - travel, music, motorsport and ...
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