July 30th, 2009
I’m cool with babies in public and think everyone else should be too.
Rights: in the same way that people of all colours, beliefs, sizes, and shoe size have the right to go about in public, babies have that right too. A baby is just a person who is very young. People have rights.
Selflessness: Babies can be loud or smelly or otherwise disruptive – are you really so special you must not be asked to tolerate some disruption from a tiny being that cannot as yet control itself? I’m not saying a crying baby on a plane isn’t very unpleasant – I’m saying get over yourself, this is the time for compassion. Because it’s not always about what feels nicest for you.
Looking to the future: What happens to a baby is enormously important for how they’ll turn out to be as adults. Babies need to be around other people, experiencing person to person stimulation, in a loving and patient manner. If it’s not your baby, it might one day be your neighbour or old age home nurse – even selfish people should make nice with babies. And demonstrating this kind of caring and acceptance to babies is good for their parents too – a supported parent has more resources to do a better job of parenting.
This is not to speak in support of parents who use their kids as accessories and thoughtlessly demand that the world revolve around them (using the baby as justification), but rather to call for a reasonable and sincere attitude of concern and well-wishing to babies, which requires welcoming their presence in the places where people go.