I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that I think that most of our society is NOT family-friendly. Over the years, there have been times and places where I felt comfortable as a family—but overall, many places and situations were not particularly friendly or welcoming to a single mom with three kids in tow. Granted, my children are older now and we don’t do a lot out in public all together as a clan, and they are well-behaved enough to eat at any restaurant or attend events—but it wasn’t so long ago that I was still struggling to get a handle on what family-friendly meant to different people and businesses and find places where we actually could go as a group.
I don’t mean to pick on anyone, after all, there are times when I’m out and about and I don’t want to be bothered by screaming, crabby toddlers too. Where things can really get tough is with work and friend situations where kids are definitely not welcome. I actually had a friend who said she could be friends with me but not my kids, and she definitely didn’t want them to come to her house. Needless to say, we are no longer friends. Finding a work place that is supportive of one’s role as a parent and “family friendly” can be a tough one too. Some are and some are not. I’ve worked in both situations and it honestly makes it easier for me to do my job if my role as a mom is understood. I’m not talking about bringing kids into important meetings–but avoiding scheduling too many evening meetings, allowing my kids to call in, and understanding if someone needs to camp out in my office for an hour after school and before soccer are huge helps.
The term “family friendly” is thrown and bantered about but I’m not sure that we all share the same definition. To me, there is a difference between tolerating kids and families, and actually finding ways to welcome and incorporate families into every day places and activities. What’s your take? Do you have an opinion about what “family friendly” means?
See Also: Are You Using Your Children as Shield or Avoidance?