In a movie theater, as soon as I see an infant, I demand my money back. I am not an old hateful codger, but it’s a baby, not a Golden Ticket you can bring with you everywhere you please.

You cannot, actually, take your baby wherever the fuck you want. Including most workplaces. Including many social events. You cannot take your baby to jury duty. You cannot take your baby to someone else’s party unless you receive permission. You cannot take your baby to your law school clinic. You cannot take your…

A woman whose office shares a wall with mine occasionally brings her children (toddler-age) to work. I hate it. They are loud, even when they are trying to be quiet. They are distracting (to her, to me, to all the people who want to come in to see her children). I am always so glad when they leave. Obviously we have…

FieryAntidote gave a reasonable response. Your reply is exactly the emotional, irrational entitled shit that people do not want to deal with. Ride out on your own horse unless you intend to give a more thoughtful, well articulated response. Signed, a feminist.

When your country decides to actually provide decent paid maternity leave, then perhaps we’ll talk. Till then....nope. You don’t get to whine about this.

Yes. That’s why the people who are saying “If the baby fusses for more than 20 seconds I’ll take them out” are wrong. It will be a couple minutes while you wait to see if the baby will quiet down. And then you will gather your things and try to get out. This is disruptive and takes time, too. By the time all is said…

She didn’t mention screaming. Screaming is not the only baby noise that is gratingly annoying. Baby noises are designed to get attention from adults, they’re literally supposed to be distracting.

Nope. The workplace is rarely a place for babies. It wouldn’t be cool if a dad did it. It’s not cool if a mom does it. Parents get so fucking entitled. You know what you are entitled to? Paid mat/pat leave like every other developed nation. Fight for that, not your right to distract and annoy your coworkers.

this is all fine if only one person at the whole conference decided to bring her baby. but what if every new mother in the room decided to bring her child? So we have 10+ people getting up at various times during speeches, and each baby only making noise once or twice turns into a chorus.

AND FEMINISM DOES NOT MEAN WOMEN CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT ALL THE GODDAMN TIME.

“[T]hings that can sound like happy baby noises to the mother sound like earsplitting squeals to a lot of us”

That’s probably because everyone’s experience with babies includes them screaming and crying at some point in every interaction.

Basically, this. This piece reeks of entitlement. How many people were at this conference? Do all of them, or some of them, or even two of them have to be more uncomfortable because of your child?

So have I.

It’s not about keeping child out of society, it’s about keeping them in the appropriate environment. As a professional and expectant mother, I would be highly annoyed if I were paying money to be at a conference (or asked to speak!) where children where a distraction. Asking a baby (or toddler) to sit still and be…

I don’t know. And I get that day care is expensive and we need to fix that. But that doesn’t give parents a carte blanche to just bring their babies around wherever they want. The other day the aesthetician that was doing my waxing had her toddler in the room across the hall; he kept crying and at one point she had to…

So it’s ok for you to exhibit total and blatant disregard for others, yet you’re denigrating someone else for the same? Cute. Hypocrisy is certainly a hallmark of good parenting.

I agree, but it’s the not-so-self-aware moms that ruin it for everyone.

New parents can be a special kind of entitled. It’s funny.

I have a filthier mind than anyone I know, and I never once thought that that plate was a sexual reference of any sort.