As someone who works customer service in a place where we get a lot of kids, this is true -
--Kids are loud, kids run around and make noise and touch things they aren't supposed to touch. If a family with kids leaves, everyone in the whole library immediately notices the noise reduction. This is pretty much regardless what the parents are doing because: kids, no volume control. But if this is your only exposure to kids, you're going to see this as a 'kids out of control' problem.
--One adult cannot effectively supervise more than about three under-sixes by themself in a public place while also doing other things. They just can't. They can probably keep them from running into traffic but that's about it. (There are more families like this than you might think if you don't spend time in public spaces that explictly invite them in, because the parents are *very aware* that this is true.)
--Some parents are really bad at attempting even minimal supervision of their kids. This is a parent problem, not a kid problem, but it's still a problem.
--The worse a parent is with their kid, the more likely they are to throw a fit at anyone who tries to improve the situation, or make a giant fuss if the kid gets hurt or upset (and by "worse" I don't mean "kid throws a loud tantrum" or "three-year-old is high energy", those parents apologize and are sweethearts. I mean "pays absolutely no attention to them" or "encourages them to commit property damage".) Unfortunately, once they have encountered two or three of this sort, most people just assume all parents with loud kids are that way, because it's not worth the risk of finding out.
(Vast majority of parents: kid they were supervising closely manages to trip and hit their head on furniture, is bleeding profusely. Parent comes to the desk and asks if we have a paper towel or something because they're afraid they made a mess. We have interrogate them to even find out there was an injury and talk them into even borrowing the first-aid kit.
Small yet very consistently loud minority: kid they were completely ignoring in favor of their phone trips stumbles slightly while running full-speed across the room, worried staff member politely reminds them no running in the library, parent suddenly appears and cusses them out for trying to parent *their* #%W$ kid who they know what's best for, get the @#%W# away from us, they'll sue.)
Re: Discussion of letter
--Kids are loud, kids run around and make noise and touch things they aren't supposed to touch. If a family with kids leaves, everyone in the whole library immediately notices the noise reduction. This is pretty much regardless what the parents are doing because: kids, no volume control. But if this is your only exposure to kids, you're going to see this as a 'kids out of control' problem.
--One adult cannot effectively supervise more than about three under-sixes by themself in a public place while also doing other things. They just can't. They can probably keep them from running into traffic but that's about it. (There are more families like this than you might think if you don't spend time in public spaces that explictly invite them in, because the parents are *very aware* that this is true.)
--Some parents are really bad at attempting even minimal supervision of their kids. This is a parent problem, not a kid problem, but it's still a problem.
--The worse a parent is with their kid, the more likely they are to throw a fit at anyone who tries to improve the situation, or make a giant fuss if the kid gets hurt or upset (and by "worse" I don't mean "kid throws a loud tantrum" or "three-year-old is high energy", those parents apologize and are sweethearts. I mean "pays absolutely no attention to them" or "encourages them to commit property damage".) Unfortunately, once they have encountered two or three of this sort, most people just assume all parents with loud kids are that way, because it's not worth the risk of finding out.
(Vast majority of parents: kid they were supervising closely manages to trip and hit their head on furniture, is bleeding profusely. Parent comes to the desk and asks if we have a paper towel or something because they're afraid they made a mess. We have interrogate them to even find out there was an injury and talk them into even borrowing the first-aid kit.
Small yet very consistently loud minority: kid they were completely ignoring in favor of their phone trips stumbles slightly while running full-speed across the room, worried staff member politely reminds them no running in the library, parent suddenly appears and cusses them out for trying to parent *their* #%W$ kid who they know what's best for, get the @#%W# away from us, they'll sue.)