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Should there be child-free zones in S’pore?
Some restaurants here bar children below a certain age. One even imposes a surcharge when they make too much noise. But are there better ways to keep the peace, while still allowing families with young children to head out and enjoy themselves?
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In Singapore, many public spaces have dedicated areas for younger children.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
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Telltale whimpers of frustration that crescendo into plaintive cries, followed by ruddy-faced, full-throated screaming in public – this is the drama that every exhausted parent hopes, but fails, to avoid at some point in their young child’s life.
When I was a new parent, I prayed that if my child were to kick up a fuss at a restaurant, it would be at the end of the meal – not at the start when a delicious-looking steak and a glass of wine, both quite impossible to consume with a screaming baby in one arm, had just been served to me.
