I was disturbed to discover that there is such a thing as "the child banning movement" and that it is spreading. Businesses are banning children from their premises. Why? Because adults without children want peace and quiet. They don't want to have to listen to a crying baby or a child throwing a tantrum. They don't want to put up with children running around and getting in their way. What's wrong with this? This movement is only furthering the "children are an inconvenience" mindset. This mindset has been growing for years. Children are no longer seen as blessings, a full quiver, or as our future. They are seen as an inconvenience to the adult agenda. They are in the way, they hinder our plans, and they cause frustration. Our adult society is becoming more and more selfish as time progresses. We are so caught up in our own agenda that we fail to make the helpless, impressionable, and immature children that God has given us a priority. We forget that children are just that, they are children. They are not adults; you cannot expect them to act as adults. It is our job, the adult, the parent, to train children so that they become the mature and capable adult we all want them to be. But we fail to do even that. We want to ban them, remove them more and more from the public, from our functioning society for the sake of the adults peace and quiet. Children are vital to our future yet we ignore them, restrict them, and treat them as an inconvenience.
There are terribly behaved children out there and any child can be frustrating and infuriating at times. The issue here is bad parenting and even when good parenting takes place, there is simply sin nature. Banning children from public places is not the cure for bad parenting. It is not the answer.
Children are not an inconvenience. They should not be viewed that way. They are blessings. Psalm 127:4-5 says, "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." This is how we should view children. They are also fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:13-15 says, "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth."
Here is an insightful quote from a very wise man, my husband.
"I used to get annoyed at hearing crying babies in public, like restaurants & the like, but a sermon by Voddie Baucham changed that. Whenever I get annoyed now I remind myself of the value placed upon kids, who will be kids because they are only learning to be future adults.
The sadness is twofold: bad parenting (but let's be honest, great parenting doesn't always equal pleasant children, all the time) & a high view of convenience. We have bought in to the "how many kids can we afford" mindset, the kids are inconveniences belief. Well let's not think this way anymore. They are arrows in our quivers, blessings, & the greatest way to pass on Christ's reign."
Kyle put it very well using Psalm 127. "They are arrows in our quivers, blessings, & the greatest way to pass on Christ's reign." If only every adult, parent or not, had this mindset. We need to begin to treat children as precious gifts from God and embrace our parental role (or adult role) by cherishing them (tempers and all), training them, teaching them, and bringing them up in the way they should go and when they are old (have matured into an adult) they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).
People ask, "What is wrong with kids these days? What to do?" The problem isn't the children. The answer is not banning children which will and is leading to failing to integrate them into society. The problem is adults, parents, and the answer is to reevaluate our view of children and their value. The answer is to take back our authoritative yet loving role of taking these precious gifts and guiding them through life. They desperately need that.
If you would like to read some articles on this issue click here and here. And to read an inspiring article on motherhood as a calling click here.
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