It makes sense that our society seeks to protect and nurture children, and I certainly believe we should. I do not believe, however, that the lives of people with children should be placed on a cultural pedestal, which makes the lives of people without children appear inferior.
It is socially expected to have children, particularly for women. I recently became engaged, and I have been frequently asked about when I intend to have children. What if you regret not having them? Put it back? Even worse for women beyond a certain age, is the assumption that they must want a child and are secretly having a painful struggle with infertility.
Some countries are experiencing population declines because of the number of people who decide not to have children. Back to the woman at the restaurant.
She and I got seated in the same room, and there were no children. A family with three extremely disruptive children did come in a few minutes later, though. I have no right to judge that family, and really, they are irrelevant. It is not socially acceptable to want a restaurant to exclude children, unless it is a bar or strip club.
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