General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Adults that spoil kids aggravate me [View all]HuckleB
(35,773 posts)... but I don't think it's as widespread of an issue as you make it out to be.
Further, I'm not sure why it's wrong to have a kid listen to adult conversations, if he/she does so respectfully.
I've yet to see parents who stop a line at a supermarket just so their kids can talk to the employee. Sure, I've seen employees greet kids and give them a sticker, but I've also seen adults hold employees hostage while they tell their stories, no kids involved, and everyone else waits in line.
If a kid gets to the phone first, why is that a problem. The kid is a part of the family, and he/she needs to learn to take care of such things. If he/she "talks trash," that's another issue, but I've yet to experience that, and I know a lot of folks with kids.
As for kids interrupting adults, that's not always such an easy issue. You may not know how the situation was handled later, as most parents are not going to escalate the matter while they are talking with another adult.
In other words, sometimes context is important.
The bottom line for me remains: Kids can be annoying, but I know far more annoying adults, including those without kids. I'll take the "kids suck" crowd far more seriously, when I start to see more general posts about ugly adult behavior, which is far more prevalent.
Cheers!