Would you take your kids to Starbucks?
By fluffysue
@fluffysue (1482)
United States
February 6, 2009 4:03pm CST
OK now I have to say, I love children, though I don't have any of my own. And sure, if I had children, I might still want to stop for a minute and pick up some coffee from Starbucks. But Starbucks is not McDonald's, there is no playground, it is not a place for running around and/or screaming and whining. It is a place for adults (and unfortunately teenagers) to drink coffee and talk at a reasonable volume. And small children just usually cannot sit still indefinitely without getting upset about it. I don't blame the children at all. But I think if 2 mothers with 4 kids between them want to hang out somewhere for an hour, Starbucks is not the place.
So am I being unreasonable? Or do you think it is just fine to sit your kids down at Starbucks and let them whine for an hour, annoying everyone else around? 
5 responses
@bombshell (11256)
• Germany
29 Mar 09
if it is needed i will but not lomnger than 1 hour
kids are easily to ge bored even i was drinking coffee in the coffee shop with friends my little girl complaining because no playground and no space to run
kids are easily to ge bored even i was drinking coffee in the coffee shop with friends my little girl complaining because no playground and no space to run@fluffysue (1482)
• United States
2 Apr 09
Yes, that's the thing...I don't even blame the kids for being bored, of course they are bored, there is nothing there for them. Kids don't want to be cooped up and forced to sit at a table quietly, there's plenty of time for that when they go to school...and eventually work...lol
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
7 Feb 09
Aside from it not really being a kid friendly place I would think that Starbucks is just plain too expensive to have a drink for yourself and a few little ones! For me Starbucks is the occasional treat and I consider it a splurge. Kids don't care if they're drinking a tiny $4 cup of hot chocolate or an orange juice from McDonald's so why waste the money? I saw a mom and two young girls (maybe 10) at Starbucks the other day and just thought wow, that's probably a $15 bill! I guess I'm just cheap.
@fluffysue (1482)
• United States
10 Feb 09
No, I don't think I would pay that much for a kid's drink, either. Though I guess if I had kids, I would probably feel bad if I bought myself one and not them. They'd probably be happier with a McDonald's shake though, anyway. And the drinks suitable for kids at Starbucks are really more expensive. I can buy a huge coffee for a little over $2, but not so for the other drinks.
@chance2691 (566)
• Philippines
7 Feb 09
I assume that you've had that experience today, and said kids got you too annoyed you started this discussion. :)) Good one.
In our house, no one's a kid anymore. My little sister's the bigger Starbucks addict, so instead of worrying about her they worry about me. Sure, I like being in Starbucks, but staying in there for one hour is one hour too long and one hour too much. I'd go for a run there, but then that's it. My mom still wants to sit on the comfy chairs and look at the view. It drives me nuts.
When my mom, however, is out with her friends, she compromises with us by simply telling us to go around the mall and she'll meet us after an hour, something like that. It works for her, for me and for all of us. My dad hasn't tasted Starbucks in his lifetime, so he's still bashing it up to now.
@fluffysue (1482)
• United States
10 Feb 09
Yes, I did have that experience the day I posted this. Two mothers with 2 infants in strollers, and 2 kids around age 4. They even had coloring books for the older kids, but they didn't get along and kept arguing.
Ah, see I like the comfy chairs. I can sit there forever. I only sit there if I am going to hang out, listen to the music and read the paper. When I go there to do my job-hunting online, I sit at a table since it is more conducive to getting work done. I usually buy a relatively inexpensive coffee and sit there at least a couple of hours. It beats being at home.
@loveyevi (513)
• United States
6 Feb 09
Well sometimes parents just have no other choice but to bring their kids along with them wherever they go. That said, I do not think Starbucks is a good place to bring your kids with you. Like you said it is a very quiet place where people come to read, converse, or just enjoy their coffee. Kids just tend to disrupt that. But parents bring their kids to other places as well that should also not have children, and there is not much that can be done about it, because that would be discrimination. Just wish some parents had a little more common courtesy about what their kids are doing in these types of places.
@fluffysue (1482)
• United States
10 Feb 09
Right, that is the issue, the whole courtesy thing. I understand having to bring the kids along, but if they start acting up, they need to go. Not let them do whatever they want until Mommy finishes her latte. It's not even fair to them to expect them to sit still so long in a place with so little for them to do.
@moneymommy (3418)
• United States
6 Feb 09
I would have no desire to bring small kids to starbucks. Not the place for kids to be would be to boring for them. I dont go to starbucks anyways to boring for me.
@fluffysue (1482)
• United States
10 Feb 09
Yes, the little kids get bored quickly at Starbucks, there isn't anything fun for them there. That's why they start to get noisy and climb all over, and run around. I don't blame them really.
