Where's the "no kids" section?

I overheard some women talking today about their weekend the other day. Okay, I'll admit I was basically ear hustling, but in my defense I was reading my magazine until I heard one of them say that people should leave their kids at home when they go out.  According to them, parents with children should either find a baby-sitter or stay at home. Really?  So what if I don't have the funds to both go out and pay for somebody to watch my kids or I only trust a handful of people to watch my kids and they happen to busy the night I want to do something? Is that my only choice? As parents, we already sacrifice darn near everything but do I now have to tell my kids, "Oh no, baby I can't take you to the so called family restaurant tonight because it's socially unacceptable"?

Now, I will admit there have been times when I wish I would have kept my child at home. As you know, even the most well behaved child can cut up if pushed beyond their comfort zone. My children behaving badly kept me out of church, the movies and Cracker Barrel (long story) for a long time. To me, its just about accessing your children. If you know that your child is going to act a fool if they don't get a nap in first (i.e. the Cracker Barrel incident), then make sure they get one. When I take my kids out to dinner on a Saturday night, it's always during what I call "family hour" which to me is between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., maybe even 7 o'clock if we got a late start on the day.

I can understand that when you go out to eat, sometimes you don't want to be bothered. When my husband and I get the opportunity to go out to dinner alone, the last thing we want is our meal interrupted by somebody else's child. I do know a few people who ask the hostess to seat them away from kids and that seems to work for them in way that makes everybody happy.

Since they have taken the smoking section out of Michigan restaurants, maybe they should start asking "kids or no kids?" Do you think this would be fair or should those wanting a "kid free" zone just deal with it?