Do we really hate kids in Britain? - by Dea Birkett

Do we really hate kids in Britain?

Our first Children’s Commissioner Sir Al Aynsley Green believes so. About to leave office, he’s determined to go with a bang not a whimper. Sir Al has declared England ‘one of the most child-unfriendly places in the world’, citing Norway, Canada and Australia among other countries where families will feel far more welcome.

If we’re to believe Sir Al, we’d only ever book for Thailand, not Taunton. The cliché is that Thais, Italians, Spanish, Greeks all love their children – or at least other peoples’ children – far better than we do. How often have you heard someone describe the joys of a little café in an Italian square, where the waiter whips away their two-year-old, taking them into the kitchen to play with the sous chef? A few times? And how often has anyone mentioned a Cornish café to you, in particular how welcoming they were of your screaming, irritable toddler? Not often, I bet.

Cliches often contain a grain of truth, but only a grain. I don’t believe Britain is the child-shunning place it once was. (There’s plenty of examples on Takethefamily's website to prove so.) A high chair is no longer a rare piece of furniture in a restaurant. (Try asking for one in Greece.) An extra pull-down bed in your hotel room won't cost at least £20. (Although, sadly, in some places it might still cost £10.) Hotels increasingly have meals and mealtimes that cater to many generations, not just one. And at least we haven’t gone the way of the States, where there’s rampant age apartheid, with menus and museums reserved for kids only.

Travelling up and down the country with my small tribe, I've been increasingly and pleasantly surprised at how family-friendly Britain has become. So why don't we stop whining and give Britain a break?