As a self-confessed tennis avoider – it’s sweaty, monotonous, and that grunting is just weird – I admit I’ve never paid much attention to British star Emma Radacanu.
That is, until I saw the footage of her this week, asking for a screaming child to be removed from the court at the Cincinnati Open.
She may not have won against rival Aryna Sabalenka, but as far as I’m concerned it was Game, Set and Match to Radacanu, my new sporting heroine. Give her all the silverware.
I commend Emma for finding the courage to speak up and complain about the noisy tot – or rather, its entitled parents – who seemingly were perfectly content to allow it to disturb a highly pressurised sports competition, the concentration of the players, and the enjoyment of the crowd who’d paid through the nose to be there.
I use the word ‘courage’ very deliberately because it’s actually not easy to do what Emma did, in full glare of TV cameras, and risk the wrath of equally entitled parents who see no issue with allowing little children, through no fault of their own, to wreak havoc on the enjoyment of others.
Let me be clear, I do not subscribe to the old adage: ‘Children should be seen and not heard’.
I have two myself – boys, aged eight and 10 – and I fully support the progress we’ve made societally in acknowledging children, including them, and making them and their parents feel welcome and comfortable in the world we all share.
However, just because you can bring children into certain settings, doesn’t mean you should.
And it definitely doesn’t mean you have carte blanche to let them behave any which way, with no consideration for others.
Yet, increasingly, that seems to be the hot take of many modern parents, whose awareness of and respect for others evaporated the moment they left the maternity ward.
I’ve lost count of the moments in my own life spoiled by other people’s children.
Especially when there is no recognition that they either shouldn’t be there in the first place or their behaviour needs to be carefully managed and moderated, out of consideration for others.
From meals in posh restaurants that nobody in their right mind would class as kiddy-friendly, to evening theatre performances and sporting fixtures. My own peace and pleasure has been shattered on multiple occasions by babies and children crying, running wild, and generally being a nuisance.
When I got married, I banned children from the entire wedding day, simply because I’d been at too many dominated by kids whose parents were having too much fun to actually parent them. There was no way that was happening on my big day.
And even when some guests refused to come without their offspring, I held firm on the policy.
Of course, any parent can find themselves in a situation where, even in an appropriate setting, the roaring starts or a cranky toddler has a meltdown. But what I, and other considerate mums and dads do, is swiftly exit.
Many times I’ve had to abandon a half-drunk cup of coffee in a cafe or leave a shop prematurely because I simply wouldn’t dream of co-opting people around me into my child ‘having a moment’.
Why didn’t the tennis-watching parents of the crying baby stand up the moment they began to squeal, and leave? By the time Emma Radacanu raised it with the umpire, the crying had reportedly been going on for 10 minutes!
Since having my sons, I’ve planned my social life carefully because the reality is, when you have children, there are just some locations and events you should avoid for the sake of others.
Yes, it’s frustrating but it’s about being a realistic and decent person, and accepting this temporary parenthood penalty until they’re a bit older.
Now, I’d happily take them to a sporting event (like a tennis match) because I know they have the attention span and maturity to sit through it and behave. But when they were babies? Absolutely not!
I’ve no doubt Emma’s ears will be burning from outraged social media comments and chats on mum’s forums about her complaint, but this mum applauds her.
It’s time parents woke up to the fact that the world doesn’t revolve around our cherubs and if we want them to be included and respected, we need to show awareness of others.
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