Childless in the 21st Century?

Just read an interesting article on Yahoo.  What do you think of childless businesses?

Many businesses are starting to rethink their customer base.  Have you ever felt embarrassed or just annoyed if you're on a date with someone you really want to impress and a child starts screaming his head off in the booth next to you?  Yeah, it's a lot like that.

Unfortunately, as you can imagine, a few places have been going too far (matter of opinion).  Referenced in the linked article above, a few condos were even considering having some outdoor areas child-free let alone a few movie theaters banning children under 6, but they do have their own designated baby days.  These might sound too harsh for some, but necessary for others. 

Personally I believe this is a good idea, but if it grows into a huge swarm of local businesses having this similar theme, where will the kids go?  While this new generation is having more childless couples commonly, it is giving them enough voices to coax businesses into having childless restaurants, diners, cinemas, and even first class flights.

Because of this trend it is giving some thought to how our population will be in a few years.  We are in a way like Japan; Japan having a population with less children now because of this new generation settling into career fueled lives and having no time for children between their jobs, keeping up their own houses, and even their marriages.  It could lead into a deficit of people in the next generation, which in a way can be good for the economy and environment with less resources being used up.  Some say that with improved birth control and rights for abortion America is having a baby plunge for this reason, too.

While I do approve of some places being baby free, I do think that some other places have a better idea of handling this.  For example one grocery store in the article mentioned that they have their own "child center" for parents to drop off their kids if they really need to shop without them.  I feel that these places need to come back, and I wouldn't be surprised if separate rooms for families and childless customers will be available in the near future.