Kelly Makiha: Noisy children need to know when to shush

Noisy children are hard to handle. Photo / Getty Images

COMMENT
I've been lovingly told I don't need a phone and it's probably just as good to stick my head out the window and talk - the person I need to chat to will no doubt hear me.

Yes. I'm a little loud. I like to blame it on being a singer and the ability to vocally project coming naturally.

Multiply that by a 9-year-old girl and twin 5-year-old girls who are blessed with the same genes and us Makihas are a damn noisy bunch.

When one of us needs to be heard, it's just natural for us to get louder and louder.

No matter how adorable I think my family is, the truth is not everyone loves noise so I think it is common courtesy to shush them up if they're being over the top.

Noisy kids have come into the spotlight after Rotorua mother Melany Eason said she was threatened with security on Friday after her 19-month-old was squealing in the playground that forms part of Columbus Coffee at Rotorua's Mitre 10.

She was asked to control her son because there had been complaints about the noise.

Columbus Coffee said it handled the matter professionally while Eason was left gobsmacked because she felt it was just the nature of a child playing in a playground.

Having a child throwing a hissy, screaming or even squealing with happiness uncontrollably is difficult for any parent or caregiver to keep under wraps.

With my troop of noisy girls, we have frequently been to Columbus Coffee to enjoy the playground. While yes, it is a playground, it is also a place where people sit and enjoy a coffee, something to eat and a chat. They have a right to do that in relative peace, despite there being an indoor playground nearby.

For parents and caregivers using the playground, it's manners to ensure your children are not screaming their heads off and creating a scene that's impacting the experience of others in the area.

You simply can't throw your hands up in the air and say "hey, they are kids".

While this is difficult to manage with toddlers, there's no better time to start with lessons of what is acceptable behaviour in public and what isn't.

Eason tried with her son which is great, but unfortunately, her son wasn't playing ball. As parents, we have all been there.

Children are children, they live, love and play and don't have sound filters. They shouldn't have to live in a bubble and be seen and not heard, but they should also be taught as best you can the world doesn't revolve around them and their noise.