Our children rule our lives – and it’s not good for us

Call me selfish, but I want more from life than being in a state of panic because I’m worried that my child might be bored for a moment

How do you feel when you go into a restaurant and see a row of high chairs? Ricky Gervais once said his usual reaction is: “Are you expecting the cast of Time Bandits? If not, I’m leaving.”

It’s also a red flag for me. Having grown up in Paris, I’m generally appalled by the blithe acceptance of ear-splitting shrieks, gluey surfaces, and the proliferation of kids’ menus in UK restaurants. This country is in a “child king” epidemic. And the real worry? We may not even have peaked yet.

On Saturday, the National Trust’s director of curation and experience, John Orna-Ornstein, told its annual general meeting that from now on there is to be “more emphasis on play” at the 300-plus historic buildings and gardens that have been meticulously preserved “for everyone’s enjoyment, refreshment and rest”. This, despite recent controversies over the National Trust turning properties into “theme parks” where children rule the roost.

Quite how enjoyable many are likely to find Sudbury Hall, for example, since it was reopened to the public last month as the Trust’s first “Children’s Country House” – complete with a hall in which children are encouraged by a neon sign to “Party like it’s 1699”, a photobooth and a mirror ball – remains to be seen.