As a parent and grandparent, I smiled at this:

The reason you see so many little kids on screens in public is because the parents rightly perceive that normal toddler behaviour is unwelcome in the public square (today). You want a kid to learn how to behave on a plane without a screen? Great. It’s not going to be pretty.

via bonnie kristian

@JohnBrady Beatrix's first flight was at 3 months old. I spent all day with her at the Denver Museum of Art.

Her first international flight (to Norway, no less) was at 6 months old.

Her first fancy restaurant was at 9 months old.

She's always known how to behave in these types of spaces because she has always been in these spaces.

Yes, a very privileged statement I know. But, the point is that if you expose kids to this stuff early and often they learn the expectations organically. The problem often is that folks don't even try it when they are babies/toddlers and therefore they don't learn.

@patrickrhone Yes, little kids really do have a strong desire to fit in. That's how they learn to do things like speaking! So I agree that with exposure they'll read the room and want to do what's expected. But the lapses can be ugly.

@JohnBrady My wife and I had constantly to remind ourselves, "Start with the end in mind." Do you want these small people to be able to carry on civil and interesting conversations when they're bigger? You'll need to converse with them while their still smaller.