We often hear about how critical the family unit is and how children should be more of a priority in our country. The reality is that we do not practice what we preach.

Children, especially babies and toddlers, seem to be a nuisance to many, even those who claim to support families and children. It is surprising to see this coming from those who have raised their own children and those who are of grandparent age. It seems as if they have forgotten what it is like to raise a child.

Perhaps it is because some children do not receive much guidance from their parents, leading them to become impolite, rowdy, and hard to be around. Nonetheless, even those children who do receive proper nurturing and guidance seem to become a nuisance the moment they become noisy.

We expect babies and children to always be on their best behavior and be born with the knowledge to regulate their emotions to appease adults, especially in public settings. While it’s not wrong to expect proper behavior from children in public settings, it is important to remember that they are still learning and may not always live up to the expectations.

Here are examples of when children are seen as a nuisance.

In church. Some churches require that babies and toddlers be put in the nursery room to not disturb the sermon. If parents choose to keep their baby or toddler with them, the child must not breathe wrong or they’ll disturb the elders.

In “family friendly” restaurants. If a baby or toddler shows any discomfort or even excitement, parents may receive glares because the baby is not behaving. Children should be expected to behave at a restaurant. These are good places to teach manners and how to interact with others. But it is important to show some grace and maybe even provide some words of encouragement to the parents as they are doing the hard work of training their children to behave in public.

While shopping. It’s common to see parents shopping with their children — babies in baby carriers, toddlers in strollers, kids in carts. It’s typical to see babies become fussy and toddlers become hangry while shopping with their parents, but so many customers quickly become bothered to see children publicly show their discomfort.

This is not to say that we should tolerate bad behavior or that we should let parents get away with bad parenting. It is important, however, to show grace and remember that babies and toddlers are part of our society. Let’s remember that the first-time mom we see with a crying baby at Publix isn’t trying to be rude; she’s learning how to mother. The toddler who is crying because it’s past his nap time isn’t intentionally trying to cause a ruckus. The baby crying at church is not trying to be disruptive; she’s learning how adapt to her surroundings after being in her mother’s womb for nine months.

If we conservatives are going to be pro-family, we have to be a part of welcoming children into society.