Parenting is simultaneously the most rewarding and heartbreaking experience a person can go through. Some days are amazing. Some days are a mix. On some days, you see the reality of a cruel world crush your children, and you die inside just a little, because there’s nothing you can do to recapture that innocence.\r
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Annapolis Bowl denied service to my 5-year-old and me. I visited Tuesday, March 6, around 6:00 p.m. to take my son bowling as a reward for doing well in school. While three-quarters of the lanes were open, leagues were in maybe the 1st 1/4 of the alley, the man behind the counter said “You’re in the middle of leagues. Your child would need a ramp to get the ball down the lanes, and that would be distracting.” \r
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I stared at the guy for a minute. My son and I have been bowling together for a long time. I’ve never, ever heard this. \r
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In the meantime, my son went down to check out an empty lane behind us. \r
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“And your kid can’t be doing that,” said the older gentleman behind the counter, pointing over my shoulder.\r
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My son was putting his foot on the lane floor, which he shouldn’t have done, but I called him, corrected him, and he apologized. I was distracted, so that was my fault. I also apologized. \r
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The employee then said “I’m going to have to ask you to leave. We will not be serving you tonight. You can come back some other time.” \r
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Seriously, I got kicked out of a bowling alley because I have a child? \r
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“I’m going to have to ask you to leave. We will not be serving you tonight. ” \r
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I turned his words over in my mind. I didn’t know what to say. Beyond being kicked out of the bowling alley, I somehow couldn’t make the connection between what I had just heard, and “come back some other time.” I will assume he was joking.\r
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I was just trying to go out and have some fun with my child, who is very well-behaved. Again, bowling was supposed to be a reward for doing a great job at a new school. I had to explain to my 5-year-old son we were kicked out of the bowling alley because they didn’t want him to bowl there. He got his first taste of how unfair people can be. It broke my heart. You spend your entire life shielding your children from the world’s cruelty, and it smacks you when you least expect it- at 6:00 p.m. on a Tuesday.\r
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It was our first visit to the alley- we just moved to Annapolis. Annapolis Bowl would have made long-term, frequent customers out of us, our friends, and the social organizations we belong to, but the way they treated us can’t be tolerated. I will never forget the look on my son’s face when we had to leave, and I encourage other parents to consider what these people might do to your family before considering bowling there. As parents, we should wholeheartedly support those businesses that treat us and our business with respect- not those that make us feel terrible for having children. \r
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Severna Park bowling was quite happy to get our business. We salvaged a great night of fun, learning duck-pin bowling, eating a big soft pretzel and having a great time together. Annapolis Bowl was correct, though- we were distracting. The family in the next lane leaned over to tell me what a good kid I had.\r
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