I AGREE with Ben Drake that children should be treated with more respect and dignity (Letters, June 19).

When taken to a restaurant children should be treated with the respect and dignity of an ordinary customer, just as they are on the Continent.

Instead, in Britain children are patronised and encouraged to think that eating at a restaurant is play time rather than a meal time.

Children should also be treated with the respect that shows we want them to grow up to become well-behaved adults, rather than people who are allowed to continually run riot without any criticism less it discourages their "creativity" and "free expression".

We need to teach children to use their minds, rather than the current state of affairs where we do not teach them to debate nor that that they need experience and knowledge to make judgements.

Dr Duncan Campbell,

Albemarle Road,

York.

...IN response to the letter about how the law treats children, I agree that as a society we need to start treating them with more respect and dignity.

They should be referred to as children and not kids, otherwise how can they respect themselves?

R Golden,

Mistral Court,

Fossway,

York.

Updated: 11:27 Thursday, June 26, 2003