"Parents want to cover a lot of ground and keep children from getting tired at a big event. "

Bull. They're either too damn lazy to keep an eye on the little darlings or they can't find a sitter that can tolerate them.

The parents, I mean.

Children are difficult. They are voracious sponges of "I wanna know" gathering all the sights and sounds they can process at lightening speed. It's a good thing. But it takes a lot of energy to cope with that. And when your primary focus is on impressing other parents with what a good parent you are, how you give your little darlings the very best of everything because you're, well, so financially successful and all, you are creating a child with more problems than just obesity.