I don’t think it’s genetic sorry, have known awesome people whose parents are total dropkicks and amazing people whose kids...aren’t 😅

We semi-regularly visited the zoo here when the kids were younger, gone a bit less unless studying something specific more recently, and I’ve always told them to move slowly and quietly around enclosures, so they were surprised and I was annoyed but not quite enough to pick a fight when we accidentally went during holidays once and there were stupid adults screaming at their kids to LOOK AT THE MONKEYS (they weren’t even excited, just used to screaming at their kids, or perhaps just screaming in general).

I did tell people to stop banging/tapping on glass enclosures though.

And I like the breeding and rehab work zoos do (even though I’d prefer it wasn’t a thing that needed to be done, well the breeding part at least).

Also your overheard soda conversation reminded me of a family on a train some years back, parent was screaming at their little monkey kids for swinging on the poles and handle things for standing passengers and meanwhile toddler in a stroller was drinking a full baby bottle of black soda and I was being a silently judgemental brat while quietly having to explain to my kids that yes those kids weren’t behaving themselves and they meanwhile were definitely behaving by sitting quietly on the train 😵

As for the diet thing, well you’d probably consider the diet my almost teenage daughter is determinedly sticking to as abusive. I’m not that thrilled with it either 🙄

Glad you had a nice day out at the zoo anyway despite misgivings and other people and general lethargy 😆