This paper explores the ideas about children's participation in decision-making held by government officials and non-government representatives engaged in promoting children's participation in the Philippines. It suggests that adults' ideas about children's participation are heterogeneous, diverse and complex. While adults' attitudes are often presented as serious barriers to children's participation, this study suggests that adults' attitudes are both obstructive and facilitative. A deeper understanding of the range of ideas held by adults may be the critical next step in progressing children's participation in a direction that is meaningful for children and influential in terms of policy outcomes.