I'm thinking of distancing myself from certain relatives and their kids
Care to share the reason behind that choice?
I can't stand their children
Children can difficult growing up but most of the time they grow out of it. Distancing yourself from them and their parent's will just ruin your relationship over something that is temporary.
It's real simple, their kids piss me off.
Being kind and understanding to kids goes a lot way in learning to become empathetic. Kids are a constant thing in this world and you might meet someone who has a kid but you'll be unwilling to see the good in them due to their child. You'd end up missing out.