Restaurants and kids.......

[Kayelle]

Why does it seem that some parents who take little kids to restaurants these days, let them get away with acting like little animals? I just don't get it. Keep them at home and get take out food, if they are uncontrollable.
We went to dinner at a local family restaurant the other night, and they had a new sign posted near the entrance.....
Unattended children will be given a cup of Espresso and a PUPPY.

We actually had a peaceful dinner.

Your thoughts??

 

[kadesma]

Well let's see, I have 4 small grand kids and love to take them out to eat new things and also to see how others behave. At times they might laugh to loudly, but are not allowed to yell, cry and run helter skelter around the restaurant. There eyes get huge if others do this including adults who hee hew loudly bang their fist on the table and rudley make noises to annoy others. They will shisper to me Ma, how come they do that? We start out in quick food places and now I can take them to the pricest place in town and they are well behaved. In fact weve had several couples pay for the childrens dinner or send them dessert for being so well behaved. Teach them to be ladies and gentlemen and watch them reap the rewards. It makes them so proud when this happens,If you want children to be liked have then learn what's right.
kades

 

[Mimizkitchen]

I don't know maybe I'm blessed or maybe I jusy raised my darling daughter right, and she raised her boyz right, but I never have any problem with them...

 

[Andy M.]

I agree there is no place in a restaurant for noisy rambunctious patrons of any age. If a child cannot be quieted a parent should remove them from the restaurant. That's what we did when our children were at that age. My grandson is learning the same manners now.

I see (uncontrolled) rowdy children in a restaurant as a negative reflection on the parents. Then again, I see rowdy adults as a negative reflection on the parents, too.

 

[luvs]

when my Parents took us for (usually most weekends, for dinners) we behaved plain as day..... we were admonished if a utensil was incorrectly used, we kept expectantly calm/shushed, we learned that we could order foods ourselves although my Parents gently nudged us in the proper direction, we behaved!
unless we preferred cleaning silly putty & play-doh we'd adhesively stuck onto other items until we got tucked in an hour or 2 before we usually were for the day! .....that being less than twice in my less-than-12th-year of being, if that, lol!
my Mom & Dad, they loved thier careers, & i saw them less-thsn often, so missing a dinner toghether could be kinda disconcerting!
sheesh, i love them so.

 

[AmandaES]

Drives me crazy!! My kids (ages 3 and 10) are extremely well behaved in restaurants or anywhere. We often have people come by the table on the way out and us and them how well they behaved. No climbing all over the booth/table, going under the table, turning around staring in the booth behind us etc. I usually bring some things to keep my 3 year old entertained like a coloring book and crayons if the restaurant doesn't provide them.

 

[luvs]

i well plan on owning an upscale restaurant by my 35th-ish year, 40 if finances dictate.....
reservations being a pre-requisite. if a person intrudes on my establishment & if those inclusive disruptive people..... be they 1 or be they 100..... get edgy towards my adult clients that dine in a respectful manner, they'll be dining elsewhere.
& they shant be permitted a return thereafter.....
through ranting!


.....'kay, thru ranting, now praising! crayons work so well! i lived in utter adoration of them from my toddler days! red-orange (red-orange.... or orange-red?) was so beloved when i was a tot! george & martha, little miss-books, stone soup, 80's reads. they defined me, lol. i mean that, i loved being introduced in the early 80's when reading was great!!

 

[Mimizkitchen]

That will work well... What a concept, to bad somebody didn't think of it before you...

Good luck with that...

 

[getoutamykitchen]

I am happy to say I have always been able to take my son anywhere and everywhere. He's always been quiet and respectful of people around him. I went out to lunch with a friend and her daughter once and her daughter was horrible. She was climbing on the table and trying to climb in the booth next to us. When mom got up to use the restroom I had a little one on one with the little she demon and the rest of the lunch was so pleasent. Her mom thought she was coming down with something. LOL! I didn't bribe her or anything like that. I just promised her that if she didn't settle down and act like a well behaved young lady I was going to call the restaurant manager to the table and embarrass her more then she could imagine. Of course the firm, but loving grip I had on her hand helped too. Every time she would start to get fidgety I would give her the evil eye and she stopped.

 

[licia]

It is great to see that all of your children behave when they eat out. First, it begins with teaching them manners at home. If they are allowed to get up and run about at home, they will expect to be able to do the same whenever or wherever they eat.
We always had a good code of conduct with out kids and I don't ever remember having to caution them when eating out or even when we were invited over by friends. I remember our son getting choked on parsley once and he was totally humilated over causing attention to himself. He still won't eat raw parsley.
Secondly, I see as many young adults and even older adults acting badly in restaurants and sometimes it is hard to carry on a conversation at our own table because of someone with boorish behavior. I usually just give them a very stern look and that helps, but there are always smart alecks that decide the whole establishment is for their own amusement. They should be eating from a trough.

 

[Selkie]

My fiancee and I went to brunch with another couple and their 2 year old granddaughter last weekend after church. We sat in a booth in the corner of the dinning room. The child was six feet away from any other patron. She is a VERY active two year old... not bad, there was no fussing or loud squeals or other obnoxious noises to disrupt anyone near us, but she was just bursting with energy! She went from the booster seat to standing beside grandma, to grandma's lap, to the booster seat and around the circuit again. It wasn't long until our waitress brought two extra place mats and three crayons. They were a Godsend! The little girl settled right down and colored for... almost 10 minutes, which is an eternity for a two year old! It was evident that grandma and grandpa were tired, but they set reasonable limits to the range of activity and behavior for the "light of their life," And when we left the restaurant we only received sympathetic smiles from those around us. Yes, she had drawn their attention, but not their ire.

It takes continuous patience and effort to raise a child, but it takes no effort or energy to raise a savage.

 

[bakechef]

I know what you mean Kayelle.

I live next to a very family oriented upscale suburb. Just about every time we go eat there whether it is upscale or not, the places are full of families with very young children. I have no issues eating around children, but most upscale places are not really made for a child under 10. When a restaurant has no high chairs and no kiddie menu, that should be a sign that it is not appropriate for small children, get a babysitter! If the child is well behaved, then there is no problem, but many parents in this area have no idea how to handle their children.

With that said there are dozens of family style restaurants in that town, so there are plenty of places to take the kiddies.

 

[ChefJune]

Certainly not all children act wild and crazy in restaurants. Yes, I agree that if they do that in a restaurant, likely their parents let them do that everywhere.

 

[Kayelle]

I should have guessed that everyone here has/had perfectly mannered children/grands at all times. What was I thinking??

I did not. I had two hyperactive sons who went through a stage of being hellions on wheels. They turned out to be fantastic grown men thank God. However, my point is we never subjected other diners to them. If my husband and I wanted to have a stress less meal, we paid the bucks for a sitter, or we just didn't go. It irks me to no end to see parents who feel "entitled" to bring their kids, when they know perfectly well that they will be disturbing others. What irks me even more, is when the parents seem to just ignore what the kids are doing, and just talk between themselves. Gaaaaaaaaah......
I agree with some of you who said that some adults without children act like animals too. No question!!

And June...never did I imply this....
"Certainly not all children act wild and crazy in restaurants."
However, those who do, have just ruined my dining out experience.

 

[Claire]

I remember when I was a kid and this drove my parents insane. Mom, as a result, taught me that if you have dinner at any place labeling itself as "family", OR if it is before 7 p.m., just be prepared for brats. One time my husband and I went to a high end restaurant for an anniversary dinner ... and there were single-digit aged kids crawling under our table. Literally across our feet. Another time my husband actually went and tipped the wait staff extra because my young relatives were so horrid that we were embarrassed.

The flip side of that is once in awhile we go out someplace pricey and nice (not that they are mutually exclusive) and I've thought, oh, dog excrement. A table of young children next to me. Then been very pleasantly surprised. When that happens, I actually make a point of talking to one of the parents before we leave. "Your (appropriate child pronoun here) is very well behaved and had beautiful manners. I want you to know that we appreciate that." The bad experience is so much more universal for me that I can come home feeling shell-shocked. And it isn't just children who can be the problem. I've gone out and had to leave because a restaurant was so noisy ... the jukebox. I look around and I'm the child in the room, which is some heck of a note given that I'm in my mid 50s, husband in his early 60s. But the music that is blaring, I mean really, really, blaring is the choice of the waiters or kitchen help, because no paying customer has ever heard it.

By the way, several times when I've commented on children's good behavior, the parents told me they have "practice sessions" at home. This amuses me to no end, because we did as children as well. We practiced using china and crystal and silver. Place settings. Inside voice and conversation. We didn't do it every day, but we did it most holidays and winter Sundays. We'd each get a wine glass full of usually cream soda (heck, it looks just like champagne!). No cans, jars, or bottles on the table (yes, even catsup would go in a small bowl with a spoon).

 

[GB]

My daughter was a perfect angel in restaurants always. Not once did she ever do anything that she should not have. Not even a single time. We went out to eat a lot when it was just the three of us. Then my son was born. He was the polar opposite of my daughter. The 4 of us would go out to eat and two of us would end up eating while the other two were in the parking lot. We stopped going out to eat shortly after that started.

Now that he is older he is much better, but he still has his moments. Just last weekend my parents took us out for dinner. My son decided he was going to stand on the bench and look at the people on the other side as they ate, something we do not allow. When i told him to stop he started to get loud so I grabbed him and told him we were leaving if he did not stop. Thankfully he listened that time. Otherwise it would have been take out for me again.

 

[Kayelle]

GB said.......

When i told him to stop he started to get loud so I grabbed him and told him we were leaving if he did not stop.

That sure struck up a 40 yr old memory GB. I did the same to my son and his reply was "good, I want to leave anyway.". Oh lowrdy, how glad I am he's grown now.
This too will pass buddy.

 

[Mimizkitchen]

GB said.......


That sure struck up a 40 yr old memory GB. I did the same to my son and his reply was "good, I want to leave anyway.". Oh lowrdy, how glad I am he's grown now.
This too will pass buddy.

Betcha he says it never happened...

 

[Mimizkitchen]

Unattended children will be given a cup of Espresso and a PUPPY.


My Grandbabies would be all over that...

 

[Kayelle]

Betcha he says it never happened...

Without a doubt mimi. Now that he's a grown man with kids of his own, he has joined the club of "perfection", don't cha know!!