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Old 03-18-2008, 12:33 PM
 
Location: Wake Forest
932 posts, read 1,269,458 times
Reputation: 326

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Quote:
Originally Posted by regarese View Post
I hope that's in our future! LOL. We took our 2 year old to Friday's last night. Had the waitress bring the highchair, but my daughter is in that "I do" phase and wanted to sit at the table in a regular chair. My husband was dead set against it, but it was pretty empty so I said, let's give her a chance. I told her if she threw anything or got out of her chair she was going right into the high chair (and I would have done it). She was so good, I couldn't believe it. Maybe it was the continuous prayer going on in my head, "Please Jesus keep her butt in that seat. Please let her behave. Please Please Please."

my 2 year old has ALWAYS refused to sit in a high chair in a restaurant! lol

HE would be just fine sitting on the seat next to me, but try to put him in that chair and he turns into monster boy! lol

Even here at home, he'd rather sit on his knees on the kitchen chair than in his booster seat.

go figure
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Old 03-18-2008, 12:42 PM
 
2,016 posts, read 5,197,712 times
Reputation: 1879
Quote:
Originally Posted by regarese View Post
I hope that's in our future! LOL. We took our 2 year old to Friday's last night. Had the waitress bring the highchair, but my daughter is in that "I do" phase and wanted to sit at the table in a regular chair. My husband was dead set against it, but it was pretty empty so I said, let's give her a chance. I told her if she threw anything or got out of her chair she was going right into the high chair (and I would have done it). She was so good, I couldn't believe it. Maybe it was the continuous prayer going on in my head, "Please Jesus keep her butt in that seat. Please let her behave. Please Please Please."
You sound like good parents. Children most definitely go through the "I do" phase, asserting their own independence! And here they are doing it at age 2, can you imagine them at age 16 wanting to drive the car? I'm must kidding; don't want to worry you about that. There's plenty of time until you reach that stage. Hope you had a wonderful time; your little one sounds adorable; those are truly the best years (Our children range in age 24 down to age 6). Prayers definitely help. It is NOT an easy task raising children and the job really never ends. Wishing all of you the very best now and in the future!
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Old 03-18-2008, 03:12 PM
 
Location: Denver
4,564 posts, read 10,940,353 times
Reputation: 3947
I've never been so annoyed that I've said anything - maybe a dirty look. We've always expected proper behavior from our son at a restaurant and he's always delivered. We never let the fact that we had a child keep us from going out - they need to learn how to behave in those situations. We would always usually go to nice restaurants. I just made sure I had little things in my purse to keep him entertained - crayons and paper are always handy
When we first moved to Colorado, our son was 6 years old. We had no one to watch him for our anniversary, so we took him with us to the fanciest restaurant in Boulder. You know, the kind where they brush off the crumbs, cleanse your palet in between courses, etc. I was so worried how they would react to a child. Well, he was a total gentleman and the waiter and staff treated him like a king. It was fantastic.
One reason we never go to family style restaurants is partly because of how children act and how parents don't do anything about it.
Our son is now 14 and would prefer to NOT go out to eat with us. He probably finds us too embarrassing
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Old 03-18-2008, 03:56 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
2,868 posts, read 9,539,309 times
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I wouldn't bat an eye... Been there done that..and so has everyone who has kids... I would rather channel my focus on enjoying my meal and not be concerned with people around me... If anything, I would offer some supportive comments...


Not a big deal.
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Old 03-18-2008, 03:59 PM
 
Location: Nebraska
4,176 posts, read 10,667,898 times
Reputation: 9645
We took our three kids to a pizza place one evening. Well, the next table had the typical children, racing thru the restaurant, tripping the waitress, shrieking with laughter.

We were getting pretty torqued, as the sponge-mom and dad sat there saying that usual monotone, "Don't do that. Stop that," with as usual no effect.

Finally the mother turned to me with a false smile and gushed, "Just HOW do you get your kids to sit there so quietly and behave?"

In a very sarcastic and loud voice, I replied, "I nail their feet to the floor - maybe you should try it!" The whole restaurant exploded into laughter, the mother and dad grabbed the kids and made them sit, very red-faced. We finished our meal in peace.
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Old 03-18-2008, 04:46 PM
 
5,244 posts, read 4,703,054 times
Reputation: 1858
We have really made a good effort to teach our kids how to behave in restaurants and stores. We have seen kids throwing fits at restaurants or stores and my kids can even point out the behavior and tell me they should not be doing that, LOL. I just use it as a reminder to mine how not to behave and thank them for being very patient w/the food or just thank them for being good.
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Old 03-18-2008, 06:50 PM
 
Location: USA
1,244 posts, read 3,220,614 times
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To me I guess it depends what kind of restuarant setting it is. I don't think I have ever really experienced anything horrible persay but I know I probably would never give the hairy eyeball either.

I may glance over like someone said with a sympathetic look and hope the parents get the hint if it is really getting to me, but most of them time it really wouldn't get to me too bad at most places. I have 2 kids of my own and also raised my step daughter from my previous marriage so I know how it can be going out with younger kids. I did however take it very seriously to teach my children how to behave at a restaurant and they were always highly aware that there was a bathroom there that we could go to and consequences when they got home if they really really got out of hand, which thank God they never did.

So I guess mainly I would be like... kids will be kids and thank goodness they are not mine... LOL

The only place I think that it would maybe bother me a bit more is if we were at some nice or fancy quiet restaurant trying to have a quiet romantic evening and this was going on, but rarely if ever will you see young children in those restaurants anyways.

In a case like this I would maybe mention something to the waitress/waiter to see if they could somehow assess and control the situation so that it is not disturbing the other customers.
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Old 03-18-2008, 07:25 PM
 
Location: Boca Raton, FL
6,883 posts, read 11,212,926 times
Reputation: 10792
Smile Kids running in restaurants

My dad used to own restaurants so I've seen it all. I wanted our children to experience dining at a young age but they must behave. They never left the table, no way. We would bring coloring books, tic-tac-doe things, even a rubiks cube and the one pushing the numbers around with - it worked - but as they got older, they talked, talked, talked. We took them to family style, regular restaurants and nice, fancy ones, never a problem. Now that they are older (23, 19), they are glad they can carry their own and comment that their friends don't know which fork to use, etc.

I would say to the question - "I'm glad it's not my kid"
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Old 03-18-2008, 07:29 PM
 
8,231 posts, read 17,288,460 times
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Depends on the kind of restaurant. If it's a family type place, I can ignore just about everything. BUT...when we go to a 'fancy' place where you might spend a couple of hundred bucks...well, if the host/ess seats me next to kids I ask to move, I don't even sit down. If I'm going to arrange for a sitter, I'm not going to have dinner next to a kid, no matter how perfect their behavior.
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Old 03-18-2008, 08:13 PM
 
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
6,588 posts, read 17,522,586 times
Reputation: 9462
I give the parents dirty looks. It amazes me how many people lose control of their children to the point of continuing to eat like nothing is happening as their kids run around the restaurant, trip the wait staff, etc.

I don't have a lot of patience, because when this happened to me when my kids were little, I took them outside until they could behave. There is no reason to disrupt other diners' meals because my kids can't be quiet! Being a parent isn't all fun and games, after all.
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