Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It depends. If I'm at a nice restaurant then I don't want to be around a kid having a meltdown. If I'm at Chuck-E-Cheese or Mcdonalds then I expect it. And I have kids. I took mine out when they were acting up so they wouldn't disturb other people and I would appreciate the same.
I read thru this whole thread, and it is AMAZING that so many here thinks that it is either the child acting like a brat, or bad parenting.
omg, How quick people are to judge....
Has it dawned on ANYONE that it could be neither of these things????
I have autistic twins and when they were young , life was rough. ALL they did was jump up and down, scream (the doctors call it humming, but they don't live with it), and throw things.
I'm sure a few people here are going to automatically assume they were brats. What those people who assume that don't know is that, they were seeking sensory stimulation and didn't know how to deal with their environment. It's *very* common among Autistic children to get "over stimulated" in any environment, especially if it is not familiar. Their way of trying to "organize their minds" is WAY different then what most people would think normal.
I understand that people have brats, and yes, I am sure there are many of them floating among the masses, but before you are so quick to go give a parent the "evil eye"; or judge them for being a bad parent because YOU think their child is "out of control", or assume the child needs a good whoopin' ....think again. It in fact maybe they are having a meltdown and mom HAS to get food, that maybe they are doing the best they can in the situation. It may be that the child can't handle the lights or the noise, or the unfamiliar environment.
We have had to travel across states (we were military) and there were times we *tried* to eat in the places along the way and yeah, my kids were all out of sorts because it was horribly hard for them to deal with the traveling, but my kids aren't brats. Yeah we would leave, and have to eat in our car, trying to feed our kids from the front seat. It was hell.
We worked long and hard to be able to get our kids to a place where now they can handle eating out. And they are awesome! but it wasn't always that way.
So before you judge, consider there may be things going on that you aren't aware of......
I feel bad for the parents with autistic children, or children with any other diagnosis. I understand there's children out there who can't help themselves, or who have trouble helping themselves.....I've taught some of those children, and I have an ADHD son myself.
With that being said.......it still isn't fair to the people who came out to pay to eat in a restaurant.....which you expect to be able to eat in a calm atmosphere (I'm not talking about Chuck-e-Cheese)......who might have gotten a babysitter for their own children.......to hear, or witness, a child throwing a fit, screaming, yelling......whathaveyou.......whether it's autism, ADHD, ODD.....or just a brat...or just a brat with bad parenting.
I feel bad for the parents with autistic children, or children with any other diagnosis. I understand there's children out there who can't help themselves, or who have trouble helping themselves.....I've taught some of those children, and I have an ADHD son myself.
With that being said.......it still isn't fair to the people who came out to pay to eat in a restaurant.....which you expect to be able to eat in a calm atmosphere (I'm not talking about Chuck-e-Cheese)......who might have gotten a babysitter for their own children.......to hear, or witness, a child throwing a fit, screaming, yelling......whathaveyou.......whether it's autism, ADHD, ODD.....or just a brat...or just a brat with bad parenting.
I agree, our son has Autisim and ADD/HD and while it's wasn't "his" fault when he melted down or started screaming it was our responsability to deal with it appropriately which was to remove him from the eatery/store etc until such a time as he was not disturbing others. I think we keep forgetting our rights stop where another persons begin.
Whether or not our son has whatever conditition is not the problem of others just as if our son was a spoiled brat has nothing to do with others.
They didn't willingly sit next to us knowing our son could melt down and make a scene, they came in expecting to be able to eat in relative peace and we were the ones infringing on that and we don't have the right to do that just because we're parents or parents of a "special" child.
I feel bad for the parents with autistic children, or children with any other diagnosis. I understand there's children out there who can't help themselves, or who have trouble helping themselves.....I've taught some of those children, and I have an ADHD son myself.
With that being said.......it still isn't fair to the people who came out to pay to eat in a restaurant.....which you expect to be able to eat in a calm atmosphere (I'm not talking about Chuck-e-Cheese)......who might have gotten a babysitter for their own children.......to hear, or witness, a child throwing a fit, screaming, yelling......whathaveyou.......whether it's autism, ADHD, ODD.....or just a brat...or just a brat with bad parenting.
I feel bad for the parents with autistic children, or children with any other diagnosis. I understand there's children out there who can't help themselves, or who have trouble helping themselves.....I've taught some of those children, and I have an ADHD son myself.
With that being said.......it still isn't fair to the people who came out to pay to eat in a restaurant.....which you expect to be able to eat in a calm atmosphere (I'm not talking about Chuck-e-Cheese)......who might have gotten a babysitter for their own children.......to hear, or witness, a child throwing a fit, screaming, yelling......whathaveyou.......whether it's autism, ADHD, ODD.....or just a brat...or just a brat with bad parenting.
Like I said, I do agree, that their are brats and there are ways that are more appropriate to deal with children (with or without a disorder). I don't believe that others have the right to inflict their childs behaviors on others regardless of the situation, but I wanted to bring to light that there are times when we have extenuating circumstances and a little understanding is more welcome than a rude comment.
I have had people comment when I was in line with a huge cart of food *try* my best to get thru the situation as fast and efficiently as I can, only to have people make rude comments. Of course, being a mother of twins and having been there before, the most common phrase you'll get from the parent is "well my child is autistic, what's YOUR excuse?" in which they shut up ( thankfully) so you can get back to trying to make a quick exit.
We are aware of the situation, and most parents are already embarrassed and trying to limit what others have to endure, but we aren't always going to be as successful as some people may wish
I think that if a child is melting down, in a restaurant, it is the parent(s) responsibility to get them out asap.
I agree, our son has Autisim and ADD/HD and while it's wasn't "his" fault when he melted down or started screaming it was our responsability to deal with it appropriately which was to remove him from the eatery/store etc until such a time as he was not disturbing others. I think we keep forgetting our rights stop where another persons begin.
Whether or not our son has whatever conditition is not the problem of others just as if our son was a spoiled brat has nothing to do with others.
They didn't willingly sit next to us knowing our son could melt down and make a scene, they came in expecting to be able to eat in relative peace and we were the ones infringing on that and we don't have the right to do that just because we're parents or parents of a "special" child.
worst thing you can do is sit and eat your meal. boundaries here we dont have any big problem. screaming kids here is not a mcconalds thing happens everywhere. tolerance does not fix everything if fact can create problems.
I look vaguely annoyed at the parents for teaching their children they are the center of the universe and that they can do anything they please.
My wife and I had three kids within four years, and we never shied from taking them out to eat. We brought crayons or something else to go. However, if one got out of hand, he or she was firmly escorted outside the restaurant and dealt with.
Guess what? Do that once or twice, and you really don't have problems any more. And not only do you get to actually enjoy your meal out, but you also get the pleasant byproduct of strangers complimenting you on your well-behaved children.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
, but they don't live with it), and throw things. 
