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When I go out to eat and there are children there, I ask to be seated away from them.
Some parents are NUMB to the antics of their own kids, they allow their children to behave in ways that simply aren't acceptable in a given environment.
I have worked with kids for 25 years. We have none of our own. I have no tolerence for obnoxious kids in a restaurant. I also have no tolerence for very young children in a restaurant after 7pm. I watched many children in the years. I have ALWAYS stuck with a schedule. Children need schedules. I despise parents who play the "I'm full of guilt for working" attitude that allows their children to do anything they want.
We were at Applebees one night after 8. We thought we would have a quiet dinner. The family that sat behind my husband had 3 kids. One was probably 4 months. He was truly adorable, but pretty much sobbed the whole time. I wanted to slap the mom and then take that baby home and put him to bed. He was miserable. Don't get me started at the screaming kids at Wal-Mart at 10 at night either or older kids who know better.
There was another time we were seated in a booth(different restaurant)next to a large table where a boy did nothing but run around the table at a hundred miles an hour. So as the hostess took us to the booth, my husband sat down and I went and asked to be seated at another table. We were seated on the other side of the room. Perfect. If a child acts like this in public, I don't want to know what they are like at home.
Long ago I watch 3 boys. 2 3 year olds and a newborn. I had a friend who watched 3 girls. We did things together all the time. We walked into McDonalds one day for lunch with all of them(the newborn was probably 1 by then). I think every head in the place turned with an OMG expression. Well we got a TON of compliments on how well behaved they were. I followed every compliment with a "If they didn't behave, we wouldn't be here."
I have never had a child pitch a fit in a restaurant or store. The 3 year old girl I watch now will here a child throwing a fit and tell me, "We don't scream like that." She's right. I very rarely have had to give time-outs. They learn from the get go. I've also never had to remove a child from my home for horrible behavior. It's called respect.
Throw tomatoes at me if you want, but just because I don't have kids of my own, doesn't mean I don't know how to raise them. I grew up where if we misbehaved, we were taken out to the car and punished. I guess I'm hard core because there is no excuse to not tell your child to knock it off.
Last edited by UW Badgers; 03-19-2008 at 07:25 PM..
When I go out to eat and there are children there, I ask to be seated away from them.
Some parents are NUMB to the antics of their own kids, they allow their children to behave in ways that simply aren't acceptable in a given environment.
I think they are using the "ignore" approach at the expense of everyone else's sanity..........
Just think kids will be kids and thank goodness it's not yours, lol
I witnessed this happen. No kidding. Ballsiest thing I've ever witnessed.
A client of mine were eating lunch at a nice restaurant, but not terribly upscale. There were two SAHMs in tennis dresses there with their screaming brats. While these two women nonchalantly carried on a conversation, these kids made the experience miserable for everybody else there. I mean we couldn't carry on a conversation.
Finally, when the check came to our table, the client picked it up, looked at me, said "Allow me," and strolled over to their table.
"What's this?" one of the tennis moms asked.
"Well, you both seem like nice women. I figured that since your kids ruined the lunches of everybody else in this restaurant, you were wanting to pay for our meals."
The woman was about to rip him a new one, but several of the people in the restaurant applauded. She took his check, paid ours and theirs, and the two slunk out of the restaurant, screaming kids in tow.
Finally, when the check came to our table, the client picked it up, looked at me, said "Allow me," and strolled over to their table.
"What's this?" one of the tennis moms asked.
"Well, you both seem like nice women. I figured that since your kids ruined the lunches of everybody else in this restaurant, you were wanting to pay for our meals."
The woman was about to rip him a new one, but several of the people in the restaurant applauded. She took his check, paid ours and theirs, and the two slunk out of the restaurant, screaming kids in tow.
What a hoot! My husband and I needed a good laugh. Priceless, just priceless.
I witnessed this happen. No kidding. Ballsiest thing I've ever witnessed.
A client of mine were eating lunch at a nice restaurant, but not terribly upscale. There were two SAHMs in tennis dresses there with their screaming brats. While these two women nonchalantly carried on a conversation, these kids made the experience miserable for everybody else there. I mean we couldn't carry on a conversation.
Finally, when the check came to our table, the client picked it up, looked at me, said "Allow me," and strolled over to their table.
"What's this?" one of the tennis moms asked.
"Well, you both seem like nice women. I figured that since your kids ruined the lunches of everybody else in this restaurant, you were wanting to pay for our meals."
The woman was about to rip him a new one, but several of the people in the restaurant applauded. She took his check, paid ours and theirs, and the two slunk out of the restaurant, screaming kids in tow.
Oh now that is priceless.
I am just a b itch enough to get up and say something to the Mothers though and if that doesn't suffice, to the wait person, like demanding to be moved because of the noise.
It just annoys me NO END that some parents out there feel that because they decided to pro-create, the entire world has to share in the parenting duties.
I also believe uncontrolled children with wimpy/unconscious parents do NOT belong in antique stores or at antique auctions. The objects in these situations are N O T toys ...and it's unbelievable how these "well-adjusted" people let their kids run amok!
Today I was in an antique store and couldn't escape "Mom" and grandma and grandpa (THREE PEOPLE) who couldn't control two small children....we were all entertained to a constant INEFFECTUAL chant of "don't touch" "don't touch" don't touch" WHAT did these people think? How many times would it take to get them to realize the little "angels" weren't listening!
How DARE they let these children handle things that didn't belong to them!
But I guess if you "worship at the altar", other people's rights are just not important.
Personally I was hoping they'd pull over a shelf of expensive glassware ....your kids break it...YOU buy it!
What's the use of giving dirty looks to the parents? Chances are if they aren't addressing it, they don't care or are clueless. Either way, its not somebody else's place to inform them of their social faux pas. I would ask to be seated somewhere else, and if it was really bad, I would get the food to go...or just go.
Incidentally, I am asked all the time (we eat out a lot) if my kids are always so good at restaurants, which they are. But my wife always tries to play it off like it was a one time thing, which I don't get because I've put a lot of hard work into making sure my kids have good table manners and so appreciate the positive feedback we get. Its good for the kids because it reinforces that they are doing the right things, and that goes double for me...
I witnessed this happen. No kidding. Ballsiest thing I've ever witnessed.
A client of mine were eating lunch at a nice restaurant, but not terribly upscale. There were two SAHMs in tennis dresses there with their screaming brats. While these two women nonchalantly carried on a conversation, these kids made the experience miserable for everybody else there. I mean we couldn't carry on a conversation.
Finally, when the check came to our table, the client picked it up, looked at me, said "Allow me," and strolled over to their table.
"What's this?" one of the tennis moms asked.
"Well, you both seem like nice women. I figured that since your kids ruined the lunches of everybody else in this restaurant, you were wanting to pay for our meals."
The woman was about to rip him a new one, but several of the people in the restaurant applauded. She took his check, paid ours and theirs, and the two slunk out of the restaurant, screaming kids in tow.
I smell an aspiring creative writer! C'mon now, I would need some further details to buy this fish story.
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Reacting to others...
The objects in these situations are N O T toys ...and it's unbelievable how these "well-adjusted" people let their kids run amok!
