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Sooooo, why didn't you bring actual QUIET TOYS if you have a kid who is so young that you're still nursing him?? This is what I'm talking about -- not planning ahead when you take kids out, not dealing with an issue that has arisen.
I'm with her.
You sound like a real gem. Please post your eating out schedule in advance so we can avoid your little darlings.
Trust me, if I'm out with my kids I'll be sure to have them standing on the booth so they can toss wet rice into your drink and pull your hair all night ...
ROFL...the funniest thing I've read yet! And so true! I'd like Tatiana to check back in with this thread exactly 30 months after having her first child. J/K, but that said, I DID notice and despised permissive parenting in public. I recall going to the beach before I hit 20 with a friend who had a preschooler. This kid was going around tossing handfuls of sand AT the other beach goers. I was mortified, and the mom did nothing. Same kid threw a metal truck at my head at his house. Mom did nothing. So I did a little disciplining for my own safety.
Anyhow, I have 2 spirited boys; 6 and 10 year old. Over the years, we've gone out occasionally but we followed a couple rules that I wished more parents would abide by.
First we went at off times (3-4pm for dinner) to avoid the dinner rush. Rush = waiting...and kids don't wait well, at least mine don't. Its just better to avoid it if you can. And we remove our kids from the restaurant the minute their behavior affects anyone around us. They will get one warning and if they do not heed it, we remove them to the car. We will give them a chance to return to the restaurant but any further outbursts and we pack up our food and leave. They have learned that we will leave a restaurant if they do not behave AND it will be a long time before they earn the privilege again.
Our babes were always up late early on in their lives. So if we did go out to restaurants, they came with us. Kids are all different, not all babes are in bed at 7pm. It does not mean there is bad parenting happening. Still, we evaluated going out and if the stars were all lined up properly (they weren't over tired, or too hungry or there wouldn't be a long wait, etc, etc) then we would go out (again at an off time).
As annoyed as I am about uncontrolled behavior of kids in restaurants, it's nothing compared to how annoyed my parents get. You see, from their perspective, kids should not be out at night at all. They should be in their homes, on a schedule and in bed by a decent hour. To the poster here who said he/she would go out with his/her kid at 5PM for dinner, my mother would kiss your feet for "getting it". My mom always says that parenting has obligations and sacrifices that fewer and fewer people are willing to make or take seriously.
Now, before anyone starts throwing eggs at me, I am only communicating what my parents think.....not that I think they are wrong.
I also want to add that we have a 4yo and 2yo twins-all boys. We used to love to eat out but now we can't often because it's such a gamble with the kids. Sometimes they are perfect angels, who are quiet,cooperative and neat eaters. Other times they are loud, uncooperative and messy (and it makes us extremly embarassed). So now we limit our dining 1-2 a month and only to chain restaurants before 6pm.
When hubby and I want to go out alone, we go to a more expensive place or we may try a chain restaurant after 9. There usually aren't many kids during that time.
No biggie.
[quote=Babytarheelz;6562718]I was going to stay out of this, but I'm curious.....you really think kids have no business going to restaurants or malls? Really? No kids at all?....they should be condemned to their homes for the first 10 years of their life. quote]
Ooops, I guess I was not being specific. Of course they can be taken to kid-friendly restaurants like Chuck-E-Cheese, Mcdonalds etc where there are many others kids and they do not get bored. Kids cry when they get bored. When adults go out to eat, they expect a restaurant atmosphere, not Disneyland. And you're right, if patrons do not like the Disneyland-like atmosphere, they are free to leave. We do that and a lot of our friends do the same too. Either they go to expensive restaurants (i.e Steak houses) or they come back very late when the brats are gone .
Last year we had a bad experience at O'Charleys when we were dining. At the booth next to us, there was this kid eating with his mother. I guess she was forcing him to eat his food and he wasn't having it! Next thing we know, the boy started throwing pieces of pizza at his mother but unfortunately, some of these hit us. My winter white sweater got messed up with pizza sauce and cheese (yeah!) and my boyfriend's hair also got the same thing. We had plans to go somewhere else afterwards but we were so miserable and headed straight home...I don't think the issue is that of well-behaved or badly-behaved kids. I think the issue is that kids are easily bored in an environment that is not fun (like chuck-E-cheese), so why not take them there instead or better yet take them to the best place on earth:their home.
I was going to stay out of this, but I'm curious.....you really think kids have no business going to restaurants or malls? Really? No kids at all?....they should be condemned to their homes for the first 10 years of their life. quote]
Ooops, I guess I was not being specific. Of course they can be taken to kid-friendly restaurants like Chuck-E-Cheese, Mcdonalds etc where there are many others kids and they do not get bored. Kids cry when they get bored. When adults go out to eat, they expect a restaurant atmosphere, not Disneyland. And you're right, if patrons do not like the Disneyland-like atmosphere, they are free to leave. We do that and a lot of our friends do the same too. Either they go to expensive restaurants (i.e Steak houses) or they come back very late when the brats are gone .
Last year we had a bad experience at O'Charleys when we were dining. At the booth next to us, there was this kid eating with his mother. I guess she was forcing him to eat his food and he wasn't having it! Next thing we know, the boy started throwing pieces of pizza at his mother but unfortunately, some of these hit us. My winter white sweater got messed up with pizza sauce and cheese (yeah!) and my boyfriend's hair also got the same thing. We had plans to go somewhere else afterwards but we were so miserable and headed straight home...I don't think the issue is that of well-behaved or badly-behaved kids. I think the issue is that kids are easily bored in an environment that is not fun (like chuck-E-cheese), so why not take them there instead or better yet take them to the best place on earth:their home.
Sorry, but O'Charley's is hardly a barometer for fine dining - in fact, it's another example of disgusting food served in a loud environment with a bar attached to the dining area that I would NEVER bring my kids to. (made a promise to my kids when they started eating solid foods: that I would never offer them something I would not eat myself -- O'Charley's violates that rule!)
Chuck-E-Cheese food is disgusting. McDonald's food is disgusting. Why on earth would I bring my kids there for dinner? I suppose you are also on the bandwagon of people who complain about your healthcare benefits costing you so much (because you are subsidizing the obese and growing population fortified by such positive nutrition?)
I will pose the question again -how are children supposed to learn how to behave if they don't see the behavior to model? Should kids be left out of church? (I have been to friends churches where kids are essentially banished- I find that bizarre!) The places you cite are hardly restaurants.
Old people, young people, babies, fat people, people of color, people who speak different languages, have different abilities -- we are all part of society. If you don't want to be a part of society - then stay home. But please, don't quit your day job to become a restaurant reviewer!
[quote=NcerfromNY;6573925]Trust me, if I'm out with my kids I'll be sure to have them standing on the booth so they can toss wet rice into your drink and pull your hair all night ...[/QUOTE
Classy. It sounds like you are raising some great future contributors to society.
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J/K, but that said, I DID notice and despised permissive parenting in public. I recall going to the beach before I hit 20 with a friend who had a preschooler. This kid was going around tossing handfuls of sand AT the other beach goers. I was mortified, and the mom did nothing. Same kid threw a metal truck at my head at his house. Mom did nothing. So I did a little disciplining for my own safety. 
. 
