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BUFORD — The breaking point came when a little boy throwing rocks shattered a glass lantern outside Laurie Attaway’s restaurant, the child’s mother standing just five feet away.
A sign recently posted at both entrances to Third Coast Grille following that incident reads, “Well behaved children welcomed,” in bold, capital letters. “In fairness to all our guests please supervise your children for the duration of your visit. Thank you!”
These types of stories usually elicit the same responses:
1 - My children are angels and everyone always tells us how wonderful our kids behave every time we are at a restaurant.
2 - ::stomps feet:: I have a four year old. I have no control over them and no advance warning that they are going to scream or whatever. This is sooooo unfair! They're kids. People should deal with it and just understand.
3 - Good. Children should not be allowed in places other than McDonald's anyway.
4 - If my child wants to play peekaboo with the people in the booth behind us or yell HI! to them or kick the bottom of the booth and those people get offended, well they can go to hell.
I can deal with the kid saying Hi if we are close by, but there are really a lot of kids who do run around and throw things. I've dined next to families where you'd never know there were children at the table and others where once the family got up to leave the floor around their entire table was just a disgusting pigsty. More than once, I've seen mothers say things like "You got a problem?" when patrons in neighboring booths look crooked at a table of rowdy kids with parents who are not asking them to quiet down.
I can't blame the owner. She has kids so she's not some person who just hates kids. I'm sure she has seen plenty of the fallout from misbehaving kids and parents who think because they are spending money in the restaurant that they are entitled to do whatever they please.
You are so right. I'd like to add to this. The responses to these posts are usually the following:
1. That's great I shouldn't have to pay 100.00 for a meal to listen to some brat screaming.
2. Whenever I took my kids to a restaurant and they misbehaved we left right away.
3. It is wrong to subject the public to a child's tantrum.
4. Children should be see and not heard.
This reminds me of a sign at my doc (ob) office that reads, "Unattended children will be given an espresso and a puppy."
I guess my response would fit somewhere between #2 and #3:
Kids will occasionally act out, and correcting that behavior should be part of parenting. I am not sure how else can a child learn the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behavior unless someone (parental figure) shows them. What's not acceptable to me are parents who sit back and ignore it while their children continue act inappropriately.
I guess my response would fit somewhere between #2 and #3:
Kids will occasionally act out, and correcting that behavior should be part of parenting. I am not sure how else can a child learn the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behavior unless someone (parental figure) shows them. What's not acceptable to me are parents who sit back and ignore it while their children continue act inappropriately.
Or the ones who's idea of "handling it" is to repeat "now honey, please don't ________(stare over the booth, run around the restaurant, throw silverware etc etc)" about fifty million times without result so not only do I have to deal with junior's poor behavior, I have the additional "pleasure" of hearing the parents whiney broken record repetitions throughtout my meal. Say it once or twice, then, if you aren't getting results DO SOMETHING! Take junior outside and have a more firm conversation, or let him run around for a bit so he's less fidgety or whatever.
I won't sit in a restaurant with my daughter if she's being unruly. I don't know why anyone else should.
I am guilty of the big mess on the floor, though, back in the days when most of the food she ate missed her mouth. We traveled a lot when she was younger so unless we were going to eat at McDonald's every meal (bluck!) we had to figure out how to conduct ourselves appropriately in public with our new dining companion. I'm talking family style restaurants, here. Most of the staff in said restaurants won't let you pick the mess yourself, so we offered many apologies, an advance warning, and a large tip, for the extra work.
I can't tell you the number of times either my husband or I walked out of a restaurant (or a store, or church, etc.) and sat in the car with a misbehaving child, leaving everyone else to enjoy the event or finish their meal. After the first or second time, it didn't happen again. We have 5 kids, and they're growing up to be very polite teens.
This reminds me of a sign at my doc (ob) office that reads, "Unattended children will be given an espresso and a puppy."
LOVE IT!
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Or the ones who's idea of "handling it" is to repeat "now honey, please don't ________(stare over the booth, run around the restaurant, throw silverware etc etc)" about fifty million times without result so not only do I have to deal with junior's poor behavior, I have the additional "pleasure" of hearing the parents whiney broken record repetitions throughtout my meal.
Yep, even more irritating than the bratty children! I witness this a lot at the grocery store. A lot of logic and reasoning with young children as if they have equal authority with the parent and the parent needs to involve them in decisions and even negotiate? It's just crazy.
These types of stories usually elicit the same responses:
1 - My children are angels and everyone always tells us how wonderful our kids behave every time we are at a restaurant.
And?
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2 - ::stomps feet:: I have a four year old. I have no control over them and no advance warning that they are going to scream or whatever. This is sooooo unfair! They're kids. People should deal with it and just understand.
So? Control them.
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3 - Good. Children should not be allowed in places other than McDonald's anyway.
I disagree. People should be free to go where they want.
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4 - If my child wants to play peekaboo with the people in the booth behind us or yell HI! to them or kick the bottom of the booth and those people get offended, well they can go to hell.
I have a right to complain if things affect me. Parents have no proprietary rights in restaurants.
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I can deal with the kid saying Hi if we are close by, but there are really a lot of kids who do run around and throw things. I've dined next to families where you'd never know there were children at the table and others where once the family got up to leave the floor around their entire table was just a disgusting pigsty. More than once, I've seen mothers say things like "You got a problem?" when patrons in neighboring booths look crooked at a table of rowdy kids with parents who are not asking them to quiet down.
I'd say "yes, I do".
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I can't blame the owner. She has kids so she's not some person who just hates kids. I'm sure she has seen plenty of the fallout from misbehaving kids and parents who think because they are spending money in the restaurant that they are entitled to do whatever they please.
The owner has the obligation to facilitate how people behave there.
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