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Not here in SoCal. Last weekend my family and I went to the mall and there were screaming kids EVERYWHERE!! Most of the parents either took longer to register that their kids were disturbing everyone else or they did nothing at all.
What do you mean, screaming kids? Yelling at the top of their voices? Crying? Running around? Was it an enclosed mall? Honestly, I find malls very noisy in general with all the music coming out of stores, adults walking and yakking on cellphones (including myself) and general hubbub. I know it's not Chuck E. Cheese, but it's far from being an upscale restaurant. Noisy children wouldn't even register, frankly. It would take a lot to disturb to stop me from going in Bath and Body Works. LOL
What do you mean, screaming kids? Yelling at the top of their voices? Crying? Running around? Was it an enclosed mall? Honestly, I find malls very noisy in general with all the music coming out of stores, adults walking and yakking on cellphones (including myself) and general hubbub. I know it's not Chuck E. Cheese, but it's far from being an upscale restaurant. Noisy children wouldn't even register, frankly. It would take a lot to disturb to stop me from going in Bath and Body Works. LOL
Yep mostly crying. And we were at a restaurant within the mall and they were constantly crying and their parent did nothing.
Though one guy with a stroller did in fact take his daughter outside after a few seconds of screaming and crying.
Well, it wasn't noisy in Ann Taylor LOFT. that was pretty nice.
I support the bans. It is a sad commentary when the only quiet, orderly time in many nicer restaurants is lunch-time during the work week.
Someone wondered earlier in the thread what would have happened 20 or 30 years ago if this sort of ban had been enacted - I'll tell you; it wasn't necessary 20 or 30 years ago. When I was a young parent, I did not feel it was my God-given right to take my children everywhere I went. Now there seem to be no boundaries whatsover.
It is unfortunate that so many businesses feel it necessary to enact policies like this, but far too many parents seem to treat wherever they are as an extension of their homes and the results are just awful. And the worst thing, from my perspective, is that the parents don't seem to care - someone else will clean up the mess.
I've been on flights where I just knew that it was going to take the flight crew an hour or more to clean up in and around the seats where young children had been sitting.
Yeah, I know. Just kids being kids, right?
The local TGIFriday's is pretty accommodating to me. When I come in, I ask for a quiet area with light, so I can read my book while I'm eating (I'm one of "those" people who actually enjoy lunching alone). They are very good about putting me in a corner of the dining area that has no kids, and no one on cell phones, and they usually won't seat anyone who comes in with their mouth yapping at their cell phone, or youngish children, next to my table.
I accept that places like that -will- have noise, and they -will- have kids. Cell phones I just can't abide. They are the height of rudeness and should be banned from ALL indoor areas of commerce - including shopping malls. They can stick cell users in a cell-booth like they used to stick smokers in smoking booths before that got banned entirely too. Kids - eh. If they're piercingly loud, or especially obnoxious (coming to my table without the parent making a serious effort to keep their kid in line), then I have a problem with it. Kids who bang their seats - I got a problem with it. I have a problem with adults who do that too.
Thing is, restaurants have typically allowed children to behave in a way that they would -not- tolerate from adults. If *I* ran up and down the aisles, stopping at patrons' tables and asking where they got their pink pocketbook, or thumping the back of my seat, or shouting "NO I DON'T LIKE PEAS TAKE THEM AWAY!!!" I would be kicked out of the restaurant.
The behavior shouldn't be tolerated from anyone. Not children, not adults. Give the parent a chance to calm her child down, OR move the child to the bathroom til he can calm down, or remove him from the premises til he can calm down, and try again. I'm all for it. But if the parents don't try, and the kid refuses to calm, then the establishment -should- kick them out.
Thankfully I don't really see this kind of disruption very often. But when I do, it's blatant and disruptive to everyone, not just to me, and it makes the server's job that much harder because she's the one who has to apologize on behalf of the buffoon parents who refuse to even -try- and keep their kids at a dull roar.
I accept that places like that -will- have noise, and they -will- have kids. Cell phones I just can't abide. They are the height of rudeness and should be banned from ALL indoor areas of commerce - including shopping malls. They can stick cell users in a cell-booth like they used to stick smokers in smoking booths before that got banned entirely too.
Not to get too far off-topic: Like I said, I do use them in enclosed malls (and certainly open-air places). But I also manage to speak in a normal speaking voice and usually quieter. Honestly, I'm louder when I shopping WITH people. But I can't stand to see people on the phone when they are at the register. I think that is completely rude and I'm glad more stores are putting up signs that basically say "We'll ring you up when you are finished with your phone." You want to talk while looking through stacks of jeans? Fine. Wrap it up before you get to the register. Gah! Same goes for people who are shopping with friends and blather on at the register, barely acknowledging the salesperson.
No kids restaurant is where I will take my wife when we have a night out.
What we need now is a child only restaurant with a pint sized door where you shove the kids in. Given the obesity epedemic one would retrieve said kid by backing the truck up to a roller door in the loading bay and I guess using a crain to lift them in.
As far as restaurants, I don't mind. I am a (new) parent and I still get annoyed by other people's kids who scream and throw fits and the parents do nothing about it.
Now about other places, I haven't thought about it yet.
And I know a lot of people will tell others to get over it but some of them were probably annoyed at other parents and their children when they were CF too...So I find that a bit hypocritical.
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