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Not that there is any excuse for uncontrolled running and screaming, at our local branch library it is not the traditional talk in a whisper kind of branch and they tell you that when you come it and it is posted. Now no matter where you are you should teach your children to act respectful but at the same time, maybe your library is set up more like our local branch.
I fortunately have not been in a situation where a child has been totally out of control and the parents have not done anything about it. I have been sitting next to children that have gotten upset or thrown a tantrum and either the parents got a grip on it pretty quickly or they took them out. I also have been in the exact same situation.
Now if there is an out of control child and the parent does nothing or they can't seem to get a grip on the child it could very well mean that is a normally well behaved child but he/she is having a very bad day. I accept that even the best behaved kids act up sometimes and I also accept that some kids are more challenging than others and that doesn't necessarily reflect on the parent. I alsorealize that sometimes parents have to go to the grocery store with a grumpy/tired/challenging child.
Kids are a part of this word and they are going to act up. If a child is really, really disruptive and the parent is doing nothign about it then by all means say something but otherwise give them a break. You have no idea what might be going on.
i admit, i used to get annoyed at screaming children in restraunts......now that i have a 2 year old i know what it is like. actually i'm happy for other children screaming which takes the focus off my kid acting nuts!
Just think kids will be kids and thank goodness it's not yours, lol
If they are doing their best and cannot leave the table because of leaving the other children alone i say nothing but think how unfortunate that their child picks the worst time to act up.
If it is something i think the parents can either control or should be sensible enough to take the child outside because there are 2 of them, then I say in a loud voice to my children "I am proud of you for not acting like that in public and if you ever even start to think about acting up, I will take you out to the car so fast you won't know what hit you".
Then I look at my husband and say very loudly "if our child was doing that I would expect you to respect the other diners and remove our child from the premises until they could calm down and act appropriately".
That usually gets one of the parents to remove the child from the area.
I noticed this problem already. Absolutely no respect for knowledge or education. Running, jumping, screaming in libraries.... That so sad... And librarians don't do anything about it. If I acted like this when I was a kid, a librarian would have removed me. Only whispering was allowed.
There are places for running and screaming, they are called PLAYGROUND. People seem not to notice the difference any more.
I have a friend who works in a library. Drives her nuts. They are not allowed to say anything pretty much no matter what the kids are doing. We wouldn't want to be judgemental or offend anyone now would we? Good grief, it's a library. What about offending those people who came to research or study or read..? Unfortunately the only folks who's rights count anymore are those people who whine the most and threaten to sue.
If I see a mothering with a tantruming child, I give her a sympathetic look and/or comment. I have been there myself before and feel nothing but pity for the mom.
IMO, there is a huge difference between a parent trying to deal with a kid who is acting out (I mean really trying, not "I am sad at you" kind of cr*p) and a parent who just is oblivious that their kids are running amok. I was at Panera for lunch recently with a friend, in the booth next to us was a couple with 2 small kids who were screaming and out of control - running around tables etc. The restaurant was full. They did nothing. When I got up to refill my drink, I noticed the only food on the table was half-eaten cookies and hot chocolate with whipped cream. Yep, if I had tired, whiney, out of control kids out in public, I'd be giving them SUGAR instead of taking them home, giving them something healthy and putting them down for a nap! Thankfully they left shortly after we started eating.
My husband and I have decided that restaurants need to offer a family sitting area and an adult sitting area in almost every restaurant. Since so many restaurants have gotten rid of smoking sections, they need to divide the areas up in to areas for people with their children out for dinner/lunch and people without children.
My husband and I have decided that restaurants need to offer a family sitting area and an adult sitting area in almost every restaurant. Since so many restaurants have gotten rid of smoking sections, they need to divide the areas up in to areas for people with their children out for dinner/lunch and people without children.
I gave you kudos for this. No I don't have children myself but I don't enjoy being in an environment that should be pleasant or quiet and having it disrupted by any one (big or small). I'm not saying it's easy for parents to control children but the mere fact I go many places and see way more well-behaved children than little monsters leads me to believe it is not impossible. I also have noticed that when I am out, the children that are persistent in acting up tend to also receive (at that moment) little to no attention from their parent(s). Do these parents think by ignoring the child the problem would go away? don't get that one.
Just think kids will be kids and thank goodness it's not yours, lol
I would just feel badly for the parents and be happy it's not my problem. Being a parent is hard enough, you don't need people giving you the hairy eyeball. Now if the parents weren't doing anything to solve the problem, I would discretely speak with the management and asked to be moved to another table.
I give the parents the stink eye, which usually doesn't work... but I have to go through the motions. If they continue to be disruptive, I follow the chain of responsibility and dump a complaint in management's lap. Not the waiter, management. That's what they're paid to do. The manager manages, wait staff serve.
If that gets nowhere, I'll sit myself down beside the parents and have a little discussion with them.
After that, I leave.
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