I agree that parents should be conscious about the way their children are acting and should teach them how to be decent in public; however, some things can't be completely controlled. One example is a child with autism. Autistic children are known to have tantrum all of the sudden if something goes completely wrong. When the parents try to calm them down it looks as if they are babying the screaming child, but it's how you have to calm the child down. Parents can try to teach those children how to behave in public, but many autistic children learn social skills with age more so than any lesson (there are exceptions, though).
Jen - 14 years ago
I have two young children and my family eats out a few times a week. When my kids were younger, as in the infant to toddler ages, if they started acting up either my husband or I would take them out and away from other guests. We ate in shifts and there were times when we would end up not eating together but that was the sacrifice that we were willing to make so that neither of us would have to cook. I didn't like hearing a fussing baby prior to having kids, became a little more tolerant when my children were in that stage and now that they are older I find myself being annoyed again by fussing babies. I underatnd that it happens but not everyone wants to hear it. My kids have also never been allowed to use the flatware as musical instruments.
Pat - 14 years ago
When we were kids, my brother and I NEVER, and I mean NEVER acted up in public. It wasn't tolerated. We were taught to behave - especially in public. Parents today are too lazy and indulgent. That's why kids are out of control - and they get worse as they get older. Blame the parents, but don't put up with obnoxious kids either. I will NOT sit next to screaming kids anywhere.
Jas - 14 years ago
It's usually the inbred rednecks with 6 kids that are the worst. If there are screaming kids near me, I ask to be moved or ask that they be moved.
kat - 14 years ago
i have been saying this for years!! when the host/hostess asks smoking or no smoking? i say don`t put me near any kids.
Tom W - 14 years ago
The problem here is the parents who do not know how to parent and are also selfish. Unfortunately they pass these characteristics along to their children.
Nancy - 14 years ago
When our son was young and he started screaming my husband or myself would immediately take him outside until he calmed down. This is just common sense. The parents of today have no regard for other people and they just think their kids are so cute. Wrong!!!!!! I want to enjoy a meal without screaming, running around, banging silver ware on the table, etc.
My husband and I were in our favorite Mexican reastaurant in St. Louis. There were four or five booths and about eight tables in this section. A young couple came in and sat at the booth behind my husband. One of the kids kept climbing over, moving the booth and the parents did nothing. The mother was oblivous and the father seemed somewhat embarrassed. One of their kids actually stood up on their table. Needless to say those of us in this section had a miserable dinner. As they got up to leave the couple in the booth behind me started to applaud and the whole room joined in. I am sick of all the ill behaved children not only in restaurants, but in grocery stores, department stores, movie theatres, etc. I would like to see restaurants have a sound proof room for families with children. The only problem would be that there are some parents who have well behaved children and that would not be fair to them. Have you ever sat behind a screaming child in an airplane for three hours and the other one running up and down the aisle? It is not fun. Parents wake up!!!! Be considerate of other dinners or stay home or hire a baby sitter.
Rachel - 14 years ago
I have 2 kids aged 4 and 8, and I agree with that restaurant's policy 100%. When both of mine went through the "terrible twos" from about 18 to 36 months, we didn't eat out with the children. I respect other people, and I respect that they are spending money. Unless its McDonald's or Chuck E Cheese, other diners do not deserve to be subject to my children's difficult phases. Now that my kids have learned to respect others, we have no problem whatsoever going out. The mother in the video is right - you can't help it if your kids scream, but you CAN do something about it, by taking them out of the room, or not going places where screaming is inappropriate. Unfortunately, too many parents are too lazy to make the effort.
Lauren - 14 years ago
Sure, they *should* know to do so without being asked -- but it seems that many parents today do not know, or do not care. Nor do they care if their small children talk, whine, scream, or otherwise disrupt a movie. We spent a lot of time in restaurants with our children when they were small -- and as another parent has posted, got compliments on how well they behaved. Well, we taught them to do that. If they couldn't behave, they were taken out to the car. We also didn't take them to the movies until (a) they were old enough to sit through one and (b) it was a movie appropriate for small children.
I love my kids as much as anyone, but I don't feel they had a 'right' to be anywhere in public without learning appropriate social behavior. Now I have grandchildren -- and guess what? They're being held to a high standard of behavior too!
Karin - 14 years ago
I was recently at a restaurant where the parents were as bad as the screaming child. The mother wouldn't give him his cup of milk until he said "milk" in Spanish. His father decided to entertain him by blowing a train whistle! Their daughter was banging her silverware together. This went on for about an hour! Screaming children and idiot parents should be forced to leave. By the way, I would have asked to be moved but the resturant was packed. I would have spoken to the parents or waitress, but my sister-in-law kept telling them it was ok! I spoke to HER after we left. It was NOT ok.
Leigh - 14 years ago
No one ever said raising children was a sacrifice-free lifestyle. IF your children are screaming and wailing - if they're throwing a full-on tantrum - then you've got no more right to stay in the restaurant than you do to light up a cigarette, start singing your favorite Beatles tune at the top of your lungs, or throw down the ol' changing bag and clean up after your kid's messy #2 right then and there on the carpet. A restaurant is a shared space - if you cannot share the room any better than someone your child's age, pay the bill and leave! That's the sacrifice you have to make for having accidentally overshot your child's ability to behave in a restaurant. Behave as a family or leave as a family. The auditory terrorism of screaming kids during what should be a relaxing night out is not something other diners should have to tolerate.
Parent - 14 years ago
When my kids were small, we would go to nice restaurants when they opened for dinner at 5 p.m. The places would be empty or practically empty, so the service was excellent! The wait staff always seated us away from any other patrons and often, because they weren't busy, would entertain the kids for us. If the kids did get antsy, one of us would keep them busy while the other one ate their meal and then we'd switch. This way, we got to enjoy a good dinner without paying a babysitter OR annoying other people. Win/win. It goes without saying that if the kids started having a meltdown, one of us would take them out to the car while the other had the rest of our meals put in doggie bags.
That being said, even people dining in a family restaurant have a right to a relatively peaceful meal and we would still leave if the kids were getting noisy.
FATBOY - 14 years ago
Eating out can be a moderate to expensive proposition at fine restaurants nowadays. I raised 4 children as a single father and never took them out to a restaurant until they understood proper behavior in public. By many standards my kids were extremely well behaved and dining out was never a problem . As a matter of fact my table received numerous compliments about how "well behaved" my children were. My children are all but out of the house now, college and working, that I now enjoy a dinner with my new wife and find it deplorable when couples take small children out and have very "loud" kids. If a parent doesn't realize that their children's actions or "decibel level" are annoying others around them, I believe the restaurant should tell them to quiet the kids down or ask them to leave. Many a dinner has been ruined due to kids "running amuck" and nobody having the "courage" to ask a parent to intervene and take control. Kudos to the restaurants who will.
Ette - 14 years ago
I rarely took my babies to restaurants until they could understand to be quite. I wouldn't enjoy my meal and no body around us did, so what is the point? That is why they instituted take-out!
Pat C - 14 years ago
There are many restaurants we won't go to because it is too noisy with all those kids screaming, running around, etc. There should be places where people can go for a nice quite meal and enjoy themselves as well.
I agree that parents should be conscious about the way their children are acting and should teach them how to be decent in public; however, some things can't be completely controlled. One example is a child with autism. Autistic children are known to have tantrum all of the sudden if something goes completely wrong. When the parents try to calm them down it looks as if they are babying the screaming child, but it's how you have to calm the child down. Parents can try to teach those children how to behave in public, but many autistic children learn social skills with age more so than any lesson (there are exceptions, though).
I have two young children and my family eats out a few times a week. When my kids were younger, as in the infant to toddler ages, if they started acting up either my husband or I would take them out and away from other guests. We ate in shifts and there were times when we would end up not eating together but that was the sacrifice that we were willing to make so that neither of us would have to cook. I didn't like hearing a fussing baby prior to having kids, became a little more tolerant when my children were in that stage and now that they are older I find myself being annoyed again by fussing babies. I underatnd that it happens but not everyone wants to hear it. My kids have also never been allowed to use the flatware as musical instruments.
When we were kids, my brother and I NEVER, and I mean NEVER acted up in public. It wasn't tolerated. We were taught to behave - especially in public. Parents today are too lazy and indulgent. That's why kids are out of control - and they get worse as they get older. Blame the parents, but don't put up with obnoxious kids either. I will NOT sit next to screaming kids anywhere.
It's usually the inbred rednecks with 6 kids that are the worst. If there are screaming kids near me, I ask to be moved or ask that they be moved.
i have been saying this for years!! when the host/hostess asks smoking or no smoking? i say don`t put me near any kids.
The problem here is the parents who do not know how to parent and are also selfish. Unfortunately they pass these characteristics along to their children.
When our son was young and he started screaming my husband or myself would immediately take him outside until he calmed down. This is just common sense. The parents of today have no regard for other people and they just think their kids are so cute. Wrong!!!!!! I want to enjoy a meal without screaming, running around, banging silver ware on the table, etc.
My husband and I were in our favorite Mexican reastaurant in St. Louis. There were four or five booths and about eight tables in this section. A young couple came in and sat at the booth behind my husband. One of the kids kept climbing over, moving the booth and the parents did nothing. The mother was oblivous and the father seemed somewhat embarrassed. One of their kids actually stood up on their table. Needless to say those of us in this section had a miserable dinner. As they got up to leave the couple in the booth behind me started to applaud and the whole room joined in. I am sick of all the ill behaved children not only in restaurants, but in grocery stores, department stores, movie theatres, etc. I would like to see restaurants have a sound proof room for families with children. The only problem would be that there are some parents who have well behaved children and that would not be fair to them. Have you ever sat behind a screaming child in an airplane for three hours and the other one running up and down the aisle? It is not fun. Parents wake up!!!! Be considerate of other dinners or stay home or hire a baby sitter.
I have 2 kids aged 4 and 8, and I agree with that restaurant's policy 100%. When both of mine went through the "terrible twos" from about 18 to 36 months, we didn't eat out with the children. I respect other people, and I respect that they are spending money. Unless its McDonald's or Chuck E Cheese, other diners do not deserve to be subject to my children's difficult phases. Now that my kids have learned to respect others, we have no problem whatsoever going out. The mother in the video is right - you can't help it if your kids scream, but you CAN do something about it, by taking them out of the room, or not going places where screaming is inappropriate. Unfortunately, too many parents are too lazy to make the effort.
Sure, they *should* know to do so without being asked -- but it seems that many parents today do not know, or do not care. Nor do they care if their small children talk, whine, scream, or otherwise disrupt a movie. We spent a lot of time in restaurants with our children when they were small -- and as another parent has posted, got compliments on how well they behaved. Well, we taught them to do that. If they couldn't behave, they were taken out to the car. We also didn't take them to the movies until (a) they were old enough to sit through one and (b) it was a movie appropriate for small children.
I love my kids as much as anyone, but I don't feel they had a 'right' to be anywhere in public without learning appropriate social behavior. Now I have grandchildren -- and guess what? They're being held to a high standard of behavior too!
I was recently at a restaurant where the parents were as bad as the screaming child. The mother wouldn't give him his cup of milk until he said "milk" in Spanish. His father decided to entertain him by blowing a train whistle! Their daughter was banging her silverware together. This went on for about an hour! Screaming children and idiot parents should be forced to leave. By the way, I would have asked to be moved but the resturant was packed. I would have spoken to the parents or waitress, but my sister-in-law kept telling them it was ok! I spoke to HER after we left. It was NOT ok.
No one ever said raising children was a sacrifice-free lifestyle. IF your children are screaming and wailing - if they're throwing a full-on tantrum - then you've got no more right to stay in the restaurant than you do to light up a cigarette, start singing your favorite Beatles tune at the top of your lungs, or throw down the ol' changing bag and clean up after your kid's messy #2 right then and there on the carpet. A restaurant is a shared space - if you cannot share the room any better than someone your child's age, pay the bill and leave! That's the sacrifice you have to make for having accidentally overshot your child's ability to behave in a restaurant. Behave as a family or leave as a family. The auditory terrorism of screaming kids during what should be a relaxing night out is not something other diners should have to tolerate.
When my kids were small, we would go to nice restaurants when they opened for dinner at 5 p.m. The places would be empty or practically empty, so the service was excellent! The wait staff always seated us away from any other patrons and often, because they weren't busy, would entertain the kids for us. If the kids did get antsy, one of us would keep them busy while the other one ate their meal and then we'd switch. This way, we got to enjoy a good dinner without paying a babysitter OR annoying other people. Win/win. It goes without saying that if the kids started having a meltdown, one of us would take them out to the car while the other had the rest of our meals put in doggie bags.
That being said, even people dining in a family restaurant have a right to a relatively peaceful meal and we would still leave if the kids were getting noisy.
Eating out can be a moderate to expensive proposition at fine restaurants nowadays. I raised 4 children as a single father and never took them out to a restaurant until they understood proper behavior in public. By many standards my kids were extremely well behaved and dining out was never a problem . As a matter of fact my table received numerous compliments about how "well behaved" my children were. My children are all but out of the house now, college and working, that I now enjoy a dinner with my new wife and find it deplorable when couples take small children out and have very "loud" kids. If a parent doesn't realize that their children's actions or "decibel level" are annoying others around them, I believe the restaurant should tell them to quiet the kids down or ask them to leave. Many a dinner has been ruined due to kids "running amuck" and nobody having the "courage" to ask a parent to intervene and take control. Kudos to the restaurants who will.
I rarely took my babies to restaurants until they could understand to be quite. I wouldn't enjoy my meal and no body around us did, so what is the point? That is why they instituted take-out!
There are many restaurants we won't go to because it is too noisy with all those kids screaming, running around, etc. There should be places where people can go for a nice quite meal and enjoy themselves as well.