Children in Restaurants

[100milesaway]

I have very sharp elbows that appear very quickly at running rampaging child head height, when needed, i'm also pretty nippy with the feet at ankle height.I will never understand the mentallity of someone who thinks it's OK to allow their brats so be a pain to other people. If they were mine they would be immediatly admonished and taken home, only to be brought out again if they behaved properly. Why should i be inconvenianced by someone elses badly behaved little treasures. I always compliment the family's with children that are well mannered, but realise they are becoming a rare breed. from Auntie

[Zapp]

There is no need for this thread to turn into a dust up, keep it civil please.

 

Back on topic, badly behaved children are tollerable provided the parents are doing their best to control them. I get very irritated if people allow their kids to run amok and do nothing more than roll their eyes and say "that's little Timmy for you". Yes, it is tiring and a pain in the bum to be having to constantly pull the child up on their conduct, but to do nothing and expect fellow diners to accept it is lazy and selfish.

 

I am lucky enough to have freakishly well behaved kids (think Rod and Todd Flanders), to the extent that on many occasions people who clearly thought "Oh no, kids" when we arrived have stopped us on the way out to compliment us.

 

ZB

[AVB]

My children (4 & 5) know that throwing things and running about is not acceptable. However my daughter, the younger of the two, can have the odd tantrum over everything and anything, in which case we normally, somehow, escort her somehere quiet until she calms down. We do limit ourselves to child friendly resturants/pubs or one Michelin star resturants and leave the three star resturants to when we are on our own

 

With children under two you are in the hands of the gods as to whether they will behave or not so we tended not to eat out until they were a bit older

 

AVB

[djrwood]

I agree, you definately cannot stop a baby/youngster from crying and playing up when it truly wants to. You just got to let it get it out. However i completely disagree with the kids behaviour that was ******** doc off. IMO its unacceptable to throw things around in a restaurant especially where other people are eating. Its also unacceptable to them let you children run around being a nuisance to others eating a dinner.

 

I can understand babies cry and thats just the way it is but kids being damn right rude to others is unacceptable. And at 21months many kids are running around talking and by then should already have been taught the fundamental difference between right and wrong. You did well holding your tounge doc, i would have given the parents both barrells.

 

Dan

[Vipa]

I have very sharp elbows that appear very quickly at running rampaging child head height, when needed, i'm also pretty nippy with the feet at ankle height.I will never understand the mentallity of someone who thinks it's OK to allow their brats so be a pain to other people. If they were mine they would be immediatly admonished and taken home, only to be brought out again if they behaved properly. Why should i be inconvenianced by someone elses badly behaved little treasures. I always compliment the family's with children that are well mannered, but realise they are becoming a rare breed. from Auntie

 

My god..... are you telling me you would physically assault a small child in a restaurant just because he or she was disturbing your little bubble of peace and quiet!!!! If you did that to my kids you would be in Police custody before you could finish your pudding....... There is a good thing to having cctv everywhere.... it means that violent, abusive monsters like you can't get away with anything!

Edited June 21, 2010 by Vipa

[MC]

My god..... are you telling me you would physically assault a small child in a restaurant just because he or she was disturbing your little bubble of peace and quiet!!!! If you did that to my kids you would be in Police custody before you could finish your pudding....... There is a good thing to having cctv everywhere.... it means that violent, abusive monsters like you can't get away with anything!

 

 

Oh dear I wondered how long it would be before the excuses for bad parenting turned into child abuse. If you keep your little cherubs under control then there is no need for any of that behaviour.

 

However so many people seem to have excuses for the fact they cannot control their kids and believe that everyone else should put up withem misbehaving.

[Vipa]

Oh dear I wondered how long it would be before the excuses for bad parenting turned into child abuse. If you keep your little cherubs under control then there is no need for any of that behaviour.

 

However so many people seem to have excuses for the fact they cannot control their kids and believe that everyone else should put up withem misbehaving.

 

 

Hang on a minute....... you do not know me or my children nor have you any idea how they behave in public.... Trust me, my childeren are well behaved and in control 'most of the time' but as any parent will tell you, unless you are Ned Flanders or ZB, sometimes, a 2 and a half year old will decide he wants to do a bit of excersise during a meal, the alternative is to strap him down and let him scream (very loudly) for a very long time... what do you suggest we do, abandon the meal and leave or should we just wait for another well meaning patron to smash him in the face with her elbow!!!!!

[Mrs Sweepy]

I can safely say my two boys have never misbehave when i have taken them out.

Mind you i never did take them out to a restaurant. Untill they could sit down and use a knife &fork.

I always had a rule with the boys

Which was if they started to show signs of Misbehaving

They had two warnings

And after the second if they still had not stopped . They got a smacked hand

In all the years (17) i have only had to use it twice on my boys.

 

Mind you on the other hand i have had the elderly lady come up and complain to me about taking my boys aged (7&10 At the time) into the local Museum.

Saying it was not a place for children I would have agreed with her if they where running around.

But as my two where making no noise and standing next to me. I did tell her to mind her own Dont worry i didnt use a bad word in front of the boys

xxxxSuzy

[MC]

Hang on a minute....... you do not know me or my children nor have you any idea how they behave in public.... Trust me, my childeren are well behaved and in control 'most of the time' but as any parent will tell you, unless you are Ned Flanders or ZB, sometimes, a 2 and a half year old will decide he wants to do a bit of excersise during a meal, the alternative is to strap him down and let him scream (very loudly) for a very long time... what do you suggest we do, abandon the meal and leave or should we just wait for another well meaning patron to smash him in the face with her elbow!!!!!

 

 

No you are quite right, I do not know you or your children. And as you say they are well behaved most of the time. What do you do when they don't behave? Do you just let them get on with it and have the other diners suffer because of YOUR kids?

 

You could always take them outside and let them have their little tantrum in the street instead of upsetting the people who have gone out for a nice meal. Your 2 1/2 year old may decide to do a bit of exercise during the meal but a restaraunt isn't the place for it and also it isn't the time. As I have already said it is down to the parents to control THEIR kids so they are not a pain in the ***** to other people.

[Doc Holliday]

Hang on a minute....... you do not know me or my children nor have you any idea how they behave in public.... Trust me, my childeren are well behaved and in control 'most of the time' but as any parent will tell you, unless you are Ned Flanders or ZB, sometimes, a 2 and a half year old will decide he wants to do a bit of excersise during a meal, the alternative is to strap him down and let him scream (very loudly) for a very long time... what do you suggest we do, abandon the meal and leave or should we just wait for another well meaning patron to smash him in the face with her elbow!!!!!

 

I would say the best thing a parent can do in that situation would be to remove the child causing the disruption from the restaurant until it calms down. Surely there would be something that can be used as a "naughty step" somewhere outside the restaurant? Failing that, you could always take your own along and threaten to get it from the car should they not behave. Pah! The naughty step? Who came up with that one, for Christ's sake? We used to get "the look" from our mother if we ever played up but fortunately we knew how to behave. If we ever got the look, we knew we'd be in something not very good when we got home, usually lifted by the arm so our legs were dangling and then smacked across the legs then left to cry ourselves to sleep. Try doing that this day and age. We'd have the likes of Vipa on your case

[vole]

Parents need to use a bit of intelligence in choosing the restaurant to take kids to. It might be that they will have to go down market with chip strewn carpets and a ball pit nearby for a few years.

We always went to a curry place where kids are welcomed by the staff and I have never seen any bad behavior,just kids getting used to being out for a bite to eat. Still go there too. If you have kids and live in S Manchester try the Sangam in Heald Green.

[Beretta28g]

I my opinion, and ill grant you that im not a parent; (thankfully) but i do eat out quite often.

People with younger families tend to either eat out lunch time or very early evening, so if youre later there is not usually so much of a problem.

I do belive where you go makes a difference, a few locals that i go to are extreemly well laid out and can generally seperate familys wih young childeren from those without.

The oher thing in my opinion is that if they are shown proper table manners at home, they will understand wha to do to have an enjoyable meal, and i was always told"if youre good, you can go again".

The only time where ive been where there was a problem was where there a large family get together and the staff had a quet word saying that people would enjoy the meal more if the volume was turned down a bit, it worked and they got thanked for it wen they left.

 

What works in one situation may not work in another.

And ZB i know what you mean and its a great feeling isnt it?

[Vipa]

No you are quite right, I do not know you or your children. And as you say they are well behaved most of the time. What do you do when they don't behave? Do you just let them get on with it and have the other diners suffer because of YOUR kids?

 

You could always take them outside and let them have their little tantrum in the street instead of upsetting the people who have gone out for a nice meal. Your 2 1/2 year old may decide to do a bit of exercise during the meal but a restaraunt isn't the place for it and also it isn't the time. As I have already said it is down to the parents to control THEIR kids so they are not a pain in the ***** to other people.

 

 

After due consideration I have decided to abandon this thread..... I would hope that any other half decent parent on here or anywhere else would do their utmost (as I do) to contain small childeren so that others are not unduly disturbed...

 

What I cannot handle is the fact that there are people out there who would deliberately go out of their way to assault and injure a small child in a restaurant just because it was 'annoying' them. As I am the only one who seems to have picked up on this point, I can only assume that there are others who would condone this action.

[Cranfield]

Our children were always exceptionally well behaved in restaurants, as they weren't taken in one until they were about 7-8 years old, old enough to understand and behave.

They saw it as a treat and new misbehaviour meant they wouldn't be getting another treat anytime soon.

 

It was my wife that got drunk and started the fights.

[Vipa]

Try doing that this day and age. We'd have the likes of Vipa on your case

 

Not at all Doc.... I think the PC brigade are a waste of space and I would and do not have a problem smacking my childeren (should the need arrise, which it rarely does).... smacking however, was not hat was suggested on here!

[Zapp]

As I am the only one who seems to have picked up on this point, I can only assume that there are others who would condone this action.

 

Or, it could be because the rest of us know better than to leap aboard the outrage express over something posted on the net.

 

ZB

[Mrs Sweepy]

The thought of mums wet hand on the back of my legs

always made me behave

 

I only started misbehaving once i could out run her

xxxxSuzy

[docholiday]

fOR gODS SAKE EVERYBODY, kIDS IN RESTERAUNTS IS NOT THE ISSUE ITS THEIR BEHAVIOUR, THERE IS NOTHING MORE ENJOYABLE THAN GOING OUT FOR A MEAL IN sPAIN, fRANCE aRGENTINA WHEREVER FAMILLYS EAT TOGETHER BUT IF A CHILD MISBEHAVES THE SITUATION IS RESOLVED OR THE CHILD REMOVED BY THE PARENTS UNTIL THEY BEHAVE, IT DOES SEEM A PROBLEM IN THIS COUNTRY WHERE PARENTS OFTEN LET THE KIDS DO WHAT THEY LIKE TO THE EXTENT THEY ANNOY EVERYBODY ELSE.

ITS NOT THE KIDS ITS THE PARENTS AND I GUESS WE WILL NEVER CHANGE THEM.

DOC

SORRY FOR THE CAPS

[Paddy Galore!]

Or, it could be because the rest of us know better than to leap aboard the outrage express over something posted on the net.

 

ZB

yep, it was registering a good 9.5 on the "over reaction" guage.

Although i do share vipas sentiments as i'd probably go "balistic" if any old tom, ****, or harriet were to elbow or trip one of mine, then again, it would never happen in the first place.

[Zapp]

Although i do share vipas sentiments as i'd probably go "balistic" if any old tom, ****, or harriet were to elbow or trip one of mine

 

Agreed

[Mungler]

Interestingly, we went out once and number 1 son kicked up. I said to him "Pack it in, or you will go home and you will be sent to bed for the rest of the day".

 

Anyways, 5 mins later we are on our way home and he's off to bed.

 

Do you know what, he has never ever done it since.

 

Parents these days just refuse to instigate discipline. It's not about knocking the daylights out of them, it's about them understanding where the lines are and doing as they are told.

 

Why are there badly behaved kids? Answer, because it is easier. It is the path of least resistance to say yes or let them do whatever it is that they want to do. That is not being a good parent, that is just giving in.

[Dunkield]

Four pages in, and there you have it.

[starlight32]

Me, her and the boy went out last wednesday.

 

And Yep he played up......Got drunk, made a pass at one of the waitresses while she took the order and was sick all over the plastic plants in the foyer on the way out to the taxi.

 

Of course I got the blame for it, and I have to admit I did issue an early livener while the other half was in the shower getting ready.............

 

It was his eighteenth so you have to make allowances I suppose....................

 

My old lady I think would have swapped that one for any 2 year old tantram.......

Edited June 21, 2010 by starlight32

[Dr W]

Surely there is also the fact (as well as bad manners to the rest of the restuarant) that allowing your child to run about in a resturant is dangerous. There are people carrying hot food and drinks, sharp knives etc etc I would say that it's very bad parenting to allow your child to run riot in a resturant just because you can't be bothered to take it outside away.

 

As has been said already small children (who you will know from experience are likely to get bored and play up) shouldn't be in grown resturants it is not fair on the other diners. Go to the child friendly ones or get a take away.

[Kent Militia]

What I cannot handle is the fact that there are people out there who would deliberately go out of their way to assault and injure a small child in a restaurant just because it was 'annoying' them. As I am the only one who seems to have picked up on this point, I can only assume that there are others who would condone this action.

 

Yes this is very worrying, I understand the need for discipline in a child but I do not condone assaulting a small child when often it is the parents' fault for not educating them properly not the children.

 

If you can't control them don't take them out is what I say.