Anti-social kid in restaurant

[old rooster]

I was in a restaurant some years back with my late parents and my kids, at another table were three young "ladies" rather the worse for drink and swearing loudly to the annoyance of the other diners.

 

The restaurant owner could see that people were hacked off by it and did nothing about it so I got up, went out and paid for the starters we had eaten and told the guy we were going. He didn't like it as we had ordered main courses but I explained that he should have done something about the disgraceful behaviour of his other customers.

 

Trouble is that by and large we accept bad behaviour and rudeness too often in this country.

[goodo123]

The problem is 99% of kids today aren't taught the basic table manners and that extends to some young adults. It's one of my pet hates, noisy eaters, eating with their mouths open, talking with their mouths open, not holding their cutlery properly.... the list goes on. I'm just glad they've banned smoking in public places the people who used to light up after their meal while people were still eating usually got some choice words.

Talking with their mouths open...... Oh heaven forbid lol regarding the smoking issue, why didn't u eat in a non smoking establishment? Think of it the other way around, why did/do smokers have to bend to non smokers if the law allows?

[aris]

When my kids were young, they occasionally had episodes in restaurants, but I took them outside until they calmed down. Kids need to go to paces like restaurants - it helps them with social kills - but much depends on the parents. If they have no social norms, there is no hope or the kds.

[leeds chimp]

I take my lad to the pub now and again... he is 4 now... he gets one warning if he plays up and That's it... to the car and home if not..... only had to do it twice

[brett1985]

No. it's not a shame and I don't care. If they want to lick the windows, let them do so at McDonald's, TGIF or the like.

Absolutley no need of that kind of comment. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[Psyxologos]

It is down to the parents. If they ignore their child or even worse encourage him/her to misbehave (run around, shout and create a nuisance) then the right thing to do is complain to the restaurant manager. On the other hand, children are children. They occasionally are not in a great mood, like the rest of us really. when this happens they are louder and more unruly, as this is the main way they can vent their frustration/displeasure at something. Again it is the parent's role to rectify this by either taking them out for a quiet down time, or, if the kid is a bit older and able to reason with, explain to them (if this has not happened at home already) that restaurants are public places and other people have the right to enjoy their meal without being disturbed.

 

Some of the remarks here are testimony to the degree of sadness some people have reached.

[jgguinness]

Well my three are generally well behaved, have been brought up with good table manners and are generally spot on. Yes there are bound to be occasions when they do cause some unwanted noise or be a little loud in a restaurant, but at the end of the day they are children. I will do my best to ensure they behave appropriately in a public restaurant, especially a nice establishment, but you cannot always guarantee the behaviour of youngsters.

 

I can see it from both sides, especially if it's a nice establishment, that may cost a few quid to eat there, they have the right it dine there, but there again, so do the families with youngsters.

 

If someone in a restaurant piped up and shouted at my child though "shut that little monster up" then I'm sorry, but you will get both of my verbal barrels, who gives that person the right to chastise my child without directly consulting me first, if the child's father won't stick up for the poor little fella, then who is?? Obviously some self righteous ***** who likes to make himself appear big!

Edited October 7, 2013 by jgguinness

[bruno22rf]

This kind of behaviour is going to become the norm i'm afraid. Schools have had their ability/desire to punish removed and seem to now go out of their way to avoid confronting troublemakers. At school today, during lunch, our primary school children managed to remove a large outdoor xylophone ,that was secured by 4 bags of postcrete, and move it (I cannot lift it on my own) about 20 yards ( breaking it beyond repair in the process)-upon hearing the news the Head teacher decided that it was the fault of the company that had fitted it 6 years ago.

[unapalomablanca]

Well my three are generally well behaved, have been brought up with good table manners and are generally spot on. Yes there are bound to be occasions when they do cause some unwanted noise or be a little loud in a restaurant, but at the end of the day they are children. I will do my best to ensure they behave appropriately in a public restaurant, especially a nice establishment, but you cannot always guarantee the behaviour of youngsters.

 

I can see it from both sides, especially if it's a nice establishment, that may cost a few quid to eat there, they have the right it dine there, but there again, so do the families with youngsters.

 

If someone in a restaurant piped up and shouted at my child though "shut that little monster up" then I'm sorry, but you will get both of my verbal barrels, who gives that person the right to chastise my child without directly consulting me first, if the child's father won't stick up for the poor little fella, then who is?? Obviously some self righteous ***** who likes to make himself appear big!

end of a bell

[Big Marty]

I've had to walk out of places a few times because of mine screaming and running about mad,, but thank god the wife has promised she won't do it again. 😜😙

[Mungler]

We sometimes nip over the road to the Harvester for a spot of lunch.

 

**** me that place is always full of screaming kids. Anyways, I always ask the waitress 'can we sit as far away from the screaming kids as possible' and everyone then knows the rules if the game.

 

I had an interesting one in a Chinese a couple of weeks ago whilst out with the family. There was a boy and a girl 7 and 5 and they were hurtling up and down the restaurant and jumping all over the furniture and absolutely no sign if any parenting as mum nursed a jumbo glass of white. The kids clattered with the staff and customers and no one said **** all.

 

I always thought the golden rule of parenting, the absolute base line was to never ever let them run round a restaurant or leave the table.

 

I digress

[Rupert]

I have no kids,other peoples generally annoy me,but the attempt to justify bad behaviour with they are only children really annoys me.I try to avoid these places.

[beeredup]

this always happens to me and the mrs we go out for some thing to eat and pick a quiet table and before we have usually eaten our starter a family has arrived on the next table to us! we dont have kids and if i am 100% honest i am not overly keen on kids that squeaky high pitch squawk thing they do really does make me uncomfortable! and when the parents who have had time to get used to this ungodly noise just sit their and blank it out and carry on their conversation it really makes my blood boil!! if parents want to take their little cherubs to a decent eatery they should also make sure their little ones behave in decent way and not let tarquin or felicity run riot and burst the ear drums of the other customers! i wouldn't get away with letting my dog run around and if i am honest he is quieter and better behaved than some of the kids that have ruined my quiet meal with my wife (i am rapidly becoming a grumpy old man)

[Mungler]

I take my lad to the pub now and again... he is 4 now... he gets one warning if he plays up and That's it... to the car and home if not..... only had to do it twice

 

Spot on squire

[unapalomablanca]

We sometimes nip over the road to the Harvester for a spot of lunch.

 

**** me that place is always full of screaming kids. Anyways, I always ask the waitress 'can we sit as far away from the screaming kids as possible' and everyone then knows the rules if the game.

 

I had an interesting one in a Chinese a couple of weeks ago whilst out with the family. There was a boy and a girl 7 and 5 and they were hurtling up and down the restaurant and jumping all over the furniture and absolutely no sign if any parenting as mum nursed a jumbo glass of white. The kids clattered with the staff and customers and no one said **** all.

 

I always thought the golden rule of parenting, the absolute base line was to never ever let them run round a restaurant or leave the table.

 

I digress

well there you go, I refrained from the restaurant name, but I confess, it was a Harvester. Ok food, but never again, best off with a ruby,

[Dougy]

I miss read the title I thought is was

 

" Antisocial kid in restraints"

 

Perhaps it should have been.

 

Mungler, should have stuck you foot out as the little ferrets ran past.

[henry d]

So basically it is not the kids being antisocial but lack of parental skills, a sad indicator of society today

[Twistedsanity]

I, like you, have compassion to those that struggle, but this situation, wasn't the case. There was no learning difficulty, just an indifference from the parents to the sensitivities of the majority. Another term, is selfishness.

This forum is amazing , I have never encountered so many people in one place with the ability to see inside others and make clinical judgements regarding their physical and mental well being. Medical science is years behind you lot and struggling to keep up by the looks of things

[unapalomablanca]

This forum is amazing , I have never encountered so many people in one place with the ability to see inside others and make clinical judgements regarding their physical and mental well being. Medical science is years behind you lot and struggling to keep up by the looks of things

And you were there, sat at the next table. Some people love to complicate simple things.

[Dougy]

When i was a kid i was a little brat, cheeky naughty and at times a rite PITA.

 

I got a belting if i was caught out and if i went beyond "NO" i got a belting, i got a fair few inmy time not only from my parents who i must add were strict, and i mean strict.

Then later on we decide to call bad parenting------------ well whatever you like really--------------- but just not that "bad parenting" we have different names for it nowadays.

We blame "Pop" sweets or whatever else we can wave our fingers at,blame the parents "NO" thats no longer allowed.

 

 

I'm off out to get my hair cut....... I'll leave the bad kids with the rest of the PW massiv to sort sort this out.

 

 

But dont be too hard on the kids its not there fault.

 

 

PS i do understand that there are a few kids with medical issues, they are not the ones i am on about.

[shaun4860]

I don't think the OP was blaming the kids in this instance,

 

He was blaming the fact that the parents had no control and seemed to be egging the children on.

 

Well that's how I read it anyway

 

[krugerandsmith]

Just come back from a family meal, prior to us being served, we were having to endure this ghastly 4 year old, screaming and carrying on whilst being egged on by its gormless parents.

It went on for ages, when abruptly, someone in our party shouted, 'shut that little monster up'. Well, you would have thought it was the end of the world, the father got up and started, the mother started crying, the waitress tried to smooth it over. Anyway, it ended with the father saying how their evening had been ruined, and that he hoped we choked on our food..

 

Anyway the food was nice and others were happy and relieved when peace resumed. Anyone else had anything similar.

 

On a flight from Rome to Rio ...... Little lad about 9 years of age ..... Howled and howled for a couple of hours wanting his own way Even the hostesses gave up saying .... we don't know how we can console the little chap .... When someone two rows back ( Me ) shouted ... Try kicking his ( **** ) Backside. Still amazes me as to how peace was resumed so quickly.

[Mungler]

My mum always said that "no" is the hardest word in parenting and that "yes" is much much much easier.

 

With 3 boys of my own 7,9 and 11, I now fully appreciate what she was on about.

[thepasty]

This forum is amazing , I have never encountered so many people in one place with the ability to see inside others and make clinical judgements regarding their physical and mental well being. Medical science is years behind you lot and struggling to keep up by the looks of things

 

Funny isnt it, grumpy old men at their worst

[bobt]

A couple of years ago, in a chineese with friends and thier 2 kids, both well behaved, and eating quietly, when the 4 yr old pipes up, "MUM I HAVE Far***D the place erupted in laughter,

 

I have in the past been known to read a father his fortune if he didnt control his brats in public,

Edited October 8, 2013 by bobt