Kids in restaurants (Page 2)

The main problem with kids in restaurants is that they tend to overcook them, and the sauces are usually a bit runny.

You rang?

There's a difference between "fun" and "disruptive". I could care less what you do at home with your kids. But as someone who has worked with kids extensively, I see it this way - if it wouldn't be tolerable behavior in a classroom, it's not tolerable behavior in public - ie, shrieking at the top of the lungs for no reason, standing on/jumping off chairs, climbing on furniture and running around, throwing things, not listening when adults discipline. Unacceptable.

 Oh I agree with you wholeheartedly.  My son is very well behaved in public.  It's taken patience but it's very doable.  I'm also willing to give up my meal and take him to sit in the car until he calms down or my wife finishes her meal if he pushes it.  

 But remember that you know next to nothing about that other family that is annoying you.  Maybe their mother just died and the father doesn't know how to deal with it.  Maybe he's been laid off.  Maybe he's an inconsiderate jerk.  You don't know.  The best way to deal with it is to make it a positive thing.  If you engage the kid(s) you can direct their play to something quiet and more acceptable such as making faces or stacking creamers in pyramids.  Nagging or complaining to the manager makes _your_ life better but is it the best way to handle it?

My kid is one of the good ones at a restaurant.  The one time he started working towards a meltdown I took him outside before any of the tables near us even noticed what was going on.  A few minutes later he was calmed down and we went back in.  No muss, no fuss.  I can't tell you how many times we've been approached by staff and other people in restaurants to compliment us on our little guy.

*gazes admiringly upward *

I don't have children either. However, I was a child. My siblings and I were simply not allowed to act up in public places to the extent the OP mentioned. The fear of punishment, spanking and all-around fear of our father put any of that rubbish out of the question.

 "we're going to a nice restaurant. we expect you to put your napkins on your lap, take small bites, keep your elbows off the table, speak quietly, and say "please" and "thank you" to the waiter.  You BETTER behave.  Got that?

Any breach of these rules will result in swift removal, and you'll be grounded on saturday. Clear?"If you don't I'll kick your a$$.  Got that? 

Hey did anyone else think that Palin's son trig looked particularly...calm during his mom's speech?  mrs. gearboy and I were convinced that he been given a touch of benadryl, especially when they showed his sister holding him and playing with his eyelids, with nary a twitch! NTTAWWT...

Restaurant-dependent.  Any place that has a wait-staff serving you, get the manager's attention.  Fast food places, you gotta expect some of that.

As an aside, the wife was in a fast foody place with my kids, the 8 year-old having Aspergers.  As she was trying to head out the door, my little boy had a meltdown (transitions are really hard for autistic-spectrum kids).  As she tried to get him back under control, helpful older woman suggested my wife needed to do a better job of disciplining our child. 

I was not privy to my wife's exact words to this woman, but I do not think she will interject with such advice in the future. 

Well, maybe I'VE been laid off or MY mother has died, so maybe the other folks should be considerate. That argument makes no sense. I'm all for entertaining bratty kids to distract them, but most parents don't want strangers butting into their business and "telling them how to raise their kids". Sorry dude, sure, tragedy MAY have stricken the family, but in most cases, it's just irresponsible parenting.

 Maybe it is irresponsible parenting, maybe in the case of AcesFull above, it's a form of Autism.  You just don't know.  You only know what _your_ situation is.  You have full control over your actions.  Choose an action that will improve the situation for everyone.  

My son interacts with other adults all the time.  As long as they seem willing to go with it and not bothered by it I'll let him have a conversation with them or play cars or make faces.  It teaches him how to interact with other people and be sociable in public.  I will not allow other people to discipline my child out of the blue because I don't know what their beliefs are and how they fit in with our families beliefs.  

Just consider what actions you could take that result in a positive outcome for everybody involved.

How about this instance, then, that happened while my sister, mother and I were on vacation last year:

Family of 4 with a little girl and a little boy. We were at a nicer seafood restaurant on the beach - nicer than a TGI Fridays, etc. There was an outdoor patio and a bar, but a nicer establishment. One of the children screamed and shrieked the ENTIRE time we were at the restaurant. ENTIRE time. Not crying, necessarily, but screaming, throwing things, etc. The parents did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to stop him. Everyone around then kept turning around, yet the parents did NOTHING and really didn't see to care that their child was making a scene. I have seen this sort of thing happen more times than I care to admit.

PLEASE do not tell me that this is in any way acceptable.

How about this instance, then, that happened while my sister, mother and I were on vacation last year:

Family of 4 with a little girl and a little boy. We were at a nicer seafood restaurant on the beach - nicer than a TGI Fridays, etc. There was an outdoor patio and a bar, but a nicer establishment. One of the children screamed and shrieked the ENTIRE time we were at the restaurant. ENTIRE time. Not crying, necessarily, but screaming, throwing things, etc. The parents did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to stop him. Everyone around then kept turning around, yet the parents did NOTHING and really didn't see to care that their child was making a scene. I have seen this sort of thing happen more times than I care to admit.

PLEASE do not tell me that this is in any way acceptable.

How about this instance, then, that happened while my sister, mother and I were on vacation last year:

Family of 4 with a little girl and a little boy. We were at a nicer seafood restaurant on the beach - nicer than a TGI Fridays, etc. There was an outdoor patio and a bar, but a nicer establishment. One of the children screamed and shrieked the ENTIRE time we were at the restaurant. ENTIRE time. Not crying, necessarily, but screaming, throwing things, etc. The parents did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to stop him. Everyone around then kept turning around, yet the parents did NOTHING and really didn't see to care that their child was making a scene. I have seen this sort of thing happen more times than I care to admit.

PLEASE do not tell me that this is in any way acceptable.