When was the last time you were to a restaurant where there were no noisy children around. For me, it seems like its been awhile since I can last recall a visit to a place where I have dined and not had some noisy kid screaming while the parent ignores them.Now, I understand it is sometime difficult to control when and where you child might have a temper tantrum, and I understand babies are going to cry because it is their only means of communication, but come on, for those of you with toddlers, you can control them and they do have a sense of right and wrong by that age. Lets go through this point by point, and I am not picking on anyone in general, but there are many different types of ways to quiet kids that DON"T work.
One, when people go out to eat, granted they go with their family and/ or friends. Acceptable. Now, when you have a family of four or maybe five, and mom and dad are sitting there and suddenly toddler one starts cry because he did not get jello. In most instances mom will ask whats wrong. Good move, generally they are upset because something happened. However, there are those parents who prefer to ignore their child as if they are not there. I AM TALKING TO YOU. You who just go about your business as if your child does not exist. Do everyone in the restaurants that you go to a favor and stay the hell home. It is you who ignore your child while everyone else with in the establishment squirm and ask for the check as quickly as possible. My elders never ignored me and my siblings or cousins when we were younger. They dealt with us directly and with a firm but loving tone. why ignore your kid. Do you think they know what your doing? Most likely, not!
Two, those who say "one more time" a thousand times! My mom didn't even have to say "one more time and..." All she had to do is make a face and flash those " I'm a kill you if you don't cut that out not." eyes. (Come to think of it, all my aunts and uncles had those eyes.) Those parents who set fake boundaries and never do anything once they are crossed, suck. That does not teach your kids consequences. It prolongs the torture that everyone around you has to suffer. "One more time." I have heard that a million times and you want to know what happens? Nothing. Why not just say "One more time and nothing will happen to you." That will produce the same effect, I promise. If my dad ever even had to mutter "One more time." and we pushed him, we either sat in the car for the rest of the meal while everyone finished, or got a light slap on the ass. Kids today don't know what that's like. (Not that I am supporting hitting kids.) for the moms and dads that set the boundaries and do not influence them, way to teach you kid.
Three, the "SHHHH." people. Holy shit! I think by saying "SHHHHHH." to your kid, you are just annoying others. Actually, let me rephrase, you ARE annoying people like me who will say something to you and upset you. "Shhh" is used in Libraries and movie theaters. "Shhh" to a kid is a cool noise they aspire to learn how to make and annoy more people.
These three ways are the most irritating to me because they do not work. You want to know what works, taking your kid outside to have a "talk" or sitting in the car with them while other enjoy their meal. By doing that you show them you mean business. It teaches them it is not acceptable to scream, run around, throw shit or, my favorite, turn around to a person like me and ask the same three questions over and over. What I do is humor them once, the next time I ignore, by time number three I have to ask the parent to take control of their child or I will have the restaurant manager over to greet you as Complain endlessly about why you should leave.
No, if you are wondering, I do not have kids, but I do have nieces and nephews as well as younger cousins and they would NEVER ever behave that way in any restaurant. My family knows better than to let their child ruin others peoples time out. Also, I want to make this point. If I point to a spot next to me and there is no kid, its because I choose not to have one at this point and time. So if I dont have one, I do not want your child as a substitute for something I can wait for. Remember I chose to come to dinner, not the Circus. If I want to go out to eat at, say Olive Garden, and spend a good amount on pasta and wine, I don't want to have a child crying, while I sit there and try to eat my meal that I am paying for with hard earned money. You and your family should be respectful to others and if your child needs a nap, or to be explained the rules to or what have you, do it before so there is no wailing at the top of their lungs. OR, pick a kid friendly place like Chucky-Cheese. I could see, if I walked into that place and tried to have this argument, you better believe I would be in the wrong. If their is an absence of a ball pit and weird animal mascot, you child should not be running around hopped up on candy screaming Its my birthday!!!"
That being said, I do have acceptations to my strict "shit the fuck up" policy on kids. One is a developmental disability. I work with men who have these and I know first hand it is not easy to deal with them in a stimulating environment. However, after a set amount of time of having a behavior, you need to escort your person/ child outside. Two, babies. I mean new born, one year old babies, not "My baby." They do not know any better and are just trying to communicate with you. This is all understood. But that's it.
I understand you might be a single mother/father and you have a hard time being everywhere at once, but the hard truth is, you chose to do the deed and now you have a kid that needs to be controlled. I understand that the topic of conversation is engaging and the "mommy, mommy, mommy"could wait a second, but you chose to bring your kid into a place where they might be engaging conversation among adults. I also understand that in hard times, you can not afford a baby sitter, but you have family that I am sure would be willing to watch our child why you enjoy a night out.
So the next time you are sitting down to eat and your child starts throwing things and yelling, you might want to control the situation fast, because you never know where someone like me with my views might be sitting. God help you if that person is a straight forward as I am, or Even worse, as straight forward as my mother or mother in law. After that run in, you might be doing take out from now until your kids are in middle school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOFLZIGJ9Yk
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