Kids Misbehaving in Restaurants
Ranked #8,317 in Parenting & Kids, #292,441 overall
Are Kids Ruining the Dining Experience, or Are They Allowed to Be Annoying?
Are Kids in Restaurants Annoying?
Alright! It's time to go out to eat. You don't feel like cooking, you're tired, and you want to get away from the house and out for a few hours to have a good time. After waiting for your table, you finally sit down and you open the menu. Great! You know exactly what you want, and you're hungry.
And that's when it happens.
Screaming kids. Running around. Coming up to your table when you're just trying to relax. And the parents are oblivious (or don't care). And the kids are standing up in the booth behind you staring at you while you eat. And you're paying for this!
Should kids be allowed to do this? Are kids okay in restaurants, or have parents dropped the ball entirely ruining it for everyone?
AAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!
TELL THE WORLD, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF KIDS ACTING OUT IN RESTAURANTS?
Lazy parenting or just kids being kids??
It's annoying and some parents are just plain oblivious or don't care! Doesn't it irritate you? Be sure to share your experience of kids being bad in restaurants if you have one (and you KNOW YOU DO!).
Are kids in restaurants getting out of control or are they just being kids?
They're out of control! (Share a story if you have one!)
Sarah says:
The other day I was in a Chinease restaurant and the owners brought their toddler in. She was all over the restaurant and not watched very closely. She wasn't loud but was behind people's chairs playing, touched my plate, (although not where the food was) and climbed up into our booth.
noneya says:
I hate the little fuckers and wish they'd all die.
Fred M Pohl says:
WHen Kids get out of hand Horseplay and so forth I fault the parents
Do they have linguini for brains or had a bowl of stupid for breakfast I'm a paying customer too dont make me disapear There si o excuse for misbehaivior and I fault the parents
Fred M Pohl says:
Back in the day If I acted up My father would turn me every way but loose I knew better WHen These kids come of age and go Inot Boot camp The Drill Instructor Picks up where The parents left off If they misbehave then The parents need to step up to the plate and disipline them any wonder juvinile delinquency is on a upswing Ever stop to think why?
Fred M Pohl says:
I ahve dealt with Kids climing in my booth with out having as much as saying excuse me Thats is rudenesses Finest hour Or Carrying on throwing Tamntrums and Screaming ungodly and the parents thinking its cute No way I think it sucks and the parents are showing thier own ignaorance If you cant control your little brats STAY THE HELL HOME!!!!
I feel I'm a customer and should not have to put up with it for who? for what?
And I think its high time that we should put our foot down and say Enough is enough Its being very ignaorant and inconsiderate of others
Lockerlover says:
I hate it and I mean H-A-T-E it when kids misbehave! It is so annoying even though I'm nine I don't misbehave in restaurants (I just do it when I'm out of there lol) Spongebob is awkward...
Vacation-In-My-Head says:
Kids can behave if their parents have taught them and consistently expect that behavior. I have never thought twice about taking my daughter anywhere, but this is due to the fact that she learned early on that she needs to have manners and be respectful. In my opinion if the kids act out/up it falls back on the parents. I don't get upset with the kids, I know that it probably comes back to the fact that there have not been any expectations set for how you act and treat others.
missbat says:
Children can't really help themselves, being children, but when the parents fail to take control of the situation and stop it before it gets out of hand, there's a big problem.
elcorreano says:
annoying kids should'nt be allowed restaurants.
Flg says:
Get a babysitter or eat in. I shouldn't have to tolerate you screaming baby. They ARE just being kids, but that doesn't mean you should be able to tote them wherever you go. You made a choice so maybe you should pick up a take out menu.
mel says:
keep them at home
Lucretia says:
I don't think that most restaurants should allow children under 12 after a reasonable hour (ie 7.00) This compromise should keep everyone happy. Also,parents or guardians of misbehaving children should be asked to keep them under control, or leave (at any time of day). By out of control, I don't mean a little grizzling, more screaming and running around
Sheila W says:
Kids should be kids in kid places, not in restaurants on a sat night. It's horrible that the innocent victim is made to feel the bad person when they have a night out ruined by screaming kids, and then have to pay and tip for it. Parents - you chose to have kids. Stay home, get a babysitter, or go to Chuckie Cheese.
mimi says:
they need to respect when they in a restuarant that i not i playground
GrowWear says:
Without boundaries and structure (not to mention the teaching of empathy for other diners), they will be jumping off the walls with all that undirected energy. It's not their fault, though. It's the fault of the parents.
Jimmie says:
Kids can behave pleasantly if their parents have taught them and consistently expect that behavior (through discipline). If the kids are wild it's the parents' fault.
mulberry says:
I think it's about parenting. Some want their kids to be able to "act like kids" and seem to reject any bit of discipline. I think there is a time and a place for everything. Learning to have manners in public places isn't stifling them...it's teaching them the manners required to get along in life. Kids aren't weeds, they require teaching to learn; guidance in mastering basic manners isn't punishment, it's learning. Yelling, running around etc. is appropriate in other situations, not restaurants. For everyone else, we paid to have a nice meal, not be harrassed by someone else's kids.
SideSplitters says:
I was at a Cheesecake Factory recently where there was outdoor seating a few months ago. A party of 10 or so sat in the front outdoor seating and pushed two large tables together. They asked to be moved once they sat down because it was too hot in that specific spot. Then, they spilled their milk on the ground, threw their silverware into the fountain next to the outdoor seating, rearranged the entire seating area so none of the waitresses could move around. Of course, they were yelling and screaming all the while. The parents were just as bad and sent their kids meals back to the kitchen because the pasta was ziti and not macaroni (though the menu said ziti).
No way, they're just being kids!
Me says:
Take them to a resturant, a KID FRIENDLY one. if its not, wait until they can behave themselves, or reward them if they r good! its not fair for them to not go to a GREAT resturant just ebcause other people think that they are bad!
ElizabethJeanAllen says:
I waited until my kids were old enough to behave before I took them to a restaurant. There are "kid friendly" restaurants and parents should stick to those until their kids learn to behave. Most do. If you want to see kids ACTING UP, try eating in a school cafeteria.
A List of Restaurants you Should Take your Kids To (PLEASE!)
-Applebee's
-Chuck E Cheese
-McDonald's
-Burger King
-Denny's
-Wendy's
-Pizza Hut
-Red Robin
-Or any other restaurant that might be handing out balloons. Just use some common sense. Works wonders.
IT'S ANONYMOUS! TAKE OUR POLL...
Come On, You Must Know SOMEBODY....
Thanks for ruining it for everybody.
Yup, going out to eat used to be fun. But it's gotten out of control. How many times has a kid popped up and started staring at you from the booth behind you? Meanwhile, the parents just sit there and stuff their face.
Give Them Their Own Section!
Does it Bother You When Kids Act Badly in Restaurants?
Or out in public?
KIDS MISBEHAVING in the Blogosphere
Shirts About Kids Being Naughty in Public
Know a parent as oblivious as this when they go out to eat?
Hey oblivious parents!
Have you been getting nasty looks every time you go out to eat? Been asked to leave? Don't know where your kids even are? Get a clue! Stay home!
MORE ANNOYING LENSES:
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Guestbook
What? You Got Something to Say?
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ottoblotto Feb 4, 2010 @ 7:38 am | delete
- Many parents fail to realize it takes time and energy to actually teach children how to behave, even though the investment of the time and energy is totally worth it.
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JaguarJulie Jul 17, 2009 @ 7:51 am | delete
- Oh Oh Oh!!! If you were to pose this question of my mom, you would probably get what she told us! Do NOT eat in Golden Corral or other such restaurants with buffets as the kids are allowed to serve themselves from those bars and you know that kids are always putting their fingers in -- well you know where! They don't wash their hands, and lick their fingers and then handle the serving spoons and forks. OK -- get the picture??? Mom has ruined buffet bars for me for-EVER!!!
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ElizabethJeanAllen
Apr 7, 2009 @ 6:43 am | delete
- Great debate!
Thanks for sharing
Lizzy
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daria369
Jan 15, 2009 @ 2:30 pm | delete
- Thank you for joining my Squidoo group!
"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."
-- Buddha
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GrowWear
Jan 15, 2009 @ 12:22 am | delete
- Children need great parents! :)
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Evelyn_Saenz
Jan 14, 2009 @ 11:42 am | delete
- Children can be taught how to behave in a restaurant. I have no problem with children who are well mannered and I believe that the children are also happier when they are getting the attention that they need without having to disturb others.
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mulberry
Jan 4, 2009 @ 12:27 pm | delete
- Good debate. I do think kids need to have time to run around, act crazy or whatever...but not in public places and at the expense of everyone else around.
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alteredkat
Jan 3, 2009 @ 7:53 pm | delete
- This should be a great debate...I firmly believe it's all in the parenting...my kids know how to behave in a restaurant and I'd have no problem taking them to a 5 star snooty place because they know what I will and won't tolerate.
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