your opinions on this situation

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

ON FB today a woman posted about being very insulted because someone wrote her a note about her kid screaming throughout their dinner in a family restaurant. She said her son is 10 months old and is in a screaming phase right now and so he chose to melt down and scream throughout their dinner. She was upset when people at another table commented to her about ruining everyone around them's meal, and she did not seem to feel that there was any option for her to do about the child screaming.

It would seem to me that if my child was in a "screaming phase" I would not be taking him out to anywhere - he needs to be eating at home until he learns not to do this. Certainly, when he starts screaming he needs to be removed from the restaurant until he stops. Other tables should never be subjected to bad behavior from anyone.

However, many people on FB defended this woman's opinion and said it was a family restaurant so it was to be expected that there would be loud children there. Of course , children just being children is one thing and a screaming meltdown is something else again.

Trinity11 · ‎11-16-2014

If one of my children acted out (which happened rarely) we removed them immediately until they calmed down. No one should go out for a meal and be subjected to my child making noise. It's common courtesy so badly lacking in today's world.

Kat 213 · ‎08-13-2016

I agree, I would think a restaurant is not the best place for a baby going through a "screaming phase". But if you choose to eat out with your child, great. If he starts to scream during the meal, please don't just sit there. I eat in family restaurants all the time and only remember once when a baby threw a screaming fit. The mother immediately took him outside.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

I would have left the restaurant. People have litle regard for the rights of others

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

I'm a little confused about your story. Was this from a personal friend of yours or just something going around FB? The reason I ask is because this was going around last year about this same time. A woman from Idaho was eating with her child at a Texas Roadhouse and the child was screaming and fellow diners were mad and she received a nasty note about her kid ruining their dinner.

I'm pretty sure this is a rehash of this one year old story. Same scenario with this woman's child going through a "yelling" phase.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/06/diners-note-screaming-kid-ruined-our-meal/7...

wagirl · ‎03-09-2010

That woman should have packed up her kid and left the building. How boring and tiring for that little baby to sit there anyway. Babies/kids scream all the time, that is their job, but to let it just scream without any consideration for others is rude and selfish. My daughter was a PAIN to take anywhere so after a meltdown like that, I left her with a sitter until she was prob 5 years old, depending on where I was going. And she was a pleasure by the time she was 5 so we did lots of outings together. No sympathy for that woman at all regardless of the type of place it is. I went thru it and didn't implode; so can she.

bri20 · ‎03-10-2016

@Lipstickdiva wrote:
I'm a little confused about your story. Was this from a personal friend of yours or just something going around FB? The reason I ask is because this was going around last year about this same time. A woman from Idaho was eating with her child at a Texas Roadhouse and the child was screaming and fellow diners were mad and she received a nasty note about her kid ruining their dinner.

I'm pretty sure this is a rehash of this one year old story. Same scenario with this woman's child going through a "yelling" phase.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/06/diners-note-screaming-kid-ruined-our-meal/7...

I doubt it's a personal friend of hers...

Stormygirl · ‎08-01-2015

I agree is very rude and disruptive to everyone around them who are also paying to have a meal. Is why I have stopped going to so called "Family restaurants" as last time someones toddler turned around and put their food filled hands in my hair and the parents just sat there and laughed. I wanted to punch them all to be truthful as I do not like to be touched LOL. Not everyone has children either and people need to be mindful of that.....even people with children dont want their meal ruined by someone elses kid. I cannot imagine my parents ever putting up with that behavior and I had a sore bottom once when I disrupted the "peace" years ago LOL. If I was there I would have walked out without paying for anything as I did in the case of food hanging off my hair..noone even dared attempt to make me pay after seeing my head. In that case people/even children need to learn to keep their hands to themselves. Maybe when these venues lose business the atmoshere will be better. Until then I no longer support them. by giving them my business.

pegsue · ‎03-19-2010

DH and I raised 2 boys who are adults now and we would have never just sat there in a restaurant or any place else if one of them decided to have a screaming phase or melt down or whatever you want to call it. I get that it's a "family restaurant" and a certain amount of noise and loudness is to be expected but to sit there and have a screaming fit-no, that's not appropriate. And I think by allowing this to continue you pretty much just tell the kids it's ok to act like that.

Just recently DH and I were at a nice restaurant and a family of 5 came in. It wasn't long before the 2 youngest who looked like twins about kindergarten decided it was time to get up and literally run around the restaurant. The parents just sat there w/the oldest child while this went on, waiters and waitresses having to negotiate around the kids w/drinks and food. They were also disruptive to the other diners. It wasn't until the kids actually started to go back towards the kitchen area that one of the waiters said something to the parents who by then had eaten their dinner undisturbed! I sometimes think it is just too much effort for parents to teach their children how to behave.

ChynnaBlue · ‎05-22-2012

If it's a screaming "phase," then you do not take the child to a restaurant until the phase is outgrown. What happened to one adult taking the child outside if the screaming or crying continued?

If you can't afford or find a babysitter and don't want to cook, I'd get takeout.

Parents like this absolutely do ruin the evening for everyone else in the restaurant. I know they've ruined plenty of dinners for me.

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