Screaming Kids in Restaurants...

[Walt34]

Famous W. C. Fields quote:
"How do you like children, Mr. Fields?"
"Parboiled."

Very early on when I was dating DW, she said something along the lines of "Children should be locked in a closet until they're 21". My thought was "Hey, I'm starting to LIKE this girl!" I forget what it was that set her off.

Of course now that she has grandnieces and grandnephews, it's a whole different story.

 

[timo2]

Had another dining experience ruined by screaming kids - two young hipster parents with an infant and a 3ish girl and 5ish boy. I could go on and on, but ultimately there’s nothing anyone can do about it because you can’t shame parents who allow their kids to misbehave in public in the first place. If the restaurant or other patrons intervene, they’re the bad guys in today’s PC world. If it’s an upscale restaurant they’ll intervene. But if it’s a casual place, your only choice is to grin and bear it and move as far as possible, the restaurant can’t choose their patrons.

And of course when the screaming kids family left, the servers had a mess to clean up on the table, chairs and floor.

[/rant]

Yes, first world problems...

I don't see this as a new problem. I'm 65 (and childless) and my entire life this has been an issue. Parents for the last 50 years just have not given a rats arse how their children behave in public. I remember in about 1984 DW and I were next to an apparently middle class family at the table. The mother tried to say something directive to one of the kids. The kid responded that he was 'going to report her to social services if she yelled at him". So this is nothing new. We are all just older and tired of it.

 

[MarieIG]

View attachment 29583

 

[Amethyst]

With all the complaints about kid noise, I feel it is only fair to point out that a large Florida restaurant full of older women who've each had a few cocktails, can sound an awful lot like a day-care center crossed with a poultry house.

When the tipsy screeching reaches a certain pitch and volume, we get up and leave.

 

[aja8888]

With all the complaints about kid noise, I feel it is only fair to point out that a large Florida restaurant full of older women who've each had a few cocktails, can sound an awful lot like a day-care center crossed with a poultry house.

When the tipsy screeching reaches a certain pitch and volume, we get up and leave.

I'd have to agree, that could be a scary scene for a walk-in.

 

[athena53]

With all the complaints about kid noise, I feel it is only fair to point out that a large Florida restaurant full of older women who've each had a few cocktails, can sound an awful lot like a day-care center crossed with a poultry house.

When the tipsy screeching reaches a certain pitch and volume, we get up and leave.

Not just FL. DH had a hearing problem and background noise made it hard for him to hear- even with fancy hearing aids that amplified sounds coming at him more than sounds from other directions. He hated sitting near a table of women- he swore one would speak a little louder in order to be heard, then another would get even louder so SHE could be heard, and it would just escalate till they were all chattering at a very high-decibel level.

 

[Ready]

With all the complaints about kid noise, I feel it is only fair to point out that a large Florida restaurant full of older women who've each had a few cocktails, can sound an awful lot like a day-care center crossed with a poultry house.

When the tipsy screeching reaches a certain pitch and volume, we get up and leave.

Yup, I've had just as many problems with loud adults in restaurants as loud children. Some people just don't have any awareness of their volume. And if the table has a large group, they think they have a right to shout across the table without any regard for volume. It's very frustrating.

 

[travelover]

.......... he swore one would speak a little louder in order to be heard, then another would get even louder so SHE could be heard, and it would just escalate till they were all chattering at a very high-decibel level.

I've certainly seen this at parties where the volume continues to increase until everyone is almost shouting.

 

[LOL!]

I guess I'm fortunate. I eat out often at sit-down restaurants frequented by families with young children and not fast-food places. There are no ball bits or playgrounds. I haven't seen a screaming child in more than a decade.

Perhaps one needs to go to more expensive restaurants?

 

[aja8888]

This is a true story:

A friend and I stopped at a local Arby's for a quick late lunch (about 1:30 PM).

We went in and sat down and it was pretty empty but the level of store supplied music was very loud. So loud that it was irritating jus to sit and eat.

The obnoxious music was so loud that I got up and asked the Manager, who just happened to be there that day, if it was possible to turn it down so us two guests could have a conversation at our table without having to talk over the music loudness. His answer was "no, my boss, the General Manager, says we have to keep the background music at a loudness level so that guests at nearby tables can't hear other patrons conversations."

He was serious, I kid you not.

 

[gerntz]

Had another dining experience ruined by screaming kids - two young hipster parents with an infant and a 3ish girl and 5ish boy. I could go on and on, but ultimately there’s nothing anyone can do about it because you can’t shame parents who allow their kids to misbehave in public in the first place. If the restaurant or other patrons intervene, they’re the bad guys in today’s PC world. If it’s an upscale restaurant they’ll intervene. But if it’s a casual place, your only choice is to grin and bear it and move as far as possible, the restaurant can’t choose their patrons.

And of course when the screaming kids family left, the servers had a mess to clean up on the table, chairs and floor.

[/rant]

Yes, first world problems...

If it's important to you, make a statement by getting up & leaving. And why one who have a problem telling the parents to have their kids behave or don't come escapes me. PC doesn't control me.

 

[RobbieB]

I'm not bothered by screaming kids at restaurants.

 

[audreyh1]

This is a true story:

A friend and I stopped at a local Arby's for a quick late lunch (about 1:30 PM).

We went in and sat down and it was pretty empty but the level of store supplied music was very loud. So loud that it was irritating jus to sit and eat.

The obnoxious music was so loud that I got up and asked the Manager, who just happened to be there that day, if it was possible to turn it down so us two guests could have a conversation at our table without having to talk over the music loudness. His answer was "no, my boss, the General Manager, says we have to keep the background music at a loudness level so that guests at nearby tables can't hear other patrons conversations."

He was serious, I kid you not.

This is truly shocking! Jeez!

 

[Cobra9777]

I'm pretty good at tuning it out. I mostly give an understanding smile when a parent gives me that desperate, apologetic look after their child acts up.

I agree that some parents just don't care, and that's frustrating. But I give the benefit of the doubt, and assume they're just burnt out. I can relate...

Ahh... an adult in the thread.

 

[Amethyst]

Or ones with more carpet, drapes, and other sound-deadening things. I agree; we've had far more issue with screechy, tipsy older adults, and it is in large, open restaurant areas. Not smaller, more intimate ones.

I guess I'm fortunate. I eat out often at sit-down restaurants frequented by families with young children and not fast-food places. There are no ball bits or playgrounds. I haven't seen a screaming child in more than a decade.

Perhaps one needs to go to more expensive restaurants?

 

[skipro33]

Wife and I believed our children needed to learn how to behave in public. When one of our kids did act up while dining out, one of us would take him out to the car until they calmed down. The other one enjoyed their meal as well as the rest of the restaurant patrons.


But I've since decided not caring about kids crying in restaurants after I witnessed a poopy diaper change on the dining table in a restaurant. Not just once either. The first time I got up, walked over and in a loud voice, said people eat off that table. To which they got all offended and started hollering at me to mind my own business. The staff obviously knew what was going on as well as everyone else. DW and I walked out, leaving what was on our table. No I didn't pay either. If the staff hasn't the hair to stop a diaper change in the dining room on one of the table, they sure as heck don't to stop a patron storming out.

 

[joeea]

Had another dining experience ruined by screaming kids - two young hipster parents with an infant and a 3ish girl and 5ish boy.

Oh those wacky hipsters!

I could go on and on, but ultimately there’s nothing anyone can do about it because you can’t shame parents who allow their kids to misbehave in public in the first place.

You can get up and leave, then avoid patronizing establishments where kids scream a lot.

 

[Big_Hitter]

we do most of our dining at the club - when a kid misbehaves, my wife chastises them and is usually thanked by the parents

the staff doesn't want to get in trouble with a member so we usually have to police ourselves

 

[CaliKid]

So you haven't heard of "service animals?" Had one in the other section of a restaurant, barking, the other day.

I like my dog but not other people's dogs so much. I strongly dislike the "service" animal crap. They should not be allowed in restaurants. The fact that some of us are allergic to animals is irrelevant so a person can go into a restaurant with their "service" animal. That's crap! If one barked near me in a restaurant that would not be cool.

 

[kgtest]

Had another dining experience ruined by screaming kids - two young hipster parents with an infant and a 3ish girl and 5ish boy. I could go on and on, but ultimately there’s nothing anyone can do about it because you can’t shame parents who allow their kids to misbehave in public in the first place. If the restaurant or other patrons intervene, they’re the bad guys in today’s PC world. If it’s an upscale restaurant they’ll intervene. But if it’s a casual place, your only choice is to grin and bear it and move as far as possible, the restaurant can’t choose their patrons.

And of course when the screaming kids family left, the servers had a mess to clean up on the table, chairs and floor.

[/rant]

Yes, first world problems...

I frequently have bad dining experiences so we only eat out rarely. Usually its establishment, food or service quality I feel is sub par for the price we pay.



Last week it was BW3. New server, was supposed to get app discount, she was clueless, manager was tied up with customer complaining of take out wait times while guests behind us left after realizing there server would never show up.


Food was okay, but yeah buffalo wild wings is not getting my money anymore. I can make my own spicy garlic sauce.

 

[erkevin]

"They finished before us and after dinner the 6ish son and Dad were walking on the deck outside and they both came to the window right outside our table. The 6ish son flipped us the bird, and the Dad just chuckled."

This is one of the reasons teachers are leaving the profession

 

[haha]

We found that having an unruly child skip the meal and hang out in the car a few times seemed to encourage better behavior going forward.

Do this today and you will wind up in jail.

Ha

 

[Dreaming of Freedom]

Oh yes, I hate it when parents think it is OK to change their child's diaper at the table in the restaurant. It is so disgusting! I have seen it twice in my life. If I could make myself vomit, I would have walked over to their table and vomited to let them know how I felt.

 

[Gumby]

When the young wife and I are out to dinner, I try to give her my full attention. There might be unruly children, or dogs or other unsavory things occurring, but I just don't notice them. I can also easily tune out the conversations of the nearby tables. So here I am - entirely unobservant of the world around me, but generally pretty happy as a consequence.

 

[GrayHare]

Oh yes, I hate it when parents think it is OK to change their child's diaper at the table in the restaurant. It is so disgusting! I have seen it twice in my life. If I could make myself vomit, I would have walked over to their table and vomited to let them know how I felt.

There's always the "Whoops, did I just spill my sticky sweet drink on you?" approach.