Should restaurants prohibit "out of control" screaming children?

[Better Believe It]

Poll question: Should restaurants prohibit "out of control" screaming children?

[Fumesucker]

1. Food?.. Most of them already do..

[Better Believe It]

2. You must have read the "Should restaurants prohibit." before my edit.

:)

[Fumesucker]

12. The poll question did seem a little.. err. open ended..

:hi:

[Better Believe It]

19. My next poll will be "Should President Obama support." You can vote YES or NO.

I'll be voting yes.

[LiberalLoner]

3. I have sympathy for parents whose children are throwing tantrums or just crying, but I do

appreciate it a great deal when they take the screaming child out of the restaurant if they are unable to quiet him or her down.

[Bitwit1234]

37. 100% correct I hate to try to eat a meal with a kid

out of control kicking the chair slamming the table and screaming at the top of their voice. And the worst of all is spitting up the food. These parents are disrespectible to people. They know how the child reacts, they can't control them and the best thing would be to have a baby sitter. THEN they along with the other patrons could enjoy their meal.

There is another alternative tho.... just think there are a lot of places, upscale even, that will prepare your meals and you can pick them up and take them home. So that way the child would be more comfortable in his or her own surroundings.

[blondeatlast]

4. Depends on the restaurant, the definition of "out of control" and "screaming."

If they give out crayons at the door, I don't think anyone should object to spirited children.

Abstain.

[Better Believe It]

5. If they give out crayons at the door I won't be going to that restaurant.

It's all about choice. I choose not to go.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. For me it's any sign of the stroller people

I am off in the opposite direction.

[blondeatlast]

16. Indeed. nt

[blondeatlast]

15. I can fully appreciate that. It's sensible for the restaurant (it's a dead giveaway that kids will

be there) and a clue to those who are desiring of a quieter dinner.

[Raineyb]

94. Having kids at the restaurant isn't the problem. It's allowing them to run amok screaming

that's the problem. Even if the restaurant hands out crayons this behavior should not be tolerated. If the child can't behave the child shouldn't be allowed the treat of eating in a restaurant.

Admittedly, I'm not going on a date to a restaurant that gives out crayons but that doesn't mean that by having a meal while out shopping or something at such a restaurant that I've consented to having my meal disrupted by ill-mannered people.

[pipoman]

89. We have very few kids proportionately

at my restaurant. I do buy those little coloring place mats that come with 3 colors. They are what keep kids busy and not wanting to cry.

[HereSince1628]

6. Only if they also prohibit Gordon Ramsey and his tirades.

Just saying...

[napi21]

7. YES! When my kids were little, if they caused ANY DISTURBANCE I took them out of the restaurant!

The biggest problem I had was a childs impatience They're not used to waiting for their food. AT home it's on the table when they're called to eat; at a FF place it only takes a minute or two to get your order; in a restaurnt it can take 10-10 mins & they're just not used to that. I would bring some entertainment like a few crayons to keep them occupied, but if that failed, I immediately took them outside. I've always hated unruly children in a restaurant and it doesn't go away just because those kids are YOURS!

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. We just didn't have much of a social life when our kids were little

I don't understand these parents today who seem to want to take their kids everywhere, especially to adult places. :shrug:

[blondeatlast]

18. Exactly. My ex and I had planned date nights--where my parents would watch our son

overnight so we could have some alone time--and I resented parents who felt the need to intrude on those nights.

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. When our youngest was about 5 or 6 we went out to dinner one night

and decided he could come. He sat very quietly and was behaving well when the waitress came to take our order. It was one of those places where they ask if you have ever been there before and they proceed to explain how their buffet works. Before she left, she asked if we had any other questions and our kid asked "What kind of place is this?"

Hubby and I were doing a wtf until we realized he had never been to a restaurant before.

We still tell that story. He is nearly 30 years old now and his friends are almost always shocked that he was that old before we took him out to eat. Of course they all take their small children everywhere. Kid plays in a band and his bandmates bring their kids to gigs at bars. I honestly don't get it.

[Matariki]

27. I have artist and musician friends with kids, who they take to shows, art openings, etc..

I actually think that's a great thing. I've noticed that those kids, who spend a lot more time around adults than kids from more 'traditional' families, are a lot better behaved and fun to be around.

In some cultures multi-generation interactions are much more common. I think that's a sad thing about our culture.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. And I believe children belong in bed at midnight and not in a bar

Hubby is a musician so our kids grew up going to plenty of family friendly gigs. And band practices. But we didn't take them to bars at night.

[customerserviceguy]

31. Yep, that's a pet peeve of mine over on this coast

Out where I came from in the Pacific NW, anyone under 21 (well behaved or not) was prohibited from being in the bar area. All over the East coast, they can drag the kids in, and it often ruins things for others.

I tend to find that sports bars and Hooters seem to be relatively childproof.

[Matariki]

44. who said anything about bars at midnight?

[proud2BlibKansan]

45. I did.

[ThomasQED]

70. This is probably the most interesting observation in the 3 or 4 identical threads on this topic.

Like they say, "it takes a village" but we are more isolated here. Perhaps with more people around to discipline a child and more people to serve as models, there would be fewer instances of the bad behavior and fewer parents arguing "bad behavior happens."

[ThomThom]

86. I have a problem with unruly kids anytime.

Sometimes it is a cultural problem, other times it's the parents just stopped hearing. To many times the child has learned to be in control of the family. Even if it is cultural to not discipline male children the rights of other people need to be respected some how. My problem is screaming, running children in the halls of my building.

[HuckleB]

108. Well, there is Sun City, and other retirement communities.

[HuckleB]

9. Lame question.

[Better Believe It]

14. Lame response!

:)

[HuckleB]

53. Yup.

[Monique1]

17. I do respect my son and daughter

they bring their own eats for their children, like finger foods while the adults wait for their food. The children are happy and the adults can talk. When the foods arrives the little ones want to taste but their tummies in the mean time have been satisfied. They bring out the crayons while the adults eat.

[HuckleB]

54. We do the reverse.

Our little one eats everything we eat, though, so we're lucky. Actually, he eats more than most adults.

It's funny. We actually can't order off the kids menu for him, generally. The only time he rejects food is when it's white bread, american cheese bland.

:toast:

[Better Believe It]

11. Not as bad as allowing patrons to bring their flying monkeys along!

[PBS Poll-435]

13. Yes. Always Yes.

Unless it is a "family" restaurant - aka no bar.


Leave those little monsters at home with a babysitter.







:rofl:





:sarcasm:

[petronius]

20. I would say that restaurants should politely discourage disruptive behavior

of any sort. But really, adults should know not to create/allow disruptions in the first place. Since the latter is unfortunately less common than it should be, I don't have a lot of hope for the former...

[Maru Kitteh]

22. Yes to the Nth power.

[lunamagica]

23. Yes. I few years ago my family took me to a nice restaurant for

my birthday. It was something special and we had been looking forward to it for a while. It wasn't often that we were able to spend money eating out in a nice place like that.

Well, there was a family with a girl about 6 years old. The kid spend our whole time at the restaurant screaming at the top of her lungs. No one did anything to hush her up and just ignored her except for the dad who when she'd be yelling for 10 minutes or so would carry her out and bring her back after a couple of minutes to start the whole thing again.

We just sat there and took it. It seemed that the child was special-needs; at least I thought so because she was too old to behave that way. The meal was ruined and even today I still feel irritated that we didn't speak up and just allowed this to happen. Neither the kid's family nor the restaurant tried to stop it or even acknowledged there was a problem.

[ThomThom]

88. Special needs children are no excuse, if the child is not ready

don't inflict them on other people, it is that simple.

[foxfeet]

24. And they should prohibit "out of control," screaming adults.

Especially those dildoes who find it necessary to bellow into their mobile phones over and over. ("He's got diarrhea. I said diarrhea. No, DIARRHEA!") Quiet texting is OK by me.

[surrealAmerican]

26. ... and that is the same issue, really.

I have no problem with a restaurant having some minimum standard for the behavior of their patrons: no screaming, not smoking, no spitting, etc. They should make such restrictions clear to potential customers beforehand, of course.

[HuckleB]

55. The standard needs to be better than screaming, IMO.

Of course, in many restaurants, the din is so loud, who would know if anyone was screaming?

[blondeatlast]

30. INDEED! nt

[Obamanaut]

25. There are over 500 yes, no, and other responses here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9102737

[JCMach1]

28. Yes, because out of control children are the biggest problem facing America today

:sarcasm:

I will this and the other thread for the

[Warren DeMontague]

40. Aaaaaaaaa!

That guy scared the piss out of me when I was a kid.

[JCMach1]

83. Me too...

[Warren DeMontague]

101. Know what's odd? We were just talking about that the other day, too.

Weird.

[JVS]

32. That's why I only eat at places where there is nude dancing.

[customerserviceguy]

33. I'm a bit flabbergasted at the support for my position here

When I've commented on the rude behavior of children and their brain-dead parental units when it comes to airplanes, I've been routinely attacked, and seldom, if ever, defended.

Why is an aircraft any different than a restaurant as far as the obligation of parents to maintain control their offspring?

[pennylane100]

34. It is harder to take the child outside while they are screaming on a plane.

If the parents were making every effort to quiet the child, it is hard to get too upset. However, if they were just sitting there, ignoring the screams, I would ask the flight attendant if I could change seats.

[customerserviceguy]

35. Flight attendant, yeah

The only time you see them is when they've got that beverage cart banging down the aisles. Lately, the flights I've been on are so very packed, there's no place to move to.

Here's an idea I've put out there before. Charge me 10% extra to sit at the front of the cattle class section, stick the free-riding lap babies and the half-price kids in the back. It'll be more convenient for their dozen trips to the toilet, anyway. I'd be perfectly fine if everybody stayed in their seats to let the families out first, but I'm not sure how you'd enforce that.

The airlines are hard up for revenue, let me pay a few extra bucks for a more sleep-friendly seat, or charge the rugrats full price.

[Recovered Repug]

36. It's even harder to bring them back in when they've quieted down.

[pipi_k]

42. That's what duct tape is for n/t

[foxfeet]

49. Or a looooong bungee cord. n/t

[madmom]

92. Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!

[HuckleB]

56. Why is your obsession with kids on flights so, well, obsessive?

I fly a lot, and kids are generally quite good on flights. I worry about the adults far more.

[customerserviceguy]

100. I do some cross country flying

and the effects of the lack of parenting that we see in restaurants is multiplied in an aircraft. First, you're already cramped into a seat that you'd never tolerate at a restaurant, for a much greater length of time. When there's crying, screaming, squealing, and especially seat-kicking from a kid behind you, and the parental units are completely oblivious to the discomfort of others, yeah, it drives me nuts.

When I reflect on the fact that my suitcase pays more to ride on that plane than the lap baby who's ruining my next six hours, I do get annoyed. Maybe you take some short hop flights that don't really give them too much boredom time to get out of control.

Anybody who would take a child on a cross country flight without full preparation is engaging in a mild form of child abuse, in my opinion. It's not as bad on the red-eye flights, there are less kids to begin with, and most of them can grasp the concept of nighty-nite time.

[Synicus Maximus]

38. The restaurant I go to most ofter does not allow anyone under 18.

So it not a problem there.

[HuckleB]

57. So it's a bar.

Or something even less, uh, sedate.

:evilgrin:

[WolverineDG]

39. They prohibit "out of control" screaming adults

and in fact, often call the cops.

dg

[HuckleB]

58. Not usually.

[WolverineDG]

65. If they're asked to leave & don't, they do

sometimes they even get a free ride in a police car.

dg

[HuckleB]

71. Again, they're not usually asked to leave, or even quiet down.

Instead, adults focus their stupid anger at kids.

It's ridiculous.

[Warren DeMontague]

41. I voted "never", just because I've heard more temper tantrums about this from adults on DU

in the past few days, than I've heard at any restaurant in Portland (which is FULL of kids) in over a year.

[Quantess]

43. SOME restaurants are wise to prohibit children in general.

If a particular restaurant refuses to serve families with small children, they are doing so in hopes of attracting customers who want peace and quiet. The families can either get a babysitter or go to a family friendly restaurant.

It just all depends on the type of restaurant.

[HuckleB]

63. Luckily, there aren't many of those around.

Or our little guy might not have the wide palate he has today.

[Quantess]

73. No, and there shouldn't be too many restaurants like that, because that would be a niche clientele.

I'm just saying, if a particular restaurant could boast that they were the only place in town that guaranteed there wouldn't be any children there, some customers would see that as a real plus.

But obviously, that would alienate a lot of customers, so it wouldn't make sense for most restaurants to have that policy.

[HuckleB]

75. And it might work in a seriously expanding economy.

But it's not likely to work now.

[Quantess]

77. Good point. Restaurants are on shaky ground right now, in general.

Most people don't have the expendable income for dining out anymore. At least, not as often.

Just a month ago, though, an old friend complained on facebook, "do we need to go to a strip club to find a place to eat without crying babies?"

[bigwillq]

46. And their parents, too

YES

[TheKentuckian]

47. I am pretty patient but I'm not paying to be treated to unchecked tantrums

or the kids being unleashed to run around and do what they please.

Some parents think the world is a barnyard and others will just sit there and take full on yelling and acting an ass and even more respond by arguing with their kids as equals having an altercation on the streets.

The kid haters suck but the people who shouldn't be parents give them shitloads of ammo.

There is a line when kids being kids turns into no discipline and parental selfishness.
Most people do okay but there is a significant minority of parents that I find shockingly indulgent and/or very lax.
I seriously can't imagine surviving some of the talking back and general acting a fucking monkey that goes on.

Some of it is the buddy shit, I've known too many and observed more that just couldn't bear to have the role of parent until they got pissed about something and then all the sudden go from 5 year old playmate to ultimate source of authority and back to kid in a few minuets.

Hell, sometimes it gets so bad that the little kid is the mature one for stretches.
You can be best friends when the kid grows up, right now you're doing them a disservice and as a consequence they are being brats and you are going back and forth with them like a sibling.

Cut it out.

[saltpoint]

48. It might be best to prohibit them, certainly, but

moreover, I would have unruly children rounded up and hauled away to re-education camps, their pets tortured, and their extended family tree ceremonially murdered.

The sheer notion of noisy children should be universally condemned and swiftly dealt with.

[ThomThom]

90. yes yes

:bounce: :bounce:

[howaboutme]

50. Pet peeve, pet carrier, or cage

If you have pets that you can't control you put them on a choke collar or in a pet carrier.

The same should go for children. The operative key word is "can't control" or aren't disciplined or are typically disruptive. The other week we were in nice restaurant where the "family" in the next booth was made up of screaming kids and corresponding low life adults. They had no concept of respect for others.

When folks go out to dinner they expect an enjoyable evening, and not hearing someone's ill-mannered kids screaming. Sorry for those with ill-mannered kids but we don't want our expensive meal disrupted by either them or you screaming. Keep them in a sound proof cage just as you would your pets if they aren't mannered.

I am not tolerant at all of those who don't give a damn about others.

[FreeState]

51. Prohibit the parents n/t

[HuckleB]

60. That might solve the supposed "problem," actually.

[cbdo2007]

52. Who cares?!?!? Seriously, it's a private business they can do whatever they want.

I don't get DU sometimes. There is no debate here over whether they shoudl or not. Just let them and if it hurts them then good and if it doesn't hurt them then who cares anyways??? Just get over it people rather than sensationalize these ridiculous stores every time come around.

[Better Believe It]

68. " it's a private business they can do whatever they want" No they can't! For example ....

They are required to obtain proper government licenses to do business.

They are required to comply with certain government wage and labor standards.

They can't discriminate against racial minorities and women.

They are required to meet certain government health codes and regulations.

They are required to allow employees to organize a labor union if they wish.

There are many other progressive rules and laws that don't permit a "private business to do whatever they want."

[Lucian]

80. They CAN prohibit screaming children if they want.

There's no law that says otherwise.

[cbdo2007]

84. What the hell are you even talking about??? I never said they coudl do stuff against the law

nor was that implied by this story!!!!

[HuckleB]

98. I believe the ADA applies, as well.

[Skip Intro]

59. Absolutely.

No one patron of an establishment has the right to disrupt other patrons.

[begin_within]

61. Yes, and out of control teenagers and adults as well.

Those parties of thirtysomethings drunk on wine, letting out collective shrieks of piercing laughter every 25 seconds, only 2 feet away from your ears, must be exterminated, even if it means disabling all their faculties permanently and irreversibly.

[HuckleB]

64. This is what I'm saying.

[HuckleB]

62. I'm going to go to another place with this.

Should parents of kids with, say, a child with autism who might struggle with frustration issues be prohibited from going out in public? If so, should we, as a community, provide them with the opportunity to get a break?

Just a thought or two...

[ThomThom]

91. when the child is ready no problem with them being in public

try a park if you want to take special needs children out in public, screaming children are expected

[HuckleB]

97. Ummm. So the ADA only applies to parks?

I'm pretty sure that's not true.

[ThomThom]

102. What do you mean ADA only applies to parks?

I don't think you understand this discussion. Parks have ADA?

[HuckleB]

106. You don't know what the ADA Is?

:shrug:

[slackmaster]

66. Other - Only if they really want to

:hi:

[HughMoran]

67. Couldn't eat out or do much of anythng for a year

My oldest cried almost constantly for the first year.

[TexasObserver]

69. The Tribe has spoken. 90% of us agree they should.

That's about right. About ten percent of the patrons inflict their unruly kids on the other 90%.

I attended a group meal in public recently. About 30 people. One couple had three boys ages 7-12. They were ill behaved the whole time. Dad sat passively, as if he didn't even register the conduct. Mom would weakly say "boys!" and look pained.

I've seen the same family in other settings, and the boys are brats everywhere they go, the father is a weakling who never says anything, and the mother is a whiner who never does anything but whine. The boys will be holy terrors as teens, and they'll be tragedies as adults.

The bad behavior by kids that goes uncorrected by parents in public is merely a symptom of the larger problem: bad parenting.

[HuckleB]

72. Rock and ROLL!

So we all agree that people who look or act different than us should not eat in the same place as us!

Woo Hoo!

:bounce:

[TexasObserver]

82. 90% of us do not agree with you on this issue.

Children who misbehave shouldn't be allowed to do so in public eating establishments, unless those establishments seek loud, active children as part of their marketing approach. You're free to take your unruly kids to those kid places, but not to places where adults like to enjoy meals free of misbehaving children.

Contrary to your belief, you're not entitled to go anywhere and behave any way you want. You're free to go to places who are looking for patrons who don't care how much noise they and their children make.

[HuckleB]

96. And now you put words in my mouth.

If my memory serves me right, this is a habit for you. And you want to lecture me on behavior. Perhaps people who put words in the mouths of others on a repeated basis should become hermits, and leave the rest of the world alone.

Sorry, but here's the reality. Loud adults are far more common than problem kids.

[ThomasQED]

99. This from the person who just said

"So we all agree that people who look or act different than us should not eat in the same place as us!"

???

[HuckleB]

109. WOW!

Thank you for taking my words out of context.

:rofl:

[pipi_k]

116. No. What most of us agree on is

that people respect others as much as humanly possible.

And that goes for teaching children respect for themselves, and others, as well.

[TexasObserver]

103. Now it is 91% to 5%. Polls at DU sure show the reality at DU.

[Odin2005]

74. I'm more bothered by out-of-control adults screaming into their cell-phones.

[HuckleB]

76. +1,000,000,000,000,000,000 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Odin2005]

78. Thanks, LOL!

[Name removed]

81. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HuckleB]

95. You're "Sayin'!" nothing.

In fact, you're proving my point.

[Better Believe It]

105. That also is very annoying. When that happens I leave my table and tell them to quiet down.

I don't care to hear their conversations.

[HuckleB]

110. And it happens about tens times as often as a kid having a tantrum.

And that's only one of the things adults do to invade the dinners of others.

[Lucian]

79. Absolutely.

I hate it when my night out is fucked up by screaming fucking children.

Learn how to shut those little fuckers up before bringing them out of the house, for christ's sake.

[old mark]

85. YES! And their parents, too. 86 the whole family. nt

[rucky]

87. Only the circumcised & breastfeeding ones.

[pipoman]

93. Unruly kids are a pain in the ass

as a restaurant manager I do ask people VERY occasionally to control their kids. We are a bit different type of restaurant with a bit different demographic so it really isn't much of a problem.

Unruly adults OTOH, that is a problem and much more difficult to get a handle on. My wife and I were recently seated next to a table of 10 of 1/2 drunk adults who were so loud we couldn't talk. Apparently a server observed my or my wife's body language and promptly asked us if we wanted a different table. The restaurant was full with a waiting line but one table just cleared and they gave us that table...the server got a 25% tip..

[revolution breeze]

104. Yes, and the parents too.

My children all began dining out as infants and I knew it was my responsibility to make sure they did not make other people miserable (i.e. I would walk outside until baby calmed down, etc.). By age three, all I had to do was give them "that look" and they remembered their manners.

[TheWatcher]

107. Perhaps we would be better served focusing on the out of control criminals destroying our country.

Just sayin'.

[Better Believe It]

111. If I see any of them mouthing off in a restaurant I like I'll have them thrown out!

[TheWatcher]

112. Sounds Good. Oh, but if they are War Criminals, remember, they have to be allowed to stay.

After all, in America at least, they can't be held accountable for anything. :evilgrin:

[pipi_k]

114. Well, I would argue that...

many criminals became criminals because their parents never taught them things like boundaries and respect for others.


:shrug:

[meow mix]

113. what will Mcdonalds do??

everytime ive been in one there was screaming children

[pipi_k]

115. I think many of us don't expect anything less in McDonalds, really...

Although, OTOH, kids old enough to understand the niceties of manners and the like will probably not act like animals in McD's either.

But at least at McD's the meals are portable...

;)