It's my fault for going out on mother's haha, but holy shit. I was sitting at a table near a family where the kid would not stop shouting, demanding things from her parents, stealing food from other people's tables, holy shit.
Nothing like going out to eat for mother's day to make you not want to have kids
Thank you for your service! Haha
Same here, zero tolerance. I always brought quiet things to do: comic or picture books, coloring books and crayons—stuff like that. He was almost always content with something to occupy him. Eventually, he learned how to join in adult conversations, and it was smooth sailing from there. It probably helped that he was an only child and had no siblings to egg him on.
You are rare.
Thank you for knowing that parent is also a verb. Thank you for being respectful of the space you are at and the people around you.
Please teach a class in this to other parents!!!
I just don’t get how parents don’t care.
We went to dinner once when my daughter was 1.5. We were outside and there was only maybe one other table filled outside. We ordered entrees and while waiting, my daughter started to get a little restless. So we immediately told the server to pack it to go. He assured us it was ok but we still said pack it up and we left a big tip and left.
You can take your kids out but you are responsible for how they act in public because you are their teacher.
To a certain extent yeah. Depending on age, yeah they can be loud when talking or shouting really loud out of excitement, however, at the end of the day I’ve noticed white folks in the US are very sensitive and generally dislike children so it does make it hard to go out with kids.
Depends on the restaurant too. If I'm taking my wife out for an anniversary or birthday to a place like Red Ash or J Carvers where it's going to be a $200+ dinner? Yeah, I'd be pretty annoyed if small children were tearing up the place. I would never have taken my kids to high end places like that when they were young.
But on a normal night just going out to Chilis or something, I expect children and it's no big deal if they are loud as long as it's not excessive and the parents are making an effort to handle.
Kids have meltdowns, it happens. It's when the parents ignore those meltdowns that it becomes a problem.
Oh yeah I definitely notice that too. I mainly mean the obvious parents who don’t tell their kids to stop when they are running around or anything. My daughter is 6 now and sometimes she gets loud when she is excited so I do remind her multiple times to lower her voice.
OP is great, but not that rare. When my kids were that age, we had the same rule, and like other posters, brought activities. Lots of parents do!
TYFYS
thank you
Mine are teenagers now, but same, the shouting alone would be enough for me to take them home.
Same. Mine would've gotten dragged out by the ear had they acted like that in public. We never gave ours phones or anything at the table. They got coloring books when they were young but once they were 7-8ish they were expected to join the conversation and like a normal human being.
We also cleaned up any messes they made when they were very young. Drives me nuts when I see parents let their kids basically throw everything on the floor and then just leave it for the servers to clean up.
Hell I still stack plates and generally clean up after myself at restaurants to help out the staff. My mom would give me the evil side eye glare from heaven right now if I left a mess for someone else to clean.
As a parent with two kids I can easily say I really dislike other peoples kids (and I’m sure many dislike mine) but I HATE when parents don’t bother to correct their kids behavior and it becomes everyone else’s problem.
I’ve got 3 young kids and I also thoroughly dislike other people’s kids. My own children lovingly annoy me enough as it is.
Yeah, it was always real fun when we were trying to teach our daughter how to behave at a restaurant, and other kids her age would be left to run around the whole place, crawl under tables, etc. Though I suppose it set the stage for "but mmoooommmmmm, my friends' parents let them do __________, so why can't I?!" never being a thing in our house.
I was just reading an IG story about teachers restraining unruly and violent kids (kindergarten/first grade), and some mom piped up with "They DO NOT have my permission to lay their hands on my child, and if they do, they're not going to want to see how I respond". People replied for clarification, like what if their child was being violent, throwing things, destroying things, injuring themselves and others, etc, and this "mom" was like "Don't care, that's not my problem, that's what teachers signed up to do, let them figure it out. But if you touch my child for any reason, I'm going to whup your ass!".
I'm sure that kid is going to grow up to be a well adjusted, productive member of society.
Imagine trying to teach and monitor behavior of 30 little kids at once, at different schools every few days.
Add many kids come to school sick and you become severely ill. One kid didn't want to come out from under a desk, so deliberately blew air into my face, making me very sick. Another time was an art class where 90 kids rotate classes in the day, coughing, wiping snot off their noses and depositing all those germs on the tables.
Then getting paid very low wages, no health insurance, no sick pay, no gas money, no mileage or car maintenance.
That is the life of an elementary substitute teacher.
I'm so glad I'm not doing that any longer. It sucks the life out of you.
My own son was assaulted. And I have seen little kids suddenly jump up out if their seats and lunge at other kids in a split second to attack them. Most memorable was the time a kid suddenly leaped on top of another kid, and it was discovered he had pulled a homemade shank made of a giant paperclip from his pocket. And a 1st grader passing a kid on the way to a restroom, punched another kid hard in the face.
I reported all of this right away.
Stealing food from other people's tables?! I'd be covering food in pepper and leaving it within reach 😑
well. this is where society needs to bug in. collectively, we should not be fazed by the absolute necessity of reprimanding people for their bad behavior. even if they’re adults w children. we need to normalize holding people accountable for their public actions again. without the fear of being ‘cancelled’
I barely even like my own…
Cant wait to get past this place where people think it’s cute or a joke to “dislike” children. Dislike being around them? Sure. And I get that’s actually what you’re saying here. But something about having open disdain for our most vulnerable population (knowing that we were all children once) doesn’t sit right with me.
We don’t think it’s cute or a joke. We simply don’t like them. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Of course they’re in a vulnerable stage, and of course we were all children once, that doesn’t make being around them any more tolerable when they’re acting like… wait for it…. Children.
I wholeheartedly dislike children, and there's nothing wrong with that. I can't have them, and I don't want to be around them. My bloodline ends with me.
I don’t wholeheartedly dislike anybody based on their age as a default. But maybe I’m crazy for that.
That's fine. I'm not being mean to children I'm just indifferent.
Indifference is very different than wholehearted dislike.
I dislike children. I see very little corrective behavior imposed by the parents and I absolutely do not want to be around kids. Zero pleasure in it.
Just got done with the most hectic brunch service I’ve ever worked. People were rude and demanding. Cheers to all my fellow Austin service workers, gonna need a drink after today friends.
Love and thanks to all the service workers making today happen for the families out there.
Aw thank you that means a lot! We appreciate the good ones like you
My SO always works on Mother’s Day. They had 360 reservations for dinner tonight. He says Mother’s Day is like the Super Bowl of the restaurant industry. Oddly enough, since he always works that day, we never go out on Mother’s Day. But my son’s grown up and lives 1500 miles away, so it doesn’t really matter any more. Now I just get a nice text. 😂
Aww happy Mother’s Day to you! My mom lives in Colorado, always miss her on this day and wish I could take her to get a nice meal. I know your sons probably feel the same <3
My restaurant mgr ex always brought flowers and beer for the women and men who worked Mother's Day, the most brutal of the year
This is the way!!! Sounds like a great manager…hard to find in the restaurant business
I was in the industry 8 years. Mother’s Day is always hell.
Always sneaks up on me too
We set a sales record at mine. I'm fucking exhausted.
Omg we did too! Largest sales out of all of our restaurants, ever. Pretty wild! Congrats, glad you made it through
Cheers
bless you mate cheers
Cheers mate, hell of a day.
Eating out is a hassle with some kids. Over stimulating environment and a lack of understanding that there’s a delay between ordering and actually getting the food. I have 2 toddler and preschool aged and shudder at the thought of a Mother’s Day brunch. Dad probably thought it would be nice but I bet Mom would’ve just wanted some goddamn peace instead
Mom always just wants some peace, yes! My kid is one of those who doesn’t do well in restaurants so we don’t even try bc it’s just stressful and unfun for everyone. I cannot imagine attempting Mother’s Day brunch, kids or no.
A friend of mine just lets his mother and wife decide what they want to do, and he takes the kids. If they want to stay in, he and the kids go out. If they want to go out, he and the kids stay in.
Although there's still a delay, when our kids were younger, we would know what they were getting when we were seated (grilled cheese or a burger, of course), and would ask the server to put the kids' food order in with the drinks. Then they would get their food pretty quickly. Little kids need more time to eat, anyway. We also never attempted going out on Mother's Day until both kids could read, and even then it was an early dinner, because yes, my preference is a solo bike ride and a mimosa at home instead.
Doesn't have to do with the environment. It's simple... one parent takes the kid outside (today, the father, obviously) and stop bothering other people. When the kid calms down, go back in. This is common courtesy that some parents don't get.
Yeah. I was gonna chime in and say this. Kids all have their moments (I love kids, FWIW - unfortunately as a big dude I have to meter my interactions with them in public, no matter their harmlessness), but if it’s anything more than that, read: a moment, then it’s time to intervene. That fails, then out we go for either a change of scenery (very little ones), or a “conversation”.
I was lucky with my daughter that my conversations were long, boring, repetitive, unfun, not cool, and…it turns out, extremely undesirable to her vs just not being a wild animal at the table and having fun coloring or talking, or whatever the civil humans at the table were doing. She figured it out pretty quickly.
If I’m planning to dine out with my young kids we always get there around 4:30 or 5:00 for an early dinner. They’re well behaved, but no toddler is perfect. This way we keep out of the hair of people without kids for the most part. Faster service too.
We do this with our two year old as well, we go early, sit on a patio if possible, and do our best to keep her as quiet as can be reasonably expected. Sometimes it goes pretty smoothly and sometimes it doesn’t but usually we’re in and out fast enough that she doesn’t get to the point where she significantly bothers anyone.
Generally I think American culture is too unfriendly to children and most people have very unrealistic expectations for how small children should behave but it’s also on the parents to do their best to teach good manners and try not to negatively affect others around them when they’re out with their kids
Totally agree
Well said about how unfriendly our spaces tend to be toward children. Totally agree that we need a combo of more welcoming spaces AND parents who model/ensure respectful behavior.
Agreed!!
If the kid acts up, one of the parents takes the kid outside for a little bit. Under no circumstance should parents subject other people to their kid's behavior while they are trying to enjoy a meal.
Just read the room... if your kid is annoying people around you then do the right thing. Breakfast... dinner... I don't care. If it's a place that's always loud and crying kids are the norm, then yeah, sure. If you're at Denny's on a Sunday morning and your kid is acting up, don't make others have to deal with it.
This is advice to a parent whose kids are already well-behaved?
What? If the kid is well behaved then enjoy your meal?????
We drove out to Henly Boil Shack for crawfish with our two kids, the place was absolutely packed with families with kids and dogs, and my husband and I were commenting on how we didn't see a single iPad on the tables. All the kids were generally well behaved. I think I heard one baby cry once for 15 seconds before the mom popped a bottle in their mouth. HBS has a ton of open space for them to run around and most of the seating was outdoors, so the kids weren't required to sit still in one place. It was actually really nice.
Yes, if you can find places with plenty of fenced-in outdoor seating, they’re often ideal for kids and dogs! Good recommendation!
I hope others find the humor in the fact that kids and dogs are satisfied with the same restaurant atmosphere
lol this is true
I’m from South Louisiana and Henly Boil Shack also has the best crawfish I’ve ever had in Texas. Highly recommend!
That place is always packed. I’m surprised by how many people know it exists
I went out to pick up breakfast tacos this morning and the traffic was brutal. It’s like everybody and their mother was out today
I see what you did there.
Totally possible to raise kids without that kind of behavior. But a lot of parents don’t bother to teach.
Used to be that a coloring mat, a crossword, and a maze at Chili’s could keep you occupied for an hour
Correct. None of my girls ever behaved like that at restaurants, but I was always diligent about putting them in high chairs and booster seats at home, and not letting them wander around while they are eating. That does make a huge difference. I get it, kids are learning, but, there are people that will let their kids run all over the place and they don’t think about the fact that somebody can drop a heavy plate or a hot plate on their child.
Yeah, I noticed neither of the parents did any real disciplining. To her credit, the mom was at least saying "shh" quietly to her kid. I'm not going to fault her since it's mothers day, but I'm guessing that they let that kid get away with a lot. If I was a kid causing that much mayhem, my mother would have pulled me out of that restaurant by the arm and taken me straight home.
"Gentle parenting" goes too far sometimes IMO, like they won't discipline at all
Gentle parenting is so often confused with permissive parenting- which is what these misguided iPad parents often use as an excuse.
Gentle parenting and neglectful parenting are super not the same thing.
Agree, but many of the guilty parents don't understand this
I have a family member who owns and manages a child care center. She says the scourge of "gentle parenting" is an absolute catastrophe for children. They aren't developing the skills they desperately need for self-regulation, respectful interaction with others, and any sense of competence or resiliency. But what she laments the most is that the poor kids don't get enough sleep! No bedtime means that every day is a bad day for those neglected kiddos.
Gentle parenting holds appropriate developmental expectations and raises kids through them gently, as opposed to shouty spanky style. No bedtime and no guidance is free-range parenting.
I really don't know the distinctions, but my relative is quite specific that the Gentle Parenting children almost always have significant problems. Perhaps she doesn't have any Free Range kids with which to compare.
As someone in the thick of it I think “gentle parenting” represents an ideal that works well for some but not all situations. There’s a shitload of podcast and social media that pushes it. But, as with everything, it’s not a binary “what side are you on” kind of thing.
That makes sense. Each child and their family are unique. There has never been, nor ever will there be, a one-size-fits-all way of growing up in a complicated world.
I hate that they want to involve other people. I don’t feel like being delighted when the kid is asking dumb questions in line at the store and the mom is just sing-songing the answers and holding up the line and the 4 year old is like “youh shut is wed, aw you a fiwetwuck??” to the cashier and I’m like fuck do I have to advocate for myself and get you moving, hello? Fucking dumb. To a certain point, I accept that and like kids natural temperament and can stand it. It’s totally the parents not disciplining and being generally disinterested in their kids; as well as the ones that that are just being sugary and sappy for nothing really I find fucking annoying.
LOL to your description. I've been there. I do find some kids genuinely adorable but there have been many times where I realized certain parents were so fucking enamored with their child and expected me to be as well. That shit is ridiculous
I also imagine they don't go out very often, so the kid isn't very practiced when it's actually important.
Hearing kids scream and whine about something they want over and over again in retail areas reminds me that it’s good I haven’t had children. I can’t imagine how much patience raising a kid RIGHT takes, so to the parents that have well behaved children, I salute you!
Happy mamas day all you mamas out there
From someone who has worked in restaurants for over 40 years, holidays are the worst days to dine out. Any holiday.
mother’s day: sometimes a harsh glimpse into what that really means.
i’ll never forget my own mum’s words when i was annoyed by a rather loud baby in the market once: “well at least you don’t bring (the baby) home with you.”
was she trying to turn me off of ever making her a grandma?!
I wanted to take my mom out to eat, I really really wanted to but just thinking about the crowds, the screaming children, the exhausted wait staff. Nope, did a real nice Lobster tail and ribeye dinner for Mom. She seemed pretty happy.
That's wonderful, I bet she really enjoyed that.
Yep and I had extra for how much it would have cost for one person at a nice place.
It's not the kids, it's the parents who are unwilling to manage their children.
Mother of 3 here reporting for Reddit duty. Takeout Nervous Charlies, a frosty Hopdoddy marg, and a cheeseboard from Antonellis. Pop some vinyl and play legos all day. Not dealing with other peoples kids OR their parents today.
I read that as "pop some vicodin."
IDK, I think this is a parent problem.
We went out, today. My kids were chill. Most of the other kids I saw were chill.
The table behind us? Oh my god. The screeching obnoxiousness coming from those children. All I could think was, “Now I know where all those entitled assholes running around out in the world come from.”
Running around out in the world and running the world…
Restaurants on Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are for suckers. You got what was coming. Both those days are shitshows of people going to restaurants one or two levels higher than they’re equipped to go to. You were sitting next to displaced Denny’s people who don’t know how to act.
Denny’s people ☠️
I believe “Waffle House Folk” is the preferred nomenclature.
Denny’s is Waffle House for people who can’t fight
I don’t see too many kids throwing rants on Valentine's Day. But other creatures 🤣🤣
Yeah that one’s more for grownups acting like kids.
Oh man, we forgot it was usa's Mother's day today since in my country it was 2 days ago. Only remembered when today for the first time we were being adventurous and went out to eat at 10 am lol.
We found a cute diner that wasn't full and it was lovely! There were a TON of kids and none of them were misbehaving, I don't think I even noticed any of them except one that was in my line of view.
I guess we got lucky! It was super chill, it started raining and it looked so pretty!
Stop ruining Reddit with your tales of kids doing good. How else can everyone else complain with such a wholesome story /s
But in seriousness, glad you had a good morning !!
Lol, I know right? Apparently having a good time earned me an immediate downvote! 😂
I don't understand reddit hate for kids. I don't have any and it still kinda baffles me, but oh well!
Phoebe's diner in Gracy Farms handled the holiday very well, amazing food and at great speed!
I've come to believe that Reddit has an overwhelming majority of misanthropes. Not all, but a high percentage.
It's very odd isn't it? In some way, seeing the hate that kids get has made me want to champion more for them.
Most are so self centered that they don't realize they live in a actual society with all of it's pros and cons. They should just stay at home if they can't cope with minor inconveniences (but I expect most of them hardly leave they house anyways).
Hero. Some of us try super hard to keep our kids from being feral in restaurants. Yer the best glad you had a great day and I upvoted you to counteract the hate :)
Aww thank you, that's so nice haha!
I don't really mind when kids cry or run around, idk. I feel like if a kid cries it's because in their tiny lives, anything bad is literally the worst thing that has happened to them in their life! And when they run and yell I feel happy that they are living life. Much better than the silence from them staring at a screen.
People forget we were all children once. Anyway, super soap opera over here. Hope you had a great day as well!! <3
It might just have been a bad day. You never know. Maybe they never eat out. I don’t know, it’s hard to judge a family off of one day.
I was at Maudie's south a few months ago waiting outside and a couple with two young kids left. The youngest (about 3) wanted ice cream at 31 flavors and dad says "no, you didn't behave." The kid laid down on the sidewalk and started kicking and screaming. Dad says "that isn't going to get you cream. You can try again next time." Kid just jumped up, said ok,and off they went. Kids are supposed to throw temper tantrums. It's how they learn to live in society. They push the boundaries and wait until they hit the end. This kid was doing his job, but so was his dad! They've laid the groundwork to have happy, well-adjusted kids who will know how to respect others and be successful in society.
This is why I only take my kids to food carts or otherwise restaurants that cater to families a bit.
Their patience is pretty low and sit down restaurants test that.
And this is the reason why I never go out on any holiday! You will never get to enjoy your food! Food will also come out like trash!
I always feel like badly behaved kids just make me more grateful for mine and the job I've done raising them. It reflects less on the failures of the child than those of the parents. The kid isn't raising herself. These behaviors are not inevitable.
It’s not the child’s fault because they are born sociopaths and they require parents to mold them into responsible, caring, polite human beings. Even at 2-3 years old my kid knew how to behave in nice restaurants or suffer the consequences. It’s not the kid, it’s the asshole parent(s).
Kids are like farts - you're rarely bothered by your own.
Im definitely most bothered by my own.
Other kids can literally catch their own table on fire and I’ll ignore it. My kids I’m so worried about trying to get them to behave
same.
I can recognize my own kids screams. Other screams don't bother me because I don't have to deal with them.
and they're worse when they're wet
Can confirm. :-/
Trying working at a restaurant on this day. It’s hell on crack.
Kids need guardrails. Parents have to set them up. I’ve never spanked my kid. But she gets corrected almost daily.
I told her yesterday that if she doesn’t like me, I’m doing my job!
You can still discipline your kids and be respectful to them as humans at the same time. Letting them do whatever they want is almost a form of child abuse bec they won’t grow up right. I know this bec my mom let my brother get away w murder and he’s a basket case.
Omg try being a server for mothers day brunch....ugh
My kid was an angel all thru lunch :)
And we’re all very proud of him.
I tried to avoid going out, but the mama insisted. She says, "I got us a reservation. It's not really a place for kids, but I want to go there and we'll just see how they do. 🤦🏽♂️
To be fair, I'm not worried about my kids misbehaving; they're just going to be bored if there's nothing for them to eat.
So we roll up to Dai Due at noon. On Mother's Day. I already feel bad for anyone who has to work a restaurant on mother's day. I already know they don't have a kids' menu. But we press on, 5 & 8 year olds in tow.
And you know what? It was a great brunch. Kids were fine with the food (sourdough pancake, bacon, and some of my pastrami). They were kept occupied before the food arrived by some crayons and paper (really, anyone running a restaurant out there, this is the low-hanging fruit solution; bare minimum; literally all you need on hand to prevent chaos, even if you don't plan on frequently serving children).
They didn't scream. They didn't break or spill anything (which was my great fear, considering all the heavy glass drinkware). Didn't get in anyone's way. They were cool.
So I'm just saying. Good job, kids. You were normal. Way to go.
But also. Anyone complaining about children in the sense that "I knew I shouldn't go there because there might be families with little ones in attendance" is such a lame, main-character type of weirdo. Probably doesn't realize the rest of us, parents or not, can't stand going places where there might be their kind of fart-sniffing whiners sitting nearby.
Happy mother's day!
I swear people don’t know how to reprimand their kids now a days. You can still be strict without having to beat your kids. Jesus
That’s just poor parenting. Some parents don’t realize that when their child misbehaves, rather than placating them to get them to stop, taking the time to teach them might require changing the game plan for that moment but it’s an investment in their future and in yours.
When my kids were little and acted out, I would double down. If that meant canceling whatever we were doing and going home, that’s what we would do. It didn’t take very long for them to realize that acting that way wasn’t going to work. Same with when they got hurt. They look at you to see if you’re panicking. That’s how they know how bad it is. Even when I was scared inside I would stay calm. As a result, they stayed calm.
Having said all of this I was 37 when I became a parent and I’m sure that helped.
ITT: a bunch of nonparents giving parenting advice
I hate shitty parents. The kids are just a symptom.
You can't take your kids to a restaurant if they are going to act like that. You just shouldn't.
I’m over here and just came back from lunch where there wasn’t a misbehaved kid there off of south Lamar lol
I do NOT miss working mothers days in service industry 😭
Coming from a mother- my perfect Mother’s Day would be breakfast at HOME with my daughter… drinks and lunch with mothers I love and no kids… spa/hair salon/wellness activity with no kids… then park, dinner AT HOME, and an evening with my kid again.
Pro tip…
Celebrate Mother’s Day brunch on Saturday. It’s way less crowded.
Or the Sunday before or the Sunday after. Do it any day but Mother's Day. That goes for other holidays as well.
as a mom and a teacher, this kind of thing drives me bananas! it’s all coming from a misguided effort to respect the child, but there are so many rude kids with parents who have no idea how to guide them toward appropriate behavior. maddening!
What place was this, so I can avoid it
Yeah, no. My kids are Autistic and we either avoid places to eat when they're stimming or go to outside places made for them. Otherwise, not going at all is best.
Just some shitty parents lol
I don't care what kind of parent you are, you don't have the right to let them disturb others' enjoyment. I raised two boys by myself. Restaurant behavior was learned at appropriate, kid friendly eateries. If they misbehaved, we immediately went outside and dealt with it there so as not to disturb others. They didn't go to "nice" restaurants until they learned restaurant behavior.
Maybe it's karma, but my son took me to 2020 Scratch Kitchen yesterday. There were 5 or 6 small children around us, and all were well behaved. And not a peep out of my 6 month old granddaughter.
As a Special Ed teacher, just know that not all disabilities are apparent. I can’t tell you how many parents of children with autism get judged for their children’s behavior, because people just think they are being being a brat when they are actually disregulated. Or kids with emotional disturbances that struggle in public spaces.
I’m not saying that the child had disability, but I try to always assume the best from children and parents.
Exactly. I have noticed that people want accommodations and grace for adults with special needs, but kids apparently are doing it because they’re rotten to the core and it’s absolutely not a possibility at all that they’re neurodiverse. /s
Poorly raised kids are everywhere. What do parents think is going to happen when those wild brats get to be 16 and have access to cars?
They're not gonna drive, actually. Teen driving rates have been decreasing.
Yeah between the combination of the used car market being insane, insurance being insane, and the chronically online element of teen culture lately driving isn't as important.
When I was young turning 15 was liberation, you could start driving, start working and be able to do everything you wanted to do. Additionally a used car was like $1800 and insurance was $40 a month. Totally doable working at Subway.
Teens today just don't care and don't see the reward.
Stealing fries from my plate? That’s a hand slap from me.
The worst though is when people bring their babies to wineries in Fredricksburg
Yeah, how dare they enjoy themselves with their infants.
Can you believe the nerve of some parents?
The winery I frequent welcomed us with our first baby in infancy, and they offer free bubble wands for the kids when we go now. I think this is because they know parents who drink wine are customers for at least a couple decades.
I see this in Texas more than any of the other states I've lived in.
I’m got paddled one time at Taco Bell for acting up. We didn’t get food, and we left.
I learned that day.
We usually go out for lunch on Sundays, but we absolutely ordered pizza today because I don’t have the extrovert juice to deal with a restaurant on Mother’s Day.
That's a reason to be a good parent, not a reason to not have kids.
Not for nothing but most parents I know feel the same way about how people bring their fucking pets everywhere. I don’t need your dog in HEB. Your dog doesn’t need to be in a restaurant. I saw a dude with a freaking bird on his shoulder at Whole Foods. Like wtf.
I do make sure my kids behave and realize the situation and place they’re in but also - kids need to be kids. As long as they’re not being disruptive.
Sounds like dad should’ve stepped in. Of course he didn’t. 🙄🤪
Nope. That’s not how effective parenting works. You need a united front.
And thanks, I understand how parenting works. I’ve raised three amazing adults.
Right, but it’s cool to give your partner a break on Mother’s Day, like partner’s do on Father’s Day.
If this happened on Father’s Day would your reply be “the mom should have stepped in - of course she didn’t”?
Yes. Give the parent who is being celebrated a break and be thoughtful.
Lack of discipline.
curious what restaurant
I got lucky in that my kids hardly ever made a scene. I wish I could take credit for that, but really we just had a great pre-school day care provider.
Tried to go out to eat because girlfriend is pregnant. We ended up at a pho place because not as busy. Worth it
Asian establishments are the best on holidays! Glad it was a good time.
When my son was little, we never went out to eat on Mothers Day. It’s the best day of the year to go to Schlitterbahn. Just sayin
What did the parents do?
OP conveniently has nothing to say about it.
My kids are 2 and 1 and I throw my phone at them and fire up Mario on Netflix if we go out. My wife and I are with them 24/7 so IDGAF, I will put a screen in front of them if it means we can have a meal outside and look at each other for a few minutes in between feeding them, making sure they don’t throw shit everywhere, or touch everything in range, once or twice a month.
Same honestly. I’m on the pro-screens wagon to save our sanity myself.
I kind of got the vibe that OP would rip into you for bringing out a tablet though.
one of the worst days to eat out for sure . But some other places where moms don’t frequent it’s extra empty like sports bar ftw
Man, I feel you! Going out on Mother's Day seems like a great idea until you're stuck next to a mini hurricane at a nearby table. Kids can be wild, huh? I guess that's just part of the package deal with parenthood. Hopefully, the food was at least decent enough to make up for the chaos!
Sucks for you.
Hope you tipped your server well
User deleted comment
20d
Austin parents don't know how to spank a kid
We take our toddler out to eat. If she gets impatient sitting at the table or starts acting out, one of us takes her outside. She’s too young at 19 months to be “disciplined” into sitting their quietly for 90 minutes but we can, and do, remove her from the situation if she becomes disruptive. All parents carry this responsibility.
As a parent of an autistic child, I can honestly say I would be getting a sitter to go out if my daughter behaved like that in public...
Bro one of the girls I know alwaysssss gets a sitter. She has her on lock lmfao.
Like if I'm ever in the same predicament I'm doing that for sure so I can still have some type of me time.
I don't have to worry as much nowadays because my daughter is now 13 and many times would prefer that my partner and I go out and just bring her take out so she can game with her friends, but when she was younger, I have just gotten everything to-go, apologized, and left before.
She and I are both audhd, but when she was little, we were both undiagnosed, and it was very hard to be in public as a young mom with a child who seemed to just be throwing a fit... but taking things off of other people's plates and from other tables... I could not imagine staying and letting that slide... and I'm a millennial who practices gentle parenting...
I’m a new parent (by accident if I’m being honest) and I don’t see how any parents could enjoy being out with their kid or kids acting like animals. That would make sitting at the table so unenjoyable for my own self let alone the rest of the restaurant. We’ve only taken our kid out a couple times cause he’s so small but the second he starts crying with no sign of calming down we are outta there.
How frustrated I get really depends on the age of the kid. 2-3 years old? There are going to be short live outbursts from most 2 year olds. Letting them walk around the restaurant, as long as they aren’t stealing food or crawling under others tables or otherwise misbehaving is fine.
Older than five? If they act up, it’s time to go have a talk outside. Act up a second time and we are leaving.
I will ask for another table if I see I'm being sat near a table with children or if they're sat after me and are being loud. It's infuriating when parents don't, you know, parent... and just ignore their kids and let them disrupt everyone else's meal. I'm 10000% childfree, but I don't hate kids... I hate parents that don't parent.
Feral children. Did you call animal control?
If an annoying kid at a restaurant on Mother’s Day made you decide to not reproduce, then your logical reasoning abilities won’t be missed from the gene pool.
That are an endless number of ruined kids because of the parents
Kids literally screeching at the ice cream store. As a teacher I almost did something then just let it go.
Sounds like bad parenting
This was birth control before it was available.
Less people should have kids, people are the core problem with the planet.
Family probably didn’t bring snacks in between this last meal and kids were starving. I’d be hangry too
Go out to eat on a different day I guess… let parents have one day
As a mom, I don’t care if it’s a special day or not, my kiddo acts like that in a public place, we are leaving.