We took our 20 month old daughter to Applebees two weekends ago

[snooper2]

First time at a "sit-down" restaurant

Near end of lunch she was doing a bunch of no's with her water cup..getting pissy...

I took her outside for a little bit...

Wow, rocket science- I had almost forgot my feet work







People are fucking stupid

[tularetom]

1. I'm glad that the restaurant business is so good

that they can afford to write off the entire "young family" demographic.

I'm not a big fan of kids screaming in a restaurant or anywhere else but you've got the right idea.

[elocs]

2. I'm all for taking young kids to public places because that's how they learn to behave

appropriately. The problem is that too many parents ruin it for everyone by letting their kids run wild or be loud.

[kestrel91316]

15. Funny, I was taught table manners and how to behave BEFORE

being taken to nice restaurants. And even at casual places good manners were expected of me.

We kids found ourselves UNINVITED by our parents the next time if we misbehaved in public.

[Peregrine Took]

22. +1,000,000,000 n/t

[jberryhill]

24. It's a process of introduction

No, one doesn't go from eating from a trough in the barn directly to the best restaurant in town, and I believe that was the point.

It's also an introduction to food, but so many parents cater to a narrow range of "kid food".

IMHO "kids menus" are odious and implicitly prescriptive.

[Control-Z]

29. My 16 yo still asks for

the kids menu at certain restaurants. (It's the paper menu and crayons she likes.) The smaller portions really are better suited to her appetite, though.

[tsuki]

30. Me too. But I'm an old person. nt

[Dappleganger]

32. Do you have any idea how many families don't sit down for meals together anymore?

Also, a lot of families with small children let them dominate the conversation at the table (Jr. on parade! Oh, look what he did today!). Kids are part of a family unit and while they are valuable, hold no more value than the more grown up kids or adults.

[elocs]

38. I'm not referring to just restaurants, but all public places.

Movie theaters are a big one. Kids watch dvds at home where it is not big deal in talking while it is playing. When you are in a movie theater you are not in your living room.

Let's be real here. Eating in a restaurant is not the same as eating at home unless a kid has some real hard ass parents. At least at my house eating meals was much more relaxed and laid back and you didn't have to worry about being quiet every moment.

The level of behavior expected in public should be much greater.

[cwydro]

40. My sister and I went to restaurants all the time.

Also flew on airplane very regularly.

We were taught how to behave and we did.

Once on an ocean liner at a young age, we whined because my mother was going to leave us alone in the children's restaurant...she pointed out a younger child, a young French boy probably 5 or 6- completely composed and ordering on his own - and said how well how well he was behaving and that we could learn from that.

Years and years later I still remember how ashamed I felt. It's a joke in our family now, but she was right. I still remember that little French boy too lol.

[hlthe2b]

3. You'd never have heard a peep from my little girl--even at 20 months....

Of course she'd been too busy inhaling her food (and everyone elses')




But "fucking stupid people" won't let my little girl come into the restaurant... just because she's a bit hairy, her exuberant salivation when eating and desire to walk on four feet. NOT FAIR! ;)

[Codeine]

5. LMAO!

Excellent!

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. Love it!

:thumbsup:

[WinkyDink]

36. They will....in Europe. And if she bites, there's free health-care! :-)

[seabeyond]

4. we would do the same. and was good for me. i dont sit still for long periods well.

we would order then i would ask kids, want to go for a walk. worked for me more than the kids.

most all parents do this. i dont see the need for the uproar. fabricated outrage

[jberryhill]

16. What seems odd to me is...

I socialized my children to restaurants, and restaurant behavior, early, and I'm surprised at how many parents seem to think, "but if I do that, they won't behave".

What you can't do is expect they will behave without being taught. And, like above, sometimes if it is not going to work out, then you leave.

But what mine seemed to pick up was that the food was a lot better and more interesting, so it became clear that there was a definite payoff.

They are adults, and foodies, now, and I remain dumbfounded by how many parents cater to "oh, mine is a 'picky eater'".

It is definitely an effort, and one of the problems seems to be that some parents think they are going to enjoy their own evening out as if they did not have a heightened responsibility to both introduce their children to *why* it is a pleasure to eat out, and not interfere with others. Making that decision that "this is not going to work out" seems to be the component missing from some.

There is an entire range of etiquette involved, that kids will never pick up at the drive-through window.

What really used to bother me was when people would bring children into the smoking section (back in the days of smoking sections).

[seabeyond]

20. agree with your post. this is what bothers me with these threads. almost like... i see a kid

ergo, there is an issue. not that the kid did anything wrong, but is. how dare the child be seen. that is the only interference to anothers evening. this outrage that a child is going to misbehave when the vast majority dont, and are not even noticed.

we had the same experience as you. we didnt go out often, so it was always a treat. and part of the treat was kids behaving in adult manner. was fun for them, and excellent experiences for all of us.

i am going out of town here, soon. i am going to take note of the number of kids, when we eat out. and the number of kids that are out of control.

i can say, the times we go out, i have never had my dinner disrupted. so i am not really believing these outrages. but i am going to take note on this trip, as we will have to eat out every meal.

[jberryhill]

21. I'm thinking the same thing

Traveling abroad, one is MORE likely to see children in restaurants - and even pets!

I believe you are correct, though. People are not noticing behaving children any more than any other uninteresting stranger in the restaurant.

But I've NEVER seen a child light up a cigarette inside a restaurant or near the door.

[NightWatcher]

6. we took our then 2 month old to a gastropub.

she's now 4 months and she loves the place. there's music, lots of schwag on the wall. She never crys but even if she did, I doubt anyone around would here her. The booths have high walls and they play a lot of 90's grunge in addition to several tv's with Sportscenter and Buzztime trivia.


Sounds better than "we take our daughter to a bar"

[marions ghost]

19. ha ha...grunge yeah

that reminds me of a funny moment in a crowded beach type restaurant.

People were bumper to bumper. We had endured the entire day with a friend's three boys who were allowed to be as loud as they wanted--holy terrors as far as we were concerned (NEVER went anywhere with these people again). Anyway that day the kids had kept up a constant racket--fighting, crying, screaming, injuring themselves for hours (it was raining at the beach house). The other kids were older and didn't get into it.

Well when we went out to eat, the 3 boys were tired and even more fussy. We had just put in our orders when one of the little hell-raisers starts to shriek at the top of his lungs. At that moment a huge thunderstorm erupted with deafening crashing (thin roof over this shack). Because of the storm raging around us throughout (even adults had to shout at the top of their lungs) we never really heard him. All I remember is this kid's face in full screaming contortion the whole time. When we got out of there everyone's ears were ringing like emerging from a rock concert. But the screamer had the perfect backdrop.

I used to have a college friend who would scream whenever trains rattled by (we were so close the noise was temporarily deafening). So she would run outside and scream while the long freight trains passed and none of the neighbors would hear.

Yes --take loud kids to loud places if you think they're going to act up. :thumbsup: for creativity
Until they can be taught to be quiet, don't take them to a quiet place. It's only common courtesy.

[HappyMe]

7. Oh noes! But you are cramping your little one's

right to express herself! :sarcasm:



I used to have a small tote bag with coloring books, crayons, and a couple of hot wheels cars.


Thanks for being a good parent.

[slackmaster]

9. Kudos to you for doing the right thing for everyone

:kick:

[gvstn]

10. Hmmm

"Near end of lunch she was doing a bunch of no's with her water cup..getting pissy..."

That's not good, sounds like she may have it in her to become an angry drunk. :(

Best to bring your own water bottle next time. ;) http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-11/us/michigan.toddler.alcohol_1_apple-juice-toddler-restaurant?_s=PM:US

[snooper2]

18. ROFL

no's involve - no honey, water is for drinking not for mixing peas with napkins and crayons

[cbdo2007]

11. It's pretty easy for us parents to control the situation....

but it's up to the restaurant and I'm ok with that.

Our little girl is 13 months and we haven't had a bad restaurant experience yet. The worst part is that half the time I end up leaving an extra $5 tip to cover the mess on the floor afterwards. Oh well :)

[Arkansas Granny]

12. I always took my kids to restaurants when they were little. How else will

they learn how to behave in that situation? These days it's not unusual for us to have 3 - 5 kids under the age of 5 yo when we go out to eat as a family group. They have all learned from infancy what behavior is acceptable and what behavior will get them taken outside. We often have people stop at our table to compliment them on how well behaved they are. Kids in a restaurant don't have to ruin anyone's meal.

[nomb]

13. Applebees? Really?

Now I'm probably the wrong one to be giving restaurant advice - my rule is never go into a place with more than one location, and I love the more exotic whether its a small town lunch counter or Ethiopian cuisine served to you as you sit on the floor by staff in America that speak little to no English. (Which I've stumbled across not only in big city's but in a small Minnesota town in the boonies...)


But Applebees? C'mon people! We still have some Hope left in us, don't we?

[cui bono]

14. Wait til you take her to a bar...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cds7lSHawAw

:rofl:

[gvstn]

28. LOL! That is perfect.

She gives David Hasselhoff a run for his money. :P

[meow mix]

37. lol

:rofl:

[GillesDeleuze]

17. thank you for being a responsible parent!

and showing a good example to all other parents.

[itsrobert]

23. My parents took 7 of us kids to restaurants

They always got praised because we were always on our best behavior.

[Codeine]

25. Children aren't the problem per se,

rather children who are ill-taught. I've been to enough other countries to know that most children do not behave in the manner that they generally do here. American kids are usually monstrous.

[Township75]

26. Keep it up, please! You may be a drying bread.

.

[RoadRage]

27. *Applebee's*

Yup.. I have a 2 year old and a 5 year old. We take them out a lot (i'm not a fan of cooking - and like a night or two out a week when we can afford it).

We do places like Applebee's, Chili's, sometimes McD's with a play area & Subway. These are these are the kinds of places we take our kids so that they can learn how to behave properly in a restaurant. We do teach them manners at home - but at age 2, the little guy is still learning. My husband & I have taken him outside or to the restroom for a "chat" on several occassions. Now my 5 year old is an angel.. she colors quietly, thanks the waiter or waitress when she orders her meal, and smiles when they bring her food. My son will be like that in a couple of years.. but it's a learning process.

I also love the mentality of "My parents never took us to a restaurant until we were perfect". A, your memory on that might not be as clear.. seeing as how you probably don't recall age 2 & 3 of yourself very well. And B, times are a bit different. I grew up in the 70's & 80's.. and going out to eat was a "Big Deal" back then. We'd maybe go out once or twice per month. With 2 working parents (or single parents), hectic schedules, etc.. eating out is far more common now then it once was. And, thus taking small kids out to eat is also going to be more common. Mom isn't at home cooking a pork-roast all day while folding laundry and watching soaps.

On the flip side of all of this though, we don't take our kids to restaurants we'd consider "fine dining". If the place doesn't have a standard kids menu that comes with crayons.. or a counter that you order at, then it's too nice for us to take our kids IMO. A good rule of thumb until they hit about 12ish I think...

[Dappleganger]

31. Excellent!

This is what we did with our little ones.

[Shandris]

33. There's a string of these threads. Are people really complaining about KIDS...

...or are they complaining about ~parents~ who will simply let their child run amok?

I have no problems with kids eating in a restaurant with me, even if one lets out a war-whoop out of nowhere that makes me cringe...so long as the parents take some time to see what's wrong, or soothe the child, or teach him/her not to do that (in the case of an older child of course). It's only the ones who pretend they never heard a thing, let their kids throw food at other people, scream and cry that are a problem. And that's not the child's problem, that's the PARENTS problem.

[jberryhill]

34. +1

[JoeyT]

39. +1 and amen.

I actually like kids most of the time. I don't like adults that let their kids scream then get combative no matter how politely a request to tone it down a bit or maybe stop him/her throwing food is phrased.

I still have no idea how a few restaurants deciding not to allow children is somehow a global ban on children, but meh.

[FreeJoe]

35. I remember those days

My wife and I used to trade off taking the little ones out when they were crying infants or toddlers past their breaking point. We each ate quite a few boxed meals in parking lots or cars. Eventually the kids learned and now behave themselves well at restaurants.

I remember meeting my wife and kids at the Ritz Carlton in Denver once. I was there on business hooking up with them on a leg of their summer vacation. The hotel told my wife that she couldn't take the kids to the pool because it was for adults only. She grabbed their things and left. She spent the night at my sister's in the suburbs and swore that she'd never stay at a Ritz Carlton again.

I'm Ok with business setting the policies they want for kids, but I'm also going to exercise my rights as a customer.