• a7h13f (edited 8 years ago)
    +4

    While the restaurant owner shouldn't have yelled at the child (because, face it, a 2 year old doesn't know why it's being yelled at. You'd have better results yelling at a turtle), she should have been more forceful in asking the parents to leave. Yes, your crying child does ruin everyone else's time, and yes, there is something you can do about it. Call buzzfeed because I'm about to tell you One Simple Trick to Making the Rest of the World Not Hate Your Kid:

    Parents, if your child is crying in public, pick them up, then take them outside until the tantrum subsides. Afterwards, come back into the movie or restaurant! No one who is paying to go out for drinks, dinner, or a movie is there because they want to hear your child scream. The restaurant employees don't enjoy hearing your child scream. If your child is prone to screaming, consider getting a babysitter so your child can scream in the comfort of your own home.

    • Dernhelm
      +4

      I do agree with your sentiment. My wife and I are expecting our first and I do not look forward to our first trip out where she(our soon to be daughter) will be an asshole and try to ruin our time. I think, like you said, that there is a better way than posting a facebook post about an establishment. I know it is the times that we live in, but I do not understand the fascination with posting everything going on in your life to the internet. I think like you said a private message, phone call, or maybe after the fact (the next day ect.) going to talk to the owner would be much more productive.

      • a7h13f
        +2

        Absolutely. The restaurant owner shouldn't have yelled at the kid. The parents should have been more considerate of the staff and other patrons of the restaurant, and they should have resolved it as adults instead of trying to start a witch hunt. I think it's unreasonable to expect that every infant is going to be perfectly behaved, but at the same time, as parents, they should have a plan for diffusing the situation when the inevitable tantrum does happen. They certainly shouldn't have just let the behavior continue for nearly an hour.

    • septimine
      +1

      I agree with that, but I think we're way too judgmental about kids. They don't know how to behave, they can't talk, and it's hard for families with small kids to celebrate a major life event. My family includes the kids, and if grandma wants to to to her favorite restaurant with her family, the kids are part of that. Yes we're going to try to keep things quiet, but they're two, cousin billy is 3 and the oldest is 6. And I feel like a lot of people are expecting small children to be little adults.

      Sure, keep the kids quiet, take them out if they're having a meltdown, even choose a more casual place. I get that. But I don't think having a family means that extended family birthdays need to happen at Burger King because three year olds talk loud.