medusa Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Cressida Great post. I only wish restaurateurs would take this up. When I was a child our family went a few times to a hotel in Cornwall which was set up for families and offered a baby minding service and free baby monitors for parents in order to have a restaurant that had a good atmosphere in the evenings. All children under 10 had their dinner together at 5.30 or thereabouts and all had child friendly meals (fish fingers, pasta, ice cream etc) in the children's club. Adult meals would be served from 8pm in the restaurant where children under 10 were not allowed. Apparently my parents enjoyed it so much that we returned to the same hotel just because of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah-Lacie Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 But that's the point isn't it? It's down to the parents to have the sense and grace not to allow their children to ruin everybody else's meal. I know that we can take my niece and nephew out for a meal in a restaurant and that they are happy to dress nicely, sit at the table and eat their meal in a way that doesn't impinge on other people's space or ears. If we didn't know that then we wouldn't make other people share the restaurant space with them. If babies cry in a restaurant then it's down to one of the parents to have the sense to take that baby away from the dining area until s/he is soothed and can return. This is just the same as if someone who was eating had to take a phone call- you take it outside and don't disturb other diners. If everybody understood and applied that rule then the issues wouldn't occur in the first place, would they? Precisely! My eldest, and even my baby, lovely and quiet. My middle one has a terrible temper, and doesn't like to do as shes told, won't sit still, and likes to kick off and scream at everything, after a few attempts at taking her out, I've had to stop, and she will have to be excluded from such things until she gets out of it... which is taking a while to say the least I can't trust her to eat without a tantrum at home, never mind anywhere else, she won't even go to bed and has to sleep on the sofa, I need Super nanny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Macbeth Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 It's almost impossible to find anywhere that isn't a "family restaurant". If anyone knows of one, apart from an Ember Inn, I'd be really glad to know. We went out twice last week, to restaurants not particularly designated "family friendly" and at a time we thought we might not have our evening ruined by badly behaved children. At Casanova's last Friday, the table behind my friends had 3 adults & 2 children. Both children, probably aged 4 and 6, climbed onto their chairs and leaned over my friend, shouted, got down from the table and tried to run around a crowded restaurant. This lasted until they finally left at 7.30. A couple then came in with a baby, which they sat in a high chair. It screamed and screamed until we gave up and left at 8 pm. This may be family friendly, but it sure as hell ruins everyone else's meal. At Ego, on a Saturday night, we arrived at our table at 8 pm. A small child on the other side of the restaurant yelled non-stop from the time we arrived until the parents finally took it away an hour later. I tell you what, if one of the parents in either restaurant had told me or my friends to go and eat pub grub so that their child could scream as loudly as it liked, they'd have had their dinners where the sun don't shine and the child's too. I went out for lunch on Sunday with my son, d-i-l and two grandchildren aged 5 & 3. We had a lovely time. The pub was full, and there were quite a few family groups like ours. We took comics and colouring books, and the children bothered no one. My grandchildren aren't perfect, but their parents take responsibility for them, and if they had misbehaved we'd have left before pudding. Parents do need to take responsibility, all it needs some times is for them to interact with their child and if that doesn't work remove them. Isn't there a saying 'hell is other people's children'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cressida Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I have been for meals in the evenings and noticed children behaving perfectly well - with their grandparents, and if the grandparents are babysitting how nice to enjoy a nice evening out which helps the grandkids get accustomed to the way to behave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 When the missus and i go out to dine we pointedly refuse to sit anywhere near a family with young kids. Of course if later on the waitress sits a family with kids near us there's nothing we can do. The best behaved kids seem to be Asian, (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese etc) but that's probably because they still believe in and adhere to, the family values that the rest of us have abandoned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anywebsite Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 No! They're great with a bit of HP sauce on, a few chips & an egg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missflirtuk Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Im constantly shocked at the behaviour of other peoples children. Why they can all behave as well and as respectful as my two ill never know. Oh, i do know, they have trailer trash parents who dont care for anything other than where the next benefit payment is coming from. Poor little sods have no chance. My daughter is far from an angel, she looks like one but she isn't one . Yes she misbehaves and no I'm not trailer trash or care where my next benefit payment is coming from. Wish I did I would be better off. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missflirtuk Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 My daughter is terrible, she is 3 and will tantrum for anything, and always has, from being tiny. She really knows how to get her own way by kicking off. Health visitor told me at 6 months its a sign of intelligence! She will scream for hours, and has serious temper problems, I'd never dream of taking her to a restaurant.This sounds like my daughter, if she wants it she will scream and scream, even when she doesn't get it. It drives me mad, but she is intelligent, she is wise beyond her years the little madam. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee01 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Think all children should be out of restaurants by 8pm under the age of fourteen. Especially if alcohol is served. Then everyone knows that if they want a quieter setting then eat slightly later. Kids in supermarkets is my biggest hate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I1L2T3 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Nowt wong with kids in restaurants. Nowt wrong with them making noise either. What is wrong is when they start to annoy other diners. There has to be a balance and it's up to the parents to maintain that. I think if the parents can't manage that they shouldn't take the kids out - our littlest one was terrible when he has about 3 and our solution was to can family meals out for a couple of years because it wasn't worth the stress for us and we knew his behaviour was unfairly stressing other people. Family meals out are a nice idea but they aren't cheap and there's no point having them if the kids cause you and other people a load of stress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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