Search
Not Logged In
0
Your Username:
Your Password:

[ sign up | recover ]

Discussion Forums » General Discussion
No-Kids-Allowed Movement Gains Steam
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 03:01
.Amber.
Post Count: 260
So - because I have children, I can't go to that restaurant - or use that airline?

No way.

I don't think so. It's certainly not MY fault (nor my children's) that other people's kids can't behave as well as mine.

My children NEVER raise their voices/cry/run around in restaurants. Ever.
I did trial and error with a movie theatre. When my daughter turned 3, I took her to see a movie on a Sunday evening so that there were very few people there....to see how well she did. She did VERY well, save for having to go to the bathroom a couple of times (newly potty trained) so with my youngest I'll wait until she's four. But she was not disruptive - she was quiet - she didn't get up and run around or distract other people from their viewing.

I hardly think it's fair to tell my daughter that she (and I, when my entire family wants to sit down to a nice dinner) can't enjoy a certain restaurant or movie theatre. The parents need to step up and decide when their children do not behave appropriately enough for a restaurant...and if they can't - then business owners need to grow balls and ask them to leave if they can't tame their child.

Definitely not my loss to not have them there - but it is my loss to try and tell me that my well behaved children don't deserve to be there either.

I call bullshit. A big pile of it.
~Shrugs.~
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 03:45
Chris
Post Count: 1938
.Amber.: It's a lot harder to deal with this on a case-by-case basis than just to flat out ban kids from the restaurant. That being said, everybody thinks their kids are special little behaved snowflakes. The restaurant owner doesn't know anything about your kids, and it's clearly past the point where he just takes parents' words for it.

If you want to have a nice dinner with your entire family, I'm positive there are plenty of other places to choose from.
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 15:34
Avonlea@ITW
Post Count: 53
"That being said, everybody thinks their kids are special little behaved snowflakes."
I'm sure some do, but most of us with well-behaved children have well-behaved children because we know they aren't perfect, so we spend the time doing what needs to be done.
1) Interact with your child when he's awake.
2) Train for immediate obedience every day at home.
3) Be proactive, rather than reactive.
When you spend 12 hours (or however many hours a day your child is awake) a day, every day interacting with your child, you learn pretty quickly how that child thinks. It's pretty easy then, to stop poor behavior before it even starts. For example in a restaurant, you see your toddler notice the clinking sound the ice makes in the glass when you poor the water. Then you see him look at his fork. Then back at the glass. You know exactly what the plan is, so before he even has a chance to grab the fork and start his "music", you gently lay a hand on his to get his attention, and when he makes eye contact, you quietly shake your head, "no." Problem averted. Occasionally, a child will test his limits and make a grab for the fork anyway. That's when discipline comes into play. Again, you stop him before he has a chance, and take him immediately out for a little chat.
So, no. It's not that we think our children are perfect. We know they're not, and we take responsibility for them. It's not that complicated.
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 17:43
Chris
Post Count: 1938
Avonlea: This is great and all, and your kid could possibly be awesome, but the fact of the matter is, a lot of them aren't. Enough of them are bad enough to warrant a decision to ban children from his restaurant.

Bars also ban children. Is that also unfair?
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 19:55
Avonlea@ITW
Post Count: 53
Anonymous Source: I know a lot of them aren't, and it drives me crazy. I hate paying good money for a nice meal with my family and having to deal with parents letting their kids act like little monsters. monsters. I do agree that something has to be done. What bothers me about this conversation is people acting like that's just the way kids are, or that some kids are just naturally good but there's nothing that can be done with the others, and that's just wrong. That's the point I was trying to make.
"Bars also ban children. Is that also unfair?"
What a bizarre question. Of course not.

Maybe I should clarify my position. I absolutely support the rights of business owners to decide who to serve and not to serve. I understand that something needs to be done, because bratty behavior is becoming extremely common and even accepted or looked at as "cute". And I even applaud that some restaurant owners are taking a stand. I am saddened, though, that it has to be an outright ban on all children, because it isn't fair to those parents who have taught their children to behave and who are willing to watch them. Just because I said it wasn't fair, doesn't mean I don't support it. I just wish something else could be done. I'd love to be able to go to a restaurant where I'd know there would be no kids wandering around touching my table or whining for their food. Unfortunately, my son would appreciate that, too.
There are no easy answers; these business owners are in a tough spot. I don't envy them.
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 01:20
kein mitleid
Post Count: 592
It's pretty reasonable, actually. For the most part, based on anecdotal evidence from friends/family in the food service industry, people with children actually tip the worst, and tend to be the worst customers. They leave the booth/table in a significantly worse condition, tend to use the "kids eat free" or "kids' menu" deals, and aren't ideal "customers" for business owners.

Adults that come into restaurants with no children tend to 1) stay shorter 2) order more expensive food items and 3) order alcoholic beverages.

Again, this is all anecdotal evidence, but from a business standpoint, the "annoyance" fact notwithstanding, it makes excellent practice. Again, these are from the relatively mid-range restaurants (average entree $12+). The ban is really going to the upper-range restaurants, where if I'm going to pay ~$80-100 per person for dinner, it'd better not involve screaming banshees touching my table, food, or person. I'd definitely walk out on that one.
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 05:41
Beautiful Lies
Post Count: 402
@Amber: Um no, you're not being denied using a particular airline or going to a particular restaurant because you HAVE children. You just can't bring your children with you. It's not like you're being banned from McDonalds or Applebees. If you're at a restaurant where you're paying $200 for a meal, you DON'T need to bring your Demon Spawn with you. No matter HOW "well-behaved" they are.

I love how people get their panties in a twist all the time... talking about how they shouldn't have to tell their precious little crotch-fruit they aren't good enough to be at [insert place here]. That's not what it's about. I'll tell your kids why they can't go to dinner with you myself (since I'm so good with kids). "Well Suzy you can't go to dinner at the Melting Pot with Mom and Dad for the same reason why you can't drive a car or get a job yet: YOU'RE NOT OLD ENOUGH." Take your kids to Taco Bell for Christ's sake. Or better yet, get a babysitter. When I was younger my sister and I NEVER went out to eat with our parents, we had a sitter. To be honest with you my sister and I (and I'm sure most kids are like this) would much rather have McDonald's than sit at Red Lobster with our parents. Which is why when we got a babysitter it was awesome. Because we got fast food (this didn't happen often, so it was like a treat for us and a treat for our parents).
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 18:08
xoxo♥
Post Count: 160
Yes Meesa!!!! Love this!!!! When I was little though and I acted up in a resturaunt my parents hauled me off to the bathroom and busted my ass. They then proceeded to get the check and leave. I wasn't allowed to go to places if I acted up. You can bet all of us kids changed our attitudes fast. We were taught that children should be seen and not heard. No one wants to be around screaming ass brats so why should everyone else suffer just because you the parent does? One word. BIRTH CONTROL. USE IT! lol
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 00:47
.Amber.
Post Count: 260
I'm glad that my children, and anyone else's children, aren't good enough to sit down to a nice meal because you say they aren't. They are damn well old enough. They're old enough to eat wherever the hell I choose to take them. I'm sorry, I'm not going to bow down and take my kid to McDonald's or Taco Bell and feed them shit food just because you or any others think they aren't old enough to be there. It's ridiculous.

It's a parent's job to take their children out of a situation if they get out of hand.
But alternately, if my children behaved like that and I *knew* that they did ... I just wouldn't take them out to eat with me to begin with.

And I'm sorry, but you're just fucking rude. Demon spawn? Crotch fruit? Get the fuck over yourself, jesus.
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 00:55
derdoppelganger
Post Count: 26
Don't forget Chuck E. Cheese, Amber...
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 01:33
kein mitleid
Post Count: 592
@Amber:

Awww, sounds like someone needs a little nappy...
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 18:54
Chris
Post Count: 1938
.Amber.: If you are as great as a parent as you say you are, then great, but you are one of the exceptions out of a vast majority. It's not your right to take your kid to places where they're not allowed. It's as simple as that. There's nothing you can do about the situation except to find somewhere else to eat, that would accept your children into their restaurant.
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 19:47
Beautiful Lies
Post Count: 402
Not trying to press the issue anymore because I really don't care... but why is McDonald's or Taco Bell "shit food?" That would imply that you mean sit-down restaurant food isn't "shit food." When in reality a lot of restaurant food is just as bad, if not worse than the "shit food" you get at McD's or Taco Bell. Unless you consider a 900 calorie burger from a sit down restaurant like Ruby Tuesday "good food."

And, about the crotch fruit reference. Chill out. It's funny. Everyone of us is crotch fruit if you think about it!
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 20:06
Madeline Rain
Post Count: 151
McDonald's and Taco Bell are shit food, for the most part. And Ruby Tuesday is still a family restaurant, in my opinion.
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 20:36
Beautiful Lies
Post Count: 402
So a 900 calorie meal from Taco Bell for $6 is shit food and a 900 calorie meal from a family restaurant like Ruby Tuesday for $15 is not? I'm not following. Is the presentation of a meal what determines whether it's good or bad? I'm just pointing out that most 'fancy' food from sit down restaurants are just as bad if not worse for you than fast food.
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 20:48
Madeline Rain
Post Count: 151
I don't know what is so hard to follow. The quality of the food is not determined by the amount of calories in it. A simple internet search will let you know that the ingredients in taco bell's "beef" include Maltodextrin, Soybean Oil (Anti-dusting Agent), Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Silicon Dioxide, and Sodium Phosphates. In contrast, a ruby tuesday burger contains USDA beef, applewood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese. Hardly anything overprocessed and what I would call shit food.

Of course, if you go to Ruby Tuesday's every day and eat a burger, you might have a little bit of artery clogging headed in your direction, but that's not RT's fault, but your own for making what's supposed to be a treat into a regular occurrence. Everything in moderation, people!
0 likes [|reply]
1 Aug 2011, 21:35
Chris
Post Count: 1938
@BL: While I agree with you, MR's got a point. Fast food restaurants generally fill their food up with a lot of bullshit that's terrible for you, regardless of the calorie count. That being said, so do a lot of chain sit down restaurants. So now that we're past that, you're right, there really isn't too big of a difference!
0 likes [|reply]
20 Aug 2011, 06:23
Moonlight Shadows
Post Count: 90
I am proud to be a crotch fruit, thank you very much!!
I've learned that some parents really can't take jokes. It's sad.. I just want to ask them, do you remember your life before children? 'Member how things were funny?
0 likes [|reply]
20 Aug 2011, 06:11
Moonlight Shadows
Post Count: 90
LMAO... crotch fruit. LOL
0 likes [|reply]
28 Jul 2011, 22:10
HorrorVixen XO
Post Count: 869
I understand where the article is coming from.. And I agree with the comments about blaming the adults & not the children. When my kids act up, they get in trouble. When my husband & I go to an expensive place to eat, we NEVER take our kids. When we go to the movies, the only way the kids come is if its a KID movie. I'm not gonna take my kids to a movie(ex: harry potter) if they're not gonna sit for it, why ruin it for everyone & myself!?!
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 00:56
Jessica
Post Count: 283
@fearless: we need more considerate parents like you! :)
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 02:15
HorrorVixen XO
Post Count: 869
Jellz: Its the truth. If we don't have a sitter for those nice places/movies, we don't go!
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 04:55
*Forever Changing*
Post Count: 847
Can we PLEASE get this ban to extend to some stores as well....I would gladly pay for a babysitter so your brat doesnt hit me in the face with a toy she chucks across the store because you wont give her a coke....or so I dont have to trip over the 30 damn kids running all over without supervision.

I am a parent with respectful and wonderful children who know if they act up, they will leave and not come back, period, but just because MY kids are good doesnt mean everyone's are. Frankly it gets old fast and I support this movement for MY sanity, and everyone else's. Your kid is cute, thats great, but its NOT cute when she is screaming about her damn juice in the middle of a movie.
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 05:48
HorrorVixen XO
Post Count: 869
Amen!!

I was sooo embarassed by my lil cousin 1 time.. He chucked his toy & it landed in someone's salsa a few tables down.
0 likes [|reply]
29 Jul 2011, 05:48
HorrorVixen XO
Post Count: 869
The Amen was to Mindi
Post Reply
This thread is locked, unable to reply
Online Friends
Offline Friends