[Jellyblush]

Hiya. Witnessed the following scene in a restaurant tonight and am interested in what the general parent consensus of it is (me not being one).

Restaurant is a Mexican. Not super fancy, but not a chain one either.

Patrons are some single people, some small family groups, some couples of all ages. One big table has two couples and four kids. They are all happy, and the kids are singing a song together (over and over and over lol). Parents smiling. Kids start singing louder and the word poo is in the song which must be exciting for them because they get even louder.

An older couple next to me gives the table some cranky looks and starts tutting. Waitress goes over and offers kids some colouring books.

Little girl at table starts making a noise like some sort of dying pterodactyl. Squealing. The table is getting lots of attention now. The parents are chatting together.

Girls keeps squealing, and a single guy in a business suit moves tables to further away from them.

The older couple get up too, and the woman goes over to the parents and says "do you realise people are leaving because of you?"

Parent says 'and?'. About 15 minutes later the parents and kids leave, and as they do the parent complains to the girl at the counter about 'being harassed by the people in here'.

What do you think? Were the parents out of line, or was the lady? Or the restaurant for not keeping everyone happy.

[3spunkymonkeys]

Yep parents out of line. I've got three boys & I wouldn't want to hear that behaviour from my kids while dining out, so certainly don't want to hear it from other peoples kids.

[casime]

Parents are twats.

Restaurant should have stepped in to ask them to stop disturbing everyone.

$100 says someone will come in and say "but she might have special needs".

[MissBB]

Does anyone wanna go to a restaurant and listen to kids singing loud and squealing? Personally I wouldn't care coz I have kids but I know most people wouldn't and I think they (the parents) shoulda told the kids to keep it down!

It disgusts me that the parents complained to the poor waitress who's done nothing wrong!!

[NSG]

What an unpleasant parent/adult. Some people have no manners do they? That would have driven me nuts!

[capper]

Parents are put of line. Children need to learn to sit and not disturb other diners in a restaurant. If they can't, take them to a more child friendly place. I would be annoyed if I had paid to go out for dinner and had children being noisy and not controlled.

[Mercurial]

No bet.

Way out of line. Kids chattings and even singing a little song is fine - screaching and carrying on is not. And everybody gets annoyed with the parents seem to do nothing about it.

And the parents are rude.

[Lil Chickens]

Parents are rude. DD and DS are expected to sit and eat their dinner as they are at home - without carrying on like the above.

If it was a 'family' restaurant I would tolerate a little more noise than usual but nowhere near what you allowed.

[Prickly]

Can I hazard a guess that it was your family ?

[bubmakes3]

I am not sure who is responsible but this is how Ibehave/react when eating out with DS (usually we do breakfast)
If DS (2y10m) is laughing and having fun but not being overly loud I do not worry. If DS is yelling/screetching like a dying cat for no apparent reason then hell yes he will be told to use his inside voice and calm down. If DS was singing kids songs, christmas carols, the alphabet at normal volume (a common thing at the moment) he would not be told to be quiet. If he started singing inappropriate for the time and place songs (poo songs in a restaurant being one of those) then yes he would be asked to be quiet and encouraged to engage in a quiet activity.

While I am there to enjoy a nice meal out with my family - all of the other patrons are trying to do the same and are entitled to do so - I am mindful of this whenever we are out in a public place with DS.