Quote:
Originally Posted by AlicetheYorkie  Just to touch on the "kid" topic with my 2 cents - I have 1 child any will only have one because parenthood has proven to be the hardest, most stressfull job in the WORLD and I know I'm not cut out to have more than one.
The only restaurants I've taken him too are "family friendly" ones such as Friendly's or Denny's or McDonalds or a pizza place BUT if you are in one of those type of restaurants, I really don't think it's fair at all to scrutinize someone's parenting. Yes, sometimes it's best to remove the child until the tantrum is over, it teaches them that if they behave inapropriatly, they don't get to enjoy the experience and will have to go to the car.
The only thing I want to touch on here is, please don't give ugly stares to parents of a kid who is loud if you are in a "family friendly" restaurant, I 100% guarantee that parent is stressed and embarassed and not enjoying their meal, but the only way to teach a child to behave in public is to take them out in public. Some people have different parenting styles and choose to ignore bad behavior. That's not what I do, but I don't think anyone should ever look down on the way someone chooses to parent, especially if you don't have kids and don't understand. Even the most well behaved child has bad days and even when they're not, they are just energetic and sometimes loud, they're kids, it's how they are. If you want a quiet dinner without any children just being children, go to a fancier restaurant. The only thing I really don't appreciate is when people take their kids to a restaurant and they're constantly coughing or have a runny nose or whatever. That I suppose, goes along with the dog thing too though. People have a right to eat in a clean environment. I get upset over someone with a cold eating in the same place I am way than I would a tiny dog in a carrier or a loud child.
I'll admit to not really being a "kid person" (my own drives me nuts most days  ) but I do respect the fact that kids will be kids and we were ALL kids once and it's just not possible for them to behave like adults.
If you snuck your dog into a restaurant and one of those mothers had a "well behaved" child in there who was highly allergic to dogs, would that turn the tables at all???? |
I agree with you, kids are just kids and we shouldn't expect them to act as adults
Let me rephrase that; Behave as well mannered adults. I don't have human kids of my own, but I have helped raised a couple and have babysat for my family since I was a kid myself----Come to think of it, maybe that was the reason I took birth control sooooooo very seriously, I must have been turned off to the mommy thing since very young (???)
It is the toughest job you'll ever have, the most unappreciated and for which, sadly or fortunately, you WILL be judged even after you're gone
I totally understand. Kids have THEIR OWN personality and some are very strong willed, even as infants. I do try to remember that parenting skills differ and no matter how obnoxious the kid is, I try to think about what's going on at home that he/she feels he/she needs to act out in public. Kids, and us humans, for that matter, are so complex. Some act out because you hug them too much, others because you didn't hug them enough
Whatever it is, I try not to get frustrated when they do something I don't agree with (like kicking the back of my seat on the plane, at the movies, etc.) because they are just kids and seeing their eyes water would tear me apart, especially if they get punished because of me. So I basically understand the parents and the kid. Well, generally
Some parents are at fault, unfortunately, they are failing at the most important task. Very few are doing it on purpose, I think, but most really do try to raise them well. I just wish them well
You would get no weird looks from me, on the contrary, I applaud your efforts---it's not easy.