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75 replies. On page 1 of 4 pages. 1 2 3 4
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Legal / Conditions of Use
Subject: Children in Restaurants
Posted by: Cymruambyth
Date: Jul 13 11
A restaurant in Pennsylvania has banned children under the age of six as guests. As one who has often had a quiet meal with friends interrupted by toddlers running around and screaming babies making their displeasure known, I'm in favour of more restaurants enacting a similar ban. I'd set the bar at higher than six - say, 10 or 12.
There are more than enough kid-friendly restaurants around (admittedly not of the white tablecloth variety) catering to small humans who have no manners, and that's where parents should take their children until they have reached the age at which they can dine out without disturbing everyone else in the restaurant.
What are your views?
Posted by: Cymruambyth
Date: Jul 13 11
A restaurant in Pennsylvania has banned children under the age of six as guests. As one who has often had a quiet meal with friends interrupted by toddlers running around and screaming babies making their displeasure known, I'm in favour of more restaurants enacting a similar ban. I'd set the bar at higher than six - say, 10 or 12.
There are more than enough kid-friendly restaurants around (admittedly not of the white tablecloth variety) catering to small humans who have no manners, and that's where parents should take their children until they have reached the age at which they can dine out without disturbing everyone else in the restaurant.
What are your views?
75 replies. On page 1 of 4 pages. 1 2 3 4
callie_ross
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I totally agree with you, Cymruambyth! It sounds like a great idea to me. Not everyone likes little kids, especially unruly, screaming brats who run all over the place while their parents do nothing to stop them! I very rarely go out to dinner but when I do, I want peace & quiet! I certainly don't want to put up with somebody's kids. "Children should be seen & not heard" when it comes to dining in restaurants & going into movie theaters, in my opinion! Reply #1. Jul 13 11, 3:40 PM |
supersal1 
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Mixed Cym. In very posh places, I'm all in favour of it. However, if they only ever go to child friendly restaurants, especially ones with play areas, how on earth will they learn how to behave in a 'proper' establishment? I used to take my two to a mix of places. Nothing very posh, I couldn't bear to pay a small fortune for a meal to have them turn their noses up. However, taking them to places like a Berni Inn or small Italian restaurants helped them to learn that sometimes they had to wait quietly at the table rather than running all over the place. Come to that, I never let them run all over the place in a 'child friendly' place - there's still people walking around with hot drinks. Also, when they were very little I tried to exercise a little common sense. No late evening outings where they would be tired and whinging 'cos they were up past their bedtime. If they were getting restless after they'd finished eating, I'd always take them outside if possible while we waited for the rest of the party to finish, you can't expect too much from little ones. Reply #2. Jul 13 11, 3:43 PM |
honeybee4
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I am with you Cym. Children under 6 are not well behaved enough nowadays to go to a restaurant that is clearly advertised as serving cocktails and fine casual dining. The customers go there for those reasons, not to listen to a bunch of fussy children who would much prefer to be somewhere else. Reply #3. Jul 13 11, 3:44 PM |
rayven80
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I think parents should practice manners at home, then at kid friendly places before taking young children into more posh restaurants. A 7-year old can be well mannered, but why sit through the hundreds that aren't for the sake of one who will be? Reply #4. Jul 13 11, 4:58 PM |
HannahConner88
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Innocent until proven guilty, right? I think children of all ages should be aloud in any restaurant. There should be rules so that IF there is unruly behavior, the staff can tell the diners they have to leave. My reasoning: I have a four year old niece who sits still at the table. She even eats spaghetti like an adult. And with the whole theatre thing; my four years old cousin loves going to the "big movies", and he sits quiet and still for the whole show. Reply #5. Jul 13 11, 5:27 PM |
Cymruambyth
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Supersal, I agree with Rayven. The place for children to learn table manners and appropriate behaviour is at home! When our children were under six, we didn't take them to restaurants. As they got older, and had learned how to behave themselves in public we took them to a great family restaurant in our city called The Old Spaghetti Factory. Our sons loved the place, especially if we were able to sit in the old streetcar that was part of the decor. (Last year, my younger son, on a visit home, hosted a dinner for the family and near and dear friends who count as family, and he booked the Old Spaghetti Factory because he had such fond memories of the place!) By the time they were in their early teens, we could take them to white tablecloth restaurants, secure in the knowledge that they would behave appropriately. In out present day child-centric society, too many children run roughshod over their parents, and I,for one, am tired of watching (and listening to) young parents who allow their children to behave badly in public places! Reply #6. Jul 13 11, 5:34 PM |
trojan11
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I have distant memories of being home from school, and being taken to a restaurant or two. I quite simply would not have dared to so much as open my mouth unless spoken to by an adult. To even so much as touch the wrong utensil meant, at worst, a thrashing, at the very least a quite horrible put down. Seen and not heard was the way. A great pity that it has not remained so. If I ever want to listen to the awful cackle of annoying children, I shall simply throw stink bombs into an old folks home. Reply #7. Jul 13 11, 7:20 PM |
| HannahConner88
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trojan11 Sounds like your childhood was full of nothing but fear. I feel sorry for any child who cannot be a child. I get there is a time and place for everything, and I hope at some point in your young life your knew the joy of being a child. Reply #8. Jul 13 11, 9:13 PM |
| callie_ross
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Well, HannahConnor, your cousin is an exception because just about everytime I have seen little kids in a movie theater, they are being annoying & bratty. I've even seen people take INFANTS to a movie! How can an infant even watch a movie? Same thing for a restaurant. It's not like an infant will be eating the food there! The baby ends up screaming & disrupting everyone's meal or movie watching so it's pointless & rude to even take them to either place. Who wants to pay good money to see a movie or eat a meal & be subjected to a squalling baby? Not me & this is one reason I very rarely even go to a theater or restaurant. If you can't get a babysitter to watch your kids, then you don't go, it's as simple as that. I never took either of my kids to a movie theater or restaurant when they were really little because I knew they wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to watch the movie or eat quietly & they would be annoying the other patrons so I just didn't go. If only everyone else had that same common courtesy & decency... Reply #9. Jul 14 11, 12:52 AM |
| callie_ross
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By the way, HannahConnor, Trojan was being his usual sarcastic self when he wrote that comment & he was taking a nasty dig at me because I mentioned "Children should be seen & not heard" in my previous comment. He's always doing that crap so just ignore him! I certainly try to! LOL! Reply #10. Jul 14 11, 12:55 AM |
MotherGoose
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I'm going to go against the flow here but it just seems wrong to ban children because SOME children don't know how to behave in restaurants and theatres. I do agree that other diners should not have to put up with other people's unruly children, but if the children are well-behaved, why shouldn't they enjoy a nice family outing with their parents? I took my daughter to restaurants, starting from when she was a tiny baby. She was always well-behaved and, in fact, it was quite common for other diners to pass by our table on their way out and compliment her on her nice manners or good behaviour. Of course, if she had been a difficult child, I would not have taken her to such places and inflicted her on other people. However, how else are children going to learn appropriate behaviour if they never get exposed to those social situations? I do have a problem with parents whose children misbehave and create a disturbance, if the parents totally ignore them and make no effort to deal with the situation. Reply #11. Jul 14 11, 4:43 AM |
s-m-w
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This was discussed just over a year ago, am sure that not many people would have changed their minds on the subject (it does happen though) but, it’s interesting to read new input on the topic and save those who have commented repeating themselves. http://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=24782&boardid=22&start=0 No change here one year on, apart from having slightly less patience and still feeling that it is the parents of unruly children who desperately need training. Reply #12. Jul 14 11, 6:21 AM |
Saints2668
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Let the free market decide! If it is something that is in demand it will do well! There are so many parents who either have no parenting skills or simply do not care how disruptive their children are that I think it's a good thing that people have a choice! Reply #13. Jul 14 11, 8:28 AM |
REDVIKING57
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Of course,Saints is absolutely correct. But I have one proviso: Any restaurant,or any other business,that decides to do this,should be compelled to make it very clear in all their publicity. With a big sign at the entrance,and a clear notice in all advertising. If you ring or email to make a reservation,this policy should be pointed out. Personally,I have no wish to patronise any commercial enterprise, that discriminates against any section of society. Particularly children. How else are they to learn? Hands up anyone that wasn't one once! Reply #14. Jul 14 11, 11:40 AM |
turbotude
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I say kudos to the Pennsylvania restaurant for the 'children-under-six' ban. Years ago when I had to utilize air travel frequently for business purposes, I would gladly have paid a premium for a flight with no young children aboard. It's difficult to get a few winks, read a novel, or just relax when there's a brat kicking the back of my seat and whining. I realize it's not the fault of the child, and I really wanted to strangle the parent(s) instead! Reply #15. Jul 14 11, 11:56 AM |
| s-m-w
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Would like to ban children under 26, but that’s just me getting grumpier in my old age...lol Reply #16. Jul 14 11, 12:29 PM |
| trojan11
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Re: reply #10 Callie_Ross, I hadn't even read your post. Your paranoia is mind blowingly self indulgent. I have no intention of refraining from posting simply because you, for some reason, insist upon being insulted by anything that I might say. Nor do I intend sending any future posts to you for editing just in case you're on a 'troll'. I posted part of my life experience, which you, for no reason and without knowing the first thing about me, and on a public forum, chose to refer to as 'crap'. Sweet! I would point out that neither I nor, as far as I know, the rest of the world are out to get you Callie_Ross. Reply #17. Jul 14 11, 12:36 PM |
lesley153
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I've just spotted trojan's post 7. He and I are of similar age. Anyone who thinks he's exaggerating is almost certainly disarmingly young! Reply #18. Jul 14 11, 1:03 PM |
| lesley153
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And MotherGoose's post 11. Agree! We had similar experiences, with our little treasure in motorway service cafes, pubs and restaurants, and strangers smiling at him. Reply #19. Jul 14 11, 1:06 PM |
bloodandsand
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I appreciate both view points. Young children in restaurants can be incredibly annoying but they do need to undergo a "socialisation" process where they can learn what to do and what not to do in particular places etc. However, I feel this should take place during the day or early evening and not after 7 or 8 o'clock when they should be tucked up in bed. Reply #20. Jul 14 11, 1:06 PM |
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