Agreed. A fine restaurant doesn't just offer the food, they offer the experience of having a meal in nice surroundings and getting a certain service. Screaming kids ruin that experience, so I can understand why the owners would ban kids under a certain age to prevent that from happening.

A fast food joint, however... Well, they can't really offer the same thing. People usually get fast food because, as the words say, it is a fast meal to quickly still your hunger and get a move on. They aren't offering the nice surroundings or the service, so like others have said, screaming kids go with the territory and there's nothing you can do about it, really.

So, Zero... You just have to suck it up.

Parents should have more control over their children. But I would never be the guy to tell a parent that they can't bring their child out. Their life is probably stressful enough. And disadvantaged enough where they can't even afford a baby sitter or something.

Also, you know. There are plenty of restaurants, like IHOP, that give free meals to kids on certain days at certain times. It's nice to take your kid out.

Exactly! There are places made for families to be able to get a nice meal and where the kids can enjoy themselves. It would only make sense to go there.

Yeah, but a lot of fast food joints target children, too. I'm pretty sure McDonalds is the number one toy manufacturer in the United States.

As stated before, it really depends on the venue. If you're in a fast food place or even sit-down restaurants that implicitly or explicitly cater to kids like Chuck E. Cheese or Red Robin, you're going to get screaming kids. Grit your teeth and deal with it, because it's something you should have seen coming when you picked where you were eating.

Now, when you get to nicer restaurants, then yes. The parents should have more control of their children. Ideally, it should help to give the children something to keep them occupied, like games or coloring books. If they go nuts, then either the kid should be taken outside until he calms down, or the parents should just request their meal to go so as not to bother the other patrons. Depending on how you raise your child, simply taking your kid outside can work wonders; I acted up ONCE when I was six or so at a restaurant, and my mom took me outside. I learned my lesson and was on my best behavior from then on.

The problem you're going to run into, however, is that when children go batshit crazy, the parents aren't going to give a shit. At that point, your best bet is to ask for a manager and complain to him about the disturbance. Trust me, if you're annoyed enough where you need a manager, chances are you won't be the only ones around you annoyed too. The manager, at that point, has it in his best interests to deal with the situation as one unruly family is not worth pissing off several tables' worth of customers.

To cap off, though, a little bit of personal experience that shows how little some of these parents care: several months back, my fiancee and I were having dinner at the local Texas Roadhouse. Across the aisle from us, a large extended family had taken up two tables. My guess is that they were there for Mother's Day or something. The children were completely out of control, running down the aisles all the time, throwing stuff, and being extremely loud and obnoxious. We would have complained, but it was obvious from our server's expression that she already knew it was an issue and was trying to deal with it.

After they left, we talked to the server and found out just how little the family cared. Because there was more than 6-7 of them, the gratuity was automatically added. The mother bitched up a storm to the manager about it, and after they removed it to shut her up, they didn't tip at all. Not only that, they stole every single sweetener pack and the silverware from the tables... except for one fork.

We found that fork under our table as we were leaving.

Just my $.02....

So only fine diners and employess are entitled to sanity? Bit hoity toity arent we? Anyway the opening post clearly states I'm seeking employment elsewhere but it your snippyness you just glossed over that.

@Darkue: Just because someone gets knocked up doesn't make them a competent parent. Irresponsible douchebags can procreate too.

I'm sympathetic to parents/families that are trying to enjoy a night out but have a child that starts to act up. It's your responsibility as a parent though to get a handle on the situation once it happens.

For the record, I'm not a parent myself but work as an in-home therapist with young autistic and oppositional defiant children (ages 6). Those parents deserve to be able to take their kids out in public too. I can tell the majority of posters in this thread are not parents themselves.

DO you do it in Michigan?? I have a psych degree that is about as useful as tits on a bull so far.

No I have a MA but I worked with my BA in Psych at a residential group-home for troubled youth during my MA. Psych BA (like a lot of liberal arts BA's) can be difficult to find a job for. If you wanted to use your BA though you could look into local residential behavioral programs or perhaps a city funded after-school program. Both positions would pay more than min. wage and utilize your degree (which means you'd get paid for your degree).

Try searching on indeed.com for positions.

To the person who said cut Zero a break, I'm not being mean to Zero, I like Zero, I'm just being realistic.

Any fast food or restaurant that includes a kid's meal or "kids eat for half price" or anything like that, it should just be expected that kids will be there and yes sometimes being bothersome. People that bring their kids are fine paying customers, just like those who aren't with children and TBH, they pay more money at the establishments than anybody.

And people who don't have kids also don't understand that no matter how great of a parent you are, you cannot always keep your kid quiet and well behaved, kids do act out from time to time at less than ideal times.



I'd also like to add that there are extremely annoying people, talking loud and being irksome in restaurants that are adults, I see them often when I go to restuarants and they know better.


I expect to only have a quiet and peaceful meal is in the privacy of my home because when you go out in public, you're exposing yourself to the behaviors of society and those behaviors aren't always relaxing and even if you go to an all adult establisment, there's still annoying people talking loud.

Especially when they think that their conversations matter more than anyone else and that it's always a topic that shouldn't be shared in public?

About those who are bringing up the parents' issue. Yes, they are to blame too. People should always have to tell their kids that they are going out, they need to be on their best behavior. My parents never had to worry about me and my brother when we were younger, but they still told us ahead of time that we're going out, we need to behave. If we didn't, we would face the consequences when we get home. They never yelled at us in public, they would always take us somewhere else and holler at us if we were acting badly... Though that rarely happened.

But yet again, kids will always act up no matter where they go. If they have to for some odd reason, let them bring something so their attention just stays on that rather than having them go nuts. My parents allowed me to bring several pieces of paper and a pencil so I can draw, to keep my focus on that rather than not doing anything and listen to boring conversations when I was younger.

You just have to remember, kids will obey for a while until at some point they start growing bored... Unless your my 3 year old twin cousins then that's another issue. But, you have to discipline right, I'm not a parent, but just observing a heck of a lot of people who has kids under six, my family is very huge FYI, you just have to know how to deal with your kids. And if your kids are going to mess up, take them out of people's view and punish them without acting like an asshole towards them

Suck it up, Wilma.

Is it your time of the month Raven, youve been critising a bunch of people lately. Damn, it's just a rant thread I'm not literally advocating a law be made or anything. Just venting.

You made a thread in a discussion forum. People are discussing your little issue. If you need venting without the the feedback, get a cat. Or a plant. Plants are good.

Thank you X1000000000000

*sigh* Alright, I'll try and be nicer...
I hope you find a better job with no screaming kids. Suckage that you have an awesome degree and can't use it for anything. Glad Mojo could be of help.

... Was that better?

I agree with you 100%...
1000% in the case of a movie theater.

If you can't find a babysitter, leave your wailing kid at home.
They obviously aren't enjoying the experience,
and they make that feeling very contagious

I would say the same thing about airplanes,
but I know kids have to travel sometimes,
so I cut the parents some slack.

(I'm also always on a hefty dose of Xanax on flights,
so it probably bothers me less...)

Leave your kids at home. I don't care if it's at a restaurant, movie theater, or McDonalds' playhouse...I don't want to hear them scream.

@ Icebaby I will address your post a bit later, getting ready to sign off



You expect kids to be quiet at McDonald's playhouse? The place where they're supposed to be screaming and having fun? Because MD's playhouse has a big play place, it's partially like Chuckie Cheese's.


If you don't have kids, why would you be there anyway? No offense I just do not get it.

if those kids piss you off then shove a wii controller up their ass
object rape goes hard

jk
+1 if u got the reference

Then stay at home. ;)

...maybe because I want to play in the ball pit, or perhaps I am just kidding...about McDonalds Playhouse anyways.

I, personally, think they are delicious and more restaurants should serve them.