EATING OUT WITH KIDS
We went out to eat tonight. Our little family tucked into a comfy booth at a local Mexican place that we frequent because the food is fresh and the service is fast. It's our fall-back restaurant when nothing in our fridge or pantry looks even remotely interesting, or when we're all so exhausted that lifting a pan would require more effort that we have left to give.
We were having a lovely dinner. Yummy tacos. Iced tea. A quesadilla for the little guy. All was right with the world. And then. Then. They started.
We went out to eat tonight. Our little family tucked into a comfy booth at a local Mexican place that we frequent because the food is fresh and the service is fast. It's our fall-back restaurant when nothing in our fridge or pantry looks even remotely interesting, or when we're all so exhausted that lifting a pan would require more effort that we have left to give.We were having a lovely dinner. Yummy tacos. Iced tea. A quesadilla for the little guy. All was right with the world. And then. Then. They started.
The kids in th
e booth across the way--maybe 4 and 6 years old (dining under the watchful eyes of both mom and dad) proceeded to leap up from their seats and twirl about the isles between the tables, shrieking, howling, and knocking into each other. Their parents did nothing. The tumbled past our table, pushing each other, laughing loudly, and squealing. They nearly collided with the people going to the salsa bar.
e booth across the way--maybe 4 and 6 years old (dining under the watchful eyes of both mom and dad) proceeded to leap up from their seats and twirl about the isles between the tables, shrieking, howling, and knocking into each other. Their parents did nothing. The tumbled past our table, pushing each other, laughing loudly, and squealing. They nearly collided with the people going to the salsa bar.Still the parents did nothing. Not even when we turned to give the horrid "look" people are quick to fire off at parents whose kids are being unruly or loud or otherwise disturbing the peace.
Don't get me wrong, Bean has been the recipient of this look on occasion. I understand that parents cannot always predict or control the way their small children behave. This is particularly true for the two and under set. I totally get that a parent cannot ever accurately identify the meltdown point ,in advance of the meltdown; cannot know when said child will suddenly take an irrational dislike to the food placed in front of him or her (regardless of the fact that they have eaten it regularly and with relish in the past.) I know that babies scream for no reason (though I remember there was a time before having a baby, when this mystified me. "Why don't they DO something?" I'd whisper through clenched teeth to my husband.) BUT.
Restaurants are for enjoying food and ambiance. They are not parks or playgrounds or hot-dog stands or open-air markets. They are indoor spaces, where people are sitting at close range to one another. And they are not places for roughhousing or shrieking during a giddy game of trip-the-waiter.
Restaurants are for enjoying food and ambiance. They are not parks or playgrounds or hot-dog stands or open-air markets. They are indoor spaces, where people are sitting at close range to one another. And they are not places for roughhousing or shrieking during a giddy game of trip-the-waiter.
Some people might argue that different behavior can be expected at different restaur
ants. A fast-paced self-serve Mexican joint might be considered more of a free-for-all than say, a nice Italian restaurant with linens and glassware. I beg to differ.
ants. A fast-paced self-serve Mexican joint might be considered more of a free-for-all than say, a nice Italian restaurant with linens and glassware. I beg to differ.All restaurants are places where people go to enjoy food. They are public places where should be the norm. Without exception. Basic courtesy towards other diners should be given by everyone--adults and kids alike. A two year old is old is capable of remaining seated and keeping his or her volume to a minimum. Older children, even more so.
OR AM I MISSING SOMETHING
I'm not a big fast-food goer, but if I were, I'd expect Bean to follow the same rules at McDonald's, as at the nice Italian place we went to over the weekend (where he ate pumpkin ravioli and quietly occupied himself with pushing a small tractor about the table.) My expectations aren't outrageous: Use an indoor voice. Stay in your chair. That's all. 
