Kids in coffee shops - yay or nay

As a non childless person I agree.

Different public places have different appropriate behaviours and kids learn these behaviours by being brought places and facing consequences if they don’t. With smaller kids sometimes they can be unpredictable and just need to leave when they act up

In a public place it’s the parents that completely ignore their kids or laugh and their misbehaving that annoy me and tbh those parents are the problem not the kids themselves.

If mine get to the level that I know they are bothering other people then I will leave.

Nothing worse than parents who sit there and let their kids get noisy and annoy other people.

Simple rule of life is, if other people are bothered by yours or your kids behaviour, then generally you are the the problem if you do not notice and do something about it.

Em I don't know, as a parent if little Johnny can't find his poo poo (looses his shít) either me or my wife have it hit the road with him, it's just common cutesy. The lies of Starbucks say they are selling you an experience rather than an over priced coffee*, a screaming anyone doesn't fit in with this, however that's on Starbucks to refund me. Having said that I accept when i go somewhere there will be other people who may not act in a manner that doesn't disturb me, that's life.

*Can't remember where I read that, they don't actually say that, I think it was someone commenting on their business model.

I don't agree with kids being allowed everywhere, but I don't like them so I'm biased. There was a point where I was actively strongly against the idea, but I've grown up a bit and realised that people won't change, so I changed and I generally avoid areas where kids will be present. But, I still 100% agree that there should be no kids at evening meals, ie: apres 8pm. But I also hate the loud drunks, the gaggle of hens and all the other people who just don't know how to behave in a quiet manner when out for a meal (not in a bar/restaurant, an actual restaurant). But I hate kids the most in those situations.

Someone on page one said if you don't like the sound of a child then you must be a prick. Well sign me up, I'll be Supreme Commander Prick if you want, I hate most noises that come from a child, including laughter. High pitched wailing, even the happy type, just goes through me. The constant questioning does my head in. The audible reactions to simple stuff... I just can't. And then people thinking that their lovely little angle deciding to spread the meal everywhere but in their mouth is the cutest thing... it's fecking disgusting, clean your child and area ffs! Worse are those who share those lovely images (or the accident ones, ie: child and a puddle of puke/shyte) on social media... ugh!

Oh, and someone else mentioned it, the kid may be quiet, but I don't want to hear what's currently happening in the land of Dora the fecking Explora, or the repetative sound of something happening in whatever free game you found on the cheap tablet you use to distract your kids from you. Give them headphones!!!

So yeah, I avoid most things in general. People suck.

You are perplexed by the old people being annoyed at your child, thinking they should not make audible complaints because 'kids make noise.'

Well, old people complain. Especially about noise. That's what they do. It's the circle of life, man.

But, as has been established, no corporate coffeehouse is gonna bar you for having a noisy child. So I'm baffled as to why you didn't just carry on with your (supposedly) only mildly noisy time and pay no heed to them. Confronting the man and leaving in a huff was both unnecessary and silly.

You need to accept the possibility that your child is much more annoying sounding to others than it is to you. I know this has to be the case with parents because if their kids annoyed them as much as they annoy me I don't imagine so many kids would live to become adults.

But if I'm in a coffee shop and a kid is being annoying I still comfort myself with the thought that I don't have to live with a gremlin like that full time

this pretentious place doesn't allow them...

Check out their prices, up themselves to the n'th.

I'll admit that the place is pretentious and I dislike coffee so it would be wasted on me, but I do enjoy the idea of kid free places in general. Look, we understand you need to bring them out in public to get used to it, that's grand, we don't have much of an issue with that. But you see what happens when someone makes a business a child free zone? They're outed, and people give out stink. It's like when the vegan cult came to Ireland and suddenly every place HAD to do vegan friendly food. If a place doesn't want kids, and you have them and want to bring them, then go somewhere else. It's more entitlement culture, when a business shouldn't have to cater to absolutely everyone. Parents are asking us kid-free people to be understanding, but won't let it work the other way around...

If anyone ever opens a cafe or restaurant near me that is child free, as long as it's not pretentious, upper market or just nonsensically expensive, it would be my first port of call. When I had notions years ago of opening a restaurant, it was 100% going to be child free. Having to clean up a table after some parents and their children who seemed to have painted every surface with whatever food they were supposed to eat, to the ones who seem to think the floor is the best place for the food, more hassle than it was worth imo!

And your kids are bored out of their skulls sitting around in adult cafés!

That's why family restaurants exist.

Out yesterday for a bite to eat, it was busy outside the cafe bar where there were around 18 tables and 3 waiting staff. The people beside us had a dog who was happy lying at their feet only moving occasionally to drink from its bowl. The table opposite had a little hyper lad about 6 who was constantly back and forth to pet the dog who was patient and relaxed and the kid back to tell his parents and their mates and back and forth again every minute... I’d guess there may have been a bit of an issue he literally never stopped and perhaps ADHD might have contributed I dunno but there seemed something wrong...

the dog was at the table beside the entrance so the kid kept getting in the way of the servers... who were trying to carry huge trays of food with multiple dishes on their shoulders, the parents looking over seeing a couple of near misses but actually laughing, thinking ohh how cute...that their kid may have hurt himself, hurt the server or another member of the clientele with plates of food falling on them.. the server was actually by the end, muttering under his breath ‘ for fûck sake, Jesus, ‘ giving the parents daggers and looking quite perplexed as even we were for a time watching...

if your kids behave, bring them, if they sometimes misbehave, manage them, PARENT them....if they are a nightmare for staff and customers of any establishment, and won’t behave or you can’t be arsed enabling their good behavior simply don’t take them... until they are of the ability to behave..or you are of the ability and want, to, you know, parent.

We were beside the door where the servers were bringing the food from and as I said then, if a tray or it’s contents comes down on top of us, I’m going over, asking the father to identify himself and by way of a parental wake up call, launching my fist into his cerebellum, I know it’s 2021 and desperately unfashionable for parents to... parent, but fûcking get a grip.

Restaurant, coffee shop, if they can behave and you will enable that grand, if no in either scenario, keep them and you away and let people enjoy their coffee / food.

Agree with you to a point -

But kids are not built to sit down and be quiet. If thats what you are expecting, then you have unrealistic and unfair expectations.

You're high up on the grumpy shite list all the same.