MadDog76 wrote: » Dogs bark, babies cry, ducks quack, taxi drivers moan etc. ......... if you want to enjoy your meal in a peaceful controlled environment then stay at home where you get to make the rules.
Deleted User wrote: » What are the rules? I want to see them written down. I haven't seen them. And I certainly didn't know that one of them was that you have to tolerate it when a parent makes his child scream in a restaurant. It makes me kinda think that your point may be patent nonsense. But if it's a rule, then I certainly will consider it.
Whispered wrote: » We had lunch out with our 16 month old today. I smiled a bit thinking about this thread when a woman sitting at an opposite table started a game of peekaboo with him behind her menu. He was giving proper little belly laughs at her and she came up to say hi before she left. They made each other smile
Wompa1 wrote: » The rules are usually set by the establishment in question. Do they allow children? Do they allow dogs? etc. etc. If they do allow them and you don't want to risk a dog barking or a child screeching, find somewhere else. No big deal.
Beatrice Inexpensive Staple wrote: » Little belly laughs and high pitched screeching are two very different sounds. I will often smile and chat a bit to a baby in a restaurant who's obviously dying to engage. I will also sigh to myself when a child is screaming and parents are doing nothing about it. This attitude that some people love children and some people can't stand them and there's no middle ground is very annoying and seems to be used by some parents as an excuse to dismiss any complaints.
Keane2baMused wrote: » Comparing a dog to a baby? Also what expense exactly? If it offends your ears so much you don't have to be there. I've had the misfortune of listening to obnoxious idiots sh1te on in restaurants or laugh like morons but I don't go complaining to management.
Whispered wrote: » Actually my point was, the fact a stranger initiated a game of peekaboo in a restaurant was ironic considering I had been in the middle of reading this thread before going out, and made me smile. But hey, don't let that stop you putting words in my mouth and calling then them annoying. :rolleyes:
Beatrice Inexpensive Staple wrote: » Sorry shouldn't have directed that remark at you. It was really a comment on other posts on here. Apologies.
screamer wrote: » Yes so long as you can find the volume switch on my baby same as your iPad.. ... Seriously the last few posts just prove what I said the attitude towards babies children and families in restaurants in Ireland stinks.
screamer wrote: » Exactly so evict the family with a happy baby evict the family with a crying baby...... so others can have a peaceful meal and the family can go hungry..... nice people really nice.
HensVassal wrote: You sound very self entitled. You want others to go elsewhere if they don't want to hear a screaming baby. Why don't YOU go elsewhere with the screaming baby (like home)? The majority must be inconvenienced because the minority (you) think it's your right?
One eyed Jack wrote: » In fairness, even I understood your point wasn't directed directly at Whispered, but it was meant to point out the difference between a low volume belly laugh and high volume ear piercing screeching, for ten minutes! They're not the bloody same thing. Being irritated by screeching doesn't mean anyone hates babies. They just hate the noise, and I can't say I blame them. I hate it too! If I'm expecting a comfortable ambience in a restaurant, I don't expect that to be disturbed by adults who can't control themselves long enough to understand that they're not at home now.
Whispered wrote: » She quoted me then said something along the lines of "this attitude of...", it's reasonable to assume she was referring to the post she had quoted. But no big deal, I clarified and she clarified. Now you seem to be saying I suggested that laughing and screeching are the same thing. Are you? If so, I did not say anything along the lines of it being the same thing. As I said (third time now) my point was that I found it amusing considering I had been reading this thread. It wasn't a comment on the OP at all in fact. It was supposed to be a silly little anecdote about how I was thinking of this thread. Still some negativity has been read into it.
One eyed Jack wrote: » No, I'm not suggesting you said anything like that. I got your anecdote, I got BellaBella's point. What I find strange myself are the number of people who will purposely take someone up wrong, and we're all supposed to be the adults here!
ceadaoin. wrote: » Who is defending badly behaved children? Many parents on here have said they would take the child outside if they were crying or screaming. You don't want to see or hear children at all. That's an unrealistic expectation if you want to live in society. I have to laugh at people who get worked up about such things. I mean really, life's too short.
ceadaoin. wrote: » In Spain, it's normal for kids to be up until 10/11pm during the week and later at weekends. They wouldn't sit down to dinner until at least 8. And yes, the parents might be having wine with dinner or as I mentioned above, drinking beer in the playground until late. Outrageous!
Beatrice Inexpensive Staple wrote: » I was in a restaurant at lunchtime yesterday with a couple of friends. A couple sitting near us had a small child in a high chair. The dad was playing a game where he hid behind a napkin and then peeped out and the baby would start shrieking with delight. This went on for about ten minutes and the screams were getting really ear piercing. Eventually a woman at a nearby table went over and said something and the father stopped but didn't look too happy about it. One of my friends thought the woman was out of order but myself and other friend were grateful to her. Just wondering who you think was in the right? Would never have asked the dad to stop myself but the noise was really starting to get on my nerves.
looksee wrote: » I think you should be able to expect to have a reasonable conversation in a restaurant. Since the father was deliberately encouraging the child to scream he was out of order. Yesterday I was in the 'extra seating' area of a cafe and one person close to us was having a long conversation with someone on a smart phone. In order that she could look at the link image of the other person she had the conversation on speaker. It was in, maybe, Polish, so we could ignore the content of the conversation, still the jabber was more penetrating than an ordinary conversation. At the same time a woman at another table was having a conversation, also in another language, she was talking very loud, very fast and very constantly (no one else got a word in ) and it was a bit mesmerising. Not the best environment to try and have a normal conversation!
LexieOnRale wrote: » Nothing at all wrong with a happy baby, but 10 minutes of screaming is not cute. You cannot expect strangers to be as entralled with your child and it's crying or screaming as you are
lawred2 wrote: » go somewhere else if happy children bother you
LexieOnRale wrote: » Hahaha it's parents like this that for years made me not want kids. Then I realised you can actually be a parent without the horrible attitude of "my kid can do what they like and if you don't like it then tough". If YOUR child is causing a scene, then it's YOUR responsibility to deal with it. Sitting there oblivious to YOUR child screaming and roaring makes YOU a knob. Not everyone else. You seriously expect people who've paid for lunch to get up and leave if they're not mesmerised by your kids tantrums? Get a grip Kids cry, big deal. If a child is constantly crying, and won't stop then it's on you to get up and deal with it like a responsible adult and not put your kids behaviour on everyone else. Being a parent is a responsibility. If your child is very upset, take the child outside. If the child is running around and liable to cause an accident, bring a colouring book and make them sit down. If they're not able to sit down and behave themselves, bring them somewhere that they can run around. It seems to be some parents attitude that they can bring their child wherever they like, their child can behave whatever way they like, it doesn't matter if everyone else's lunch is ruined, as long as you enjoy yours. Great attitude to have, well done.
lawred2 wrote: » so a father was having a nice time entertaining his child and the child was enjoying it.. and someone came over to complain? good grief go somewhere else if happy children bother you
lawred2 wrote: » Is the OP not about a happy child making some shrieking noises? Where was the constantly crying bit?
One eyed Jack wrote: » If as you say "it happens a lot" (I have no way to quantify what you mean by 'a lot'), then people are already aware of autism. In fact, so aware are some people of autism, that when my son kicked off outside a polling station because he wasn't allowed vote, my wife was giving him a stern talking to when an old lady came over to her and said - "Leave him alone, he could be autistic!" I had to calm my wife down before she lost it with the old lady! :pac: I'm aware that it happens, I'm aware that people can be impatient and inconsiderate, I'm aware that everyone isn't going to understand every little tick and twitch and the multitude of other traits associated with autism. But y'know what? I'm also aware that the vast, vast, vast majority of people in society are good people! I'm aware of the care almost to the point of smothering the children, that the children in my son's class in school, the whole school really, look out for, and are ferociously protective of a number of children that are on the spectrum. They don't do it because they have to be told to. They do it because they want to. Because they want children on the spectrum to feel like they are included and that they are cared for and that they are treated with the same dignity and respect as everyone else. The Carly Fleischmann video is in the same "the world revolves around me" category, because the film is all about Carly Fleischmann's world, and her experience of being autistic. Her experiences may be worlds apart from someone else's experience of being autistic. That's why it's called a spectrum, because every person with autism is going to experience the world differently, from their perspective. I've worked with adults and children with special needs/differently abled, whatever terminology you prefer to use, for much of my adult life, and because I don't define them by that one trait or ability, I treat them the same as I would anyone else. If we're in a restaurant having a meal, consideration and making allowances for other people always goes both ways. Some people don't understand that, and they're usually people that aren't on the spectrum. Their disability is their bad attitude and their lack of consideration for other people, but thankfully that's a lot less common in society than any classified cognitive, emotional, behavioral or physical disability.
alan partridge aha wrote: » They don't single out the baby, the tell the parents the cop on and control the child. I think people are more inclined to tell someone to quite down if they are noisy rather than tell parents to control their child. I'd expect parents to have a bit of cop on if their child is making excessive noise. Not everybody loves your child.
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