Restaurant Has "No Screaming Children Sign"

[Jester]

You're no longer #1 when you have kids.

This is one of the many reasons why I have remained burden-free child-free all these years!

And not everything in the world needs to be turned around to be suitable for kids.

Preach on, Sister! Not everything has to be or should be Disneyfied, and not every place has to be or should be Orlandoized. It was utterly ridiculous a few years ago when the Key West government started cracking down on bar musicians, saying that at NO times could they use foul language while on stage. Well, first of all, most of them were in BARS (not restaurant bars, mind you, but full-on bars), where kids should not have been. The argument was that because the performers were amplified, it could be heard from the street. Which was my (and many other people's) second point: at 3 in the afternoon is one thing, but to tell a musician in a packed Key West bar that they can't use adult language at midnight is utterly fucking ridiculous. Why do people even have their kids out at midnight on Duval Street in the first place? Oh yeah, I know why....because they're fucking idiots. Third (and weakest) point: they were trying to do this while making only a token effort to clean up the t-shirt shops, which clearly display in their windows shirts with sayings such as "Fuck you, you fucking fuck!", "If assholes were airplanes, this place would be an airport, " and "For my next trick, I'll need a condom and a volunteer," among others. (I have that last one, incidentally.)

That attempted crackdown didn't last long, though, and bars are back to being fun, raucous, and ADULT, as they should be. They are BARS, and they are in KEY WEST, damn it.

^I think that when it comes to teaching kids how to act in public, such education starts at home. If the parents teach and enforce good table manners and civil behavior at home, then odds are, they're going to have an easier time applying those lessons at a restaurant.

Absolutely! A family of regulars at the restaurant I do magic at is a perfect example. There are five children, the oldest one being about 7, I think, the youngest a relative newborn. The four that are ambulatory are absolutely polite, soft-spoken, and well-behaved. Every staff member who has dealt with these people LOVES them. Do the kids act up? I am sure they do....but never once in our restaurant. Not. Once. I asked the parents this week why their kids were so well-behaved. They kind of chuckled, making it clear that the kids weren't always that good, but their explanation was that they make it very clear to the children that they have very high expectations of them. I don't know exactly what positive or negative reinforcements the parents are using, but they work! It is clear to everyone that these children are taught good behavior at home, and that their parents simply do not tolerate bad behavior, ever. They don't take "time off" from parenting. And bravo to them for taking their parental responsibilities seriously!

My parents took my brothers and I out to restaurants a lot; however, we never acted up cuz we knew that the penalty for misbehaviour was that we'd all go home and miss out on the treat of eating out.

Whereas my sisters and I never rarely acted up in restaurants because we knew that if we did, The Ogre--er, uh, I mean MY DAD--would flog us in ways we didn't want to think about. Dad could get very loud, but he didn't really have to all that often.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Lol, the other, unofficial penalty was that the guilty child would be beaten up by siblings. XD My little brother soon learned that lesson, thru experience. He was tagged as being hyperactive (nowadays, that would be an ADD tag) but he soon realised that it was better to sit still and behave rather than face the wrath of siblings. XXD

[Bronzebow]

Lol, the other, unofficial penalty was that the guilty child would be beaten up by siblings. XD My little brother soon learned that lesson, thru experience. He was tagged as being hyperactive (nowadays, that would be an ADD tag) but he soon realised that it was better to sit still and behave rather than face the wrath of siblings. XXD

Sometimes--rarely, but sometimes--problems fix themselves.

[Sage Blackthorn]

Due to the possible contentious nature of this topic, I felt that it was best to post this on Fratching versus Customerssuck.com. Long story short, this restaurant in Carolina Beach, NC has a sign posted up on it's window that says " Screaming Children Will NOT Be Tolerated". Here's the link to the story: http://www.myfox8.com/news/wghp-stor...,3040193.story. I applaud them for that since I wouldn't want to go to a restaurant and deal with some other parent's screaming child(ren) in the restaurant. If the kid's acting up, take them home. Simple as that, IMO. What are your thoughts on this?

I forwarded this article to my boss. She's gonna love this. We already have a newpaper clipping of an article entitled "Control Your Children" posted in the shop. I absolutely love this.

[suchislife2]

I don't think that there is any harm in asking a parent, to you know, be a parent and tell their child to be quiet (or calm them down if they are not old enough to understand).

But shit will always hit the fan when you talk about a EW's bubby! How dare someone tell them they can't let their child scream and run around if they want to? Everyone has a "right" to want to go out.

As far as I'm concerned, I know nannies and babysitter can be expensive, and not everyone has family around to mooche off for a little time out, but I'm SURE there are friends that would be willing to sit your child for an hour or so, so that you can go out to dinner/catch a movie once in a while.

[Talon]

Isn't the restaurant getting more customers since they put up the sign?

I'm surprised the EW parents haven't tried to picket the restaurant. In the EW's mind, taking their business elsewhere is the ultimate insult, but the business doing better since they pulled out? That's a direct attack on their entire worldview, the horror! Worse (in the EW's mind), what if this sets off a trend where other restaurants follow this example? Evolution in action, suddenly the EW's territory is shrinking, they are no longer the dominant subspecies! Double horror!!

[Rageaholic]

I'm normally one to hate restrictive rules like this, but fuck it, screaming kids are one of the most annoying things to deal with at restaurants. Especially when the parents just sit there and let them wake the dead with their ear piercing screams (yes, I've sat behind kids who would just randomly scream for no reason).

If it was an all out ban against children, I could see some outrage, but all they are asking is for the kids to keep their mouths shut. In fact, I think they should extend this to everyone because I've sat behind some obnoxious adults as well.

[Sarah Valentine]

I was out with my sister and not yet 2 niece at The Garden of Olives a couple of weeks ago, and a little boy was being really loud and annoying a couple of tables over. His mom didn't tell him to be quiet, but my niece kept saying shup (shut up). The kid calmed down but we thought it was pretty funny.

[Eisa]

I love this. It's not like it penalizes all people with children, they just want you to leave if your kid starts acting up and screaming. And honestly, parents should always be doing that, anyway. If your kid can't behave in public, then he or she shouldn't be out in it. I know that bad days happen and a child can be generally well-behaved and just be cranky or whatever. That's fine...as long as you deal with it appropriately.

But the people who let their kids run wild and crazy and screaming everywhere? Just NO. I don't think kids should be allowed everywhere. I don't think that there should be this "but what about the CHILDREN" atmosphere around everything [that foul language-using musicians in the bars thing being a great point]. Kids are people, too, of course, but I think society would be much better off as a whole if ALL parents would start teaching their kids the proper way to behave around others at home.

[Mytical]

What I am about to say will NOT be popular. I've noticed that people have became more and more self entitled. It goes back to when the 'no spanking' rule came to be. Now, before you all break out the pitchforks let me explain.

First, there is a difference between discipline and abuse. People got afraid to even discipline their child, for fear of being seen as abusers. I am not even talking 'spanking', but if they did ANYTHING some kids would pull the "I am calling child services" bit, or they would get looked at by somebody as if they were monsters. Which started the kids becoming brats, because they could get away with anything, and developed a entitlement personality.

Now there have always been EW's don't get me wrong..but this just created a whole lot more of them. When people started seeing how these EW's seemed always to get their way, then they started to follow suit. When they were called on it (doesn't happen often enough) then it was 'not their fault' (ie the Not Me Era).

There was always some excuse. 'Teachers/games/autism/add/adhd/etc is to blame for my poor behavior.' Nobody had to take responsibility for their childrens or their own actions. Wait!! Wait!!! Don't burn me at the stake yet! There ARE some responsible people, and parents. Also I am not saying that mental illness is not a real illness, especially since I have a little OCD, ADD, Depression, and who knows what other issues I have. It's just not a valid EXCUSE to be sucky.

That was further made bad (the EW that is) because people were afraid to call them out on it for the sake of PC (political correctness). Business are so afraid of negative press/etc that they bend over backwards..which just gives more people the idea to do it so that THEY get free stuff (reduced prices, etc).

At one time the motto "The customer is always right" worked. Because people didn't abuse the system. Now, the system is not only broken..but shattered.

For all the parents out there that have well behaved children, thank you. I absolutely adore children, and it restores my faith in humanity a tad when I see a well behaved one. For the others, I have no pity for you. Nor do I have empathy, or anything else. No the world doesn't revolve around me or what I want, but guess what..it doesn't revolve around you either. So..I will happily go to any place with this rule up, if they enforce it. And give you a *wave* as you are ejected out because you don't want to take any responsibility for your or your childrens action. After all..it's not you right? Somebody/something else failed YOUR children. Right?

[Sage Blackthorn]

I was out with my sister and not yet 2 niece at The Garden of Olives a couple of weeks ago, and a little boy was being really loud and annoying a couple of tables over. His mom didn't tell him to be quiet, but my niece kept saying shup (shut up). The kid calmed down but we thought it was pretty funny.

I told this to my boss and she nearly hurt herself from laughing so hard. Now whenever we've got an obnoxious child in the store, I say "Where's the two-year-old, I need the two-year-old out here now!"

[crashhelmet]

What I am about to say will NOT be popular. I've noticed that people have became more and more self entitled. It goes back to when the 'no spanking' rule came to be. Now, before you all break out the pitchforks let me explain.

First, there is a difference between discipline and abuse. People got afraid to even discipline their child, for fear of being seen as abusers. I am not even talking 'spanking', but if they did ANYTHING some kids would pull the "I am calling child services" bit, or they would get looked at by somebody as if they were monsters. Which started the kids becoming brats, because they could get away with anything, and developed a entitlement personality.

Now there have always been EW's don't get me wrong..but this just created a whole lot more of them. When people started seeing how these EW's seemed always to get their way, then they started to follow suit. When they were called on it (doesn't happen often enough) then it was 'not their fault' (ie the Not Me Era).

There was always some excuse. 'Teachers/games/autism/add/adhd/etc is to blame for my poor behavior.' Nobody had to take responsibility for their childrens or their own actions. Wait!! Wait!!! Don't burn me at the stake yet! There ARE some responsible people, and parents. Also I am not saying that mental illness is not a real illness, especially since I have a little OCD, ADD, Depression, and who knows what other issues I have. It's just not a valid EXCUSE to be sucky.

That was further made bad (the EW that is) because people were afraid to call them out on it for the sake of PC (political correctness). Business are so afraid of negative press/etc that they bend over backwards..which just gives more people the idea to do it so that THEY get free stuff (reduced prices, etc).

At one time the motto "The customer is always right" worked. Because people didn't abuse the system. Now, the system is not only broken..but shattered.

For all the parents out there that have well behaved children, thank you. I absolutely adore children, and it restores my faith in humanity a tad when I see a well behaved one. For the others, I have no pity for you. Nor do I have empathy, or anything else. No the world doesn't revolve around me or what I want, but guess what..it doesn't revolve around you either. So..I will happily go to any place with this rule up, if they enforce it. And give you a *wave* as you are ejected out because you don't want to take any responsibility for your or your childrens action. After all..it's not you right? Somebody/something else failed YOUR children. Right?

QFT

I would've gone into some angry tirade trying to express what Mytical did.

CH

[anakhouri]

I often get dirty looks at library storytime because I am constantly on top of my 1-year-old. Be gentle, no that's her toy, don't take it, no throwing trains at the train table, you could hurt someone etc. I let him have some freedom but as soon as he does something objectionable, I am there. He's too young to understand the hows and whys, but he doesn't have to understand, that can come later. I know the other parents/grandparents think I am being hard on him, but he needs to learn while he's young; it'll make my life easier later too! I don't yell, don't threaten. I just let him know what is not acceptable and then I remove him from the situation if he does something unacceptable.