I was the arcade hbic at a Dave& Buster’s. They usually had me scheduled by myself in the morning to get shit done without anyone around. Well we had a family group come in one afternoon, and with the arcade almost empty you can imagine what the smaller children tended to do. I told one, you need to stop running around and screaming you’re going to hurt yourself. Not ten minutes later little homie ran straight in between a “hit the button as hard as you can” game and another child about twice his size.
I accept that I am a terrible person, but that shit was funny af.
The Whirly Dirly
If you take a little kid to a restaurant you are responsible for either entertaining them enough to sit, or taking them for a little walk during the waiting periods. If you also brought your inlaws, that walk is a win-win.
It’s also a good idea to have them “help” you cut up their food, as much to keep their hands busy as to teach them how to use utensils. If you really want to stretch it out, because they eat fast and then get bored again, have them “help” cut yours as well.
There are few worse sounds than crying and gas powered lawn tools, but I’ll gladly listen to the crying for this satisfaction
Didn’t they invent drive-thru’s, takeout and DoorDash for people with kids? Ta-da!
I feel the same when adults are talking the most disgusting shit around me in public. They don’t get the hate kids do, though.
Yeah, obnoxious people in public suck no matter their age
This is such an inherently American perspective, that kids are just an inconvenience and aren’t allowed to participate in society because it bothers me.
They’re not going to learn how to behave if you don’t get them out into society. We all need to be a little patient as they learn. Most of us were allowed to learn in public, it wasn’t like our parents sat us down and explained the rules and had us do a test before we went out.
And before somebody throws out the caricature of the parent just letting their kid run wild, yes of course that happens. But most parents don’t want that and are trying their best. No, they can’t make their infant stop crying every time. Get over it. It’s just some noise.
France is always held up as an example of how remarkable kids can behave. I really wish I could remember which book I read about it in, but they talked about how there is a very strong tendency in France to bring kids out to dinner at a very young age and frequently. It is baked into their culture, so the kids learn earlier and faster. Throughout this process people are generally not complaining and shooting mean glances or talking shit about the parents teaching their kids.
Kids are a part your community, they should be allowed to participate.
Yes, kids that run around and can’t be quiet should be at my candlelit restaurant, at a bar where drunk people are lurching around, at a rowdy concert, unrestrained at an axe throwing place, and especially at a music/theater performance, or a funeral/religious service where their parents refuse to parent them…
The kids aren’t the issue here, the shitty parents are
So most kids that annoy you in public are the result of shitty parenting? Did you even read what I wrote?
I can’t stand breeders and all that bullshit going on right now, but Anti-Natalism is getting way too popular and subtly permeating too many people’s opinions on kids. They’re just kids. Let them be kids, just like you were allowed to be.
I’m talking about the op, picturing kids running around being a nuisance to the whole restaurant, which if the parents don’t do something about it then yes, shitty parenting
The entire point is what you consider “annoying” I consider “being a fucking kid.” And for some reason many Americans are so self involved and focused on “muh rights” they can’t even tell the difference.
You’re making some broad assumptions. They don’t have to be silent, but a restaurant isn’t the place to be running around getting in servers way and disrupting other tables, and parents who let their kids do that lack discipline and are encouraging anti social behaviour
The point here is that people don’t want no kids at all, just no mini-terrorists running amok.
I want you to show me that nuance in the post above. Because what I see is “isn’t it hilarious when kids hurt themselves? That’s what they get for annoying me.”
They need to be taught how to behave. And they’re only going to learn by being out in the world and making little mistakes here and there. Just get the fuck over it. They are a part of your community, and there are plenty of people in our community that are inconvenient to have around. But we don’t treat them with the same disdain (Unless you’re a republican)
You can tell by how the words say exactly what they mean
Are you actually trying to have a discussion or are you here to grind an axe/be an ass?
I suppose we should ask you the same question. You’re reading something personal into other people’s words.
Does America not have “Family Friendly” restaraunts at all? Like not “Chuck E Cheese” but casual dining for families with outdoor playgrounds or an indoor play room?
My friends and I go out EVERY SATURDAY and 6 kids in total and they know the rules "Cause a ruckus out there on the other side of the heavy windows where I can supervise but still hold a grown up conversation.
Does your country not have bars and other adult-only spaces?
I didnt mean it like that, I legitimately dont know. I know Chuck e cheese is a thing (great play area, terrible food) high end restaurants are obviously a thing, as is family casual like TGI Fridays and chain places, but do they have playgrounds?
Its a stupidly common thing in Australia. The food is (usually) a solid 6 or 7, sometimes an 8, the bar is pretty well stocked and the play area is like an average public park. Easiest way to explain it is like a TINY casino, theres usually some function rooms, a small (or overwhelmingly large if its a predatory shithole) area with slot machines, and a restaraunt (sometimes a few) and a play area.
If I wanted to go out to eat and had to choose between Chuck E Cheese and a restaraunt where I have to spend the whole night managing my childs behavior to not upset others and those were my ONLY options without the ball ache of organising and paying babysitters. I probably wouldnt go out.
I don’t want to exclusively go to chuck-e-cheese’s and pizza shops for 10 years. That’s not unreasonable.
You may have not meant it like that, but I don’t think you realize how much you are expecting everyone with kids to compromise so you won’t ever be annoyed or inconvenienced.
Can you read or nah?
Kids are people. There are some annoying, there are some nice, overall they’re okay. If a person wouldn’t say “I laugh when adults get hurt because adults annoy me just by being adults”, then they shouldn’t say the same about kids.
In short, I hate people who hate kids.
I misread that as “taking” and it seemed like a very specific complaint to make here.
Well, it has happened before, too.
I would imagine how justified your annoyance would be would depend on where in the restaurant it happened, heh.
About kneed a small boy in the face the other day. Him and his brother were chasing each other are the store at top speed and missed me by one inch. If I had been standing still the little fucker would have lost some teeth.
Glad you sidestepped, not worth the risk of damage to your ACL
And sometimes it even has nothing to do with me sticking my foot out when they run by…
sweet sweet sound!!!
I already awarded a different thing my first laugh of the day, but I like this one more.
The source of my dark sense of humor is largely my father joking that crying kids should get smacked in restaurants. It went like this (two different voices):
“Somebody smack that kid…” I’ll do it!
Made me laugh till I was gasping for air. And now I have a sense of humor that focuses on the absurd such that you’d think me an asshole if you didn’t know my values. Thanks, Dad.
kids bad
Rude people are annoying, regardless of age.
Bad parents bad.
