No matter who you are, poor manners are a sign of very very low class people. Whether you are an adult or a child!

I believe that all of us could be more respectful to one another. Our life has gotten so "busy" that we forget about others. That's why we have rude drivers, rude diners, rude movie-goers, etc. You get the picture. I have to stand back, take a big breath to reassess sometimes because I get caught up in my little world. I really don't know what the answer is. Perhaps it's as easy as to slow down a bit. But that probably won't happen anytime soon. It's sad that many have the "me" mentality. What about "me"! What can "I" get out of this.

I agree that children, as well as adults, can be out of control. I was going to address adults in another blog but you beat me to it! At least we can be cognizant of our surroundings next time we're out in public so we're respectful of others. Too bad the ones that really need a lesson are oblivious.

I think the bigger issue at hand is that it would make the world a much nicer place if people were more considerate of each other in general. Mind you, I don't have kids yet.

I've seen kids go ballistic in restaurants and I've seen some very well-behaved children in restaurants. It runs the gamut. A lot of what you see reflects what the parents view as important.

If a child is getting cranky and working himsef/herself into a fit, then they need to be removed from the table. Go outside and have a chat. And I have to admit, I am seeing more of that happen. Many parents don't want their child's fit to ruin the other diners' meals. Other parents just don't care.

It's the parents who have their toddler out at 10 p.m. at night (what are you thinking???) in a restaurant who let the poor child wail and carry on that deserve the blame. Not the child. I blame the parents for being too lazy to get home at a decent hour to put their child to bed or hire a sitter.

There's a flip side to this situation. There are some adults I would like to see removed from the table for their boorish behavior. I was at the Dwarf House a year or two ago with my mother and husband. At the next table was a woman and two men. Nearby was a table with children (behaving just fine). The three adults I mentioned were using some profanity that would make a sailor blush. And they didn't care who heard. I came really close to walking over and asking them to kindly keep it down as the youngsters nearby didn't need to hear it.

I am not a prude. If you want to cuss, that's fine. And there are plenty of adult establishments to do it in. But when you're within easy earshot of a child in a family-type place, it won't kill you to stop using the f-bomb for 30 minutes.

Della, I've thought this for years! However, Oodles may be right that it isn't always manageable, and others have correctly noted that some parents have well-behaved children. However, many more parents seem completely oblivious while thier precious little darlings kick the booth incessantly, throw food, scream, or get up and run around. It's like they think those waiters and waitresses are getting paid to be here -- let them babysit and clean up after the brats. Parents need to be parents -- make your children behave or remove them from the restaurant. Take the little ones to McDonalds or get a babysitter.

Restaurant owners should ask disruptive patrons, whatever their ages, to get OUT.

with your mouth full.

One foot on the floor

My family and I were recently eating at Taco Mac around 5:00 one afternoon. Among the groups eating there were several families with children, some couples, and some larger groups of adults. There was one group of people who were talking and laughing loudly, attracting at least some negative attention from the other patrons. Can you guess which group it was? It was one of the groups of adults. My children commented on one of the persons seated at that table -- the woman who was wearing an imitation bridal veil complete with a large fake gem as a "tiara." She looked especially charming tossing back drink after drink while wearing her veil. While I do agree that some children are disruptive in restaurants (and other places as well), inappropriate behavior (and accessories) are not limited to only one age group.

My children are very well behaved and I would rather not sit in the midst of children who are not. It always irritates the heck out of me when kids are yelling, running around the table, etc. and the parents are totally oblivious, as if nothing were going on around them. They must have built up an immunity to the noise at home and now at a restaurant, they can't hear it either.

Now, I have been sent to the back of the restaurant before at Ted's when I came in with children. Of course, the brat next to us was horrible. But the hostess could clearly see that there was no need to isolate us. I always get compliments about them at the end of a flight too so I'm not in la la land here.

"Oodles" (below) may have hit on the solution there at the very end of the comment. They should CHAIN the little snotty-nosed waifs to their chairs and perhaps even threaten to BEAT them with the chains if they cause any more disturbance.

God, I hate it when toddlers "yak" like they do, don't you? It's nothing but incoherent babbling in the first place. I'm sitting there trying to eat my meat loaf and at the table next to me it's "Mommy, do cows eat hamburgers? Mommy, is God's wife big, too?
Mommy, why does that man keep looking at me with his eyebrows down?
Yak, yak, yak, yak"

One are on the right track with your suggestion. However, instead of moving the families to the designated family section, move the old people who think families should not be seen in public to a more isolated area.

I believe most "family-style" restaurants already "try" to seat kids around other people with kids. I have kids, and I've noticed that they try to do this. It's fine by me when they do this, I don't really like to sit beside snooty, old people, that are not nice to children.

Maybe if you want to enjoy a nice, quiet dinner, you need to go to the more expensive restaurants, where most people would not take their children.