Anonymous wrote:I think some of you are being a bit harsh. I kind of find it laughable the way our society is towards kids. It's like be seen but not heard.

If they cry on the airplane, people bitch. If they cry at the grocery store, people bitch. If they cry at a restaurant, people bitch. They are kids for goodness sakes! Kids are going to cry, and you know what? There are times when they can't be home or with a sitter.

I have a bigger problem with the assholes who talk on the phone and don't realize that others can hear their whole conversation, or the loud people. I can understand kids not being happy and cute 100% of the time.

I agree, to a point. When I take my toddler out and she is fussy and I get a few looks, it's ok. But if she is generally being annoying to those around us, either my husband or I will take her out of the place until she can understand that she needs to behave. Usually 2-3 minutes tops. We continue to go out, because that is how she learns HOW to behave when going out to eat - also, depending on the place we are eating - I may give Chipotle a longer fuss-time then if we are at Ruths Chris.

I consider myself to be part of a village, I don't want my family to be disruptive to those around me and I want those around me not to disrupt me. My toddler has been eating out since she was 5 days old and is pretty good.

OP, did you or anyone defending you ever stop to think of how your actions looked to the other customers around you? From your own initial post, you had a child being loud, running around, and crying at your table. Then you proceed to take the phone away from the child, causing even louder screaming, and walk towards the door while saying "I'll be right back." No matter what your reasons, it looked like a parent with a screaming/crying child was leaving the table so they could go make a phone call, not trying to deal with the issues. In that situation, of course you are going to get the stink eye. Your follow-up posts show that you didn't seem to think that anything mattered except for your own opinion and entitlements, and you are completely oblivious to how others would have perceived the same situation from the outside. Sorry, but next time, take the child outside with you until they quiet down. Your rights are not unlimited. They end where the rights of others begin. That's the whole point behind laws such as "disturbing the peace" and "public nuisance". You can do what you want up until it starts to interfere with the ability of others to do the same.

but he'll have his own kids and he'll remember this day... don't we all remember one thing or other about judging parents when we were young and single when our kids act out?

I haven't had the courage to wade through the entire thread (although I'm sure it's both vastly entertaining and horrifying), but two points:

1. Generally, people who glare at parents who are making an effort to calm their kids are asses. I save my ire for those who let their kids misbehave/melt down without doing a damn thing about it, or appearing to care at all.

2. "He'll remember this day?" OP, get a grip. He didn't shit in your burrito bowl or drop kick your screaming toddler into the carnitas bin; hell, he didn't even SAY anything. If this is the worst you get when your kid is howling in a restaurant, consider yourself lucky. Either way, this "incident" had no impact on the man's life - he likely forgot about it 10 seconds after departing the restaurant, and he sure as hell isn't agonizing about it on the internet.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, um, OP sorry for all the haters on here. They must live in a bubble.

Chipotle is a necessity and I see people with an infant and toddler in there all the time. The music is loud and you can leave when things get really bad (no wait staff). It's not deep fried or overly processed food which is why we go there instead of McD's all the time. And these PPs must have no idea that perhaps there are times when it's too rough to make dinner or you haven't had time to grab groceries and you don't want anything where they give a toy with the kids' meal.

There are always people who will give you the stink eye or try to 'discipline' your toddler for you as you're trying frantically to calm the situation (never mind eat dinner yourself). I mean, you'd NEVER say anything (or give a stink eye) when the special needs folks are taken out for a meal, would you? They might scream/holler/make weird sounds but we won't give them the stink eye, they don't know better and can't help it. It's ok then but not for a toddler who has yet to learn self-control? I hope all you sanctimonious snobs stick to gourmet food trucks.

This is a very good point. Perhaps the mean people would also say that special needs children should not be taken out to restaurants, either.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, um, OP sorry for all the haters on here.

Yeah. There seems to be one repeat poster who is especially hateful.

Yeah, um, OP sorry for all the haters on here. They must live in a bubble.

Chipotle is a necessity and I see people with an infant and toddler in there all the time. The music is loud and you can leave when things get really bad (no wait staff). It's not deep fried or overly processed food which is why we go there instead of McD's all the time. And these PPs must have no idea that perhaps there are times when it's too rough to make dinner or you haven't had time to grab groceries and you don't want anything where they give a toy with the kids' meal.

There are always people who will give you the stink eye or try to 'discipline' your toddler for you as you're trying frantically to calm the situation (never mind eat dinner yourself). I mean, you'd NEVER say anything (or give a stink eye) when the special needs folks are taken out for a meal, would you? They might scream/holler/make weird sounds but we won't give them the stink eye, they don't know better and can't help it. It's ok then but not for a toddler who has yet to learn self-control? I hope all you sanctimonious snobs stick to gourmet food trucks.

Keep your ill behaved brats at home and no-one will give you the "stinky eye"

^^ "spew this vitriol IN real life".

I am shocked at the hostility of these responses. Wow - I wonder if the PP's spew this vitriolic real life or only anonymously on DCUM. Such ugliness - it's truly revolting.
OP, who knows what was going on with the stink-eye guy...maybe he was having a terrible day. All you can do is take a deep breath and let it go - If he's a miserable, unhappy person, well, that's his problem and he has to live with that - you don't need to. Just let it go. And the same goes for the negativity being dumped on you here - just let it go.

OP, are you the same person who complained a while back about getting the "stinky eye" while breastfeeding. You sure like to vent about "stinky eyes."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm ESL, thanks for the lesson.

Are you the same annoying person who posted a while back about singing to your brat while in line at the grocery store and getting the side there, too? Apparently neither you nor your kid are as adorable as you think.

Where did you get the idea that OP thinks her child is cute while throwing a tantrum?

Go look up the post I'm talking about and you'll see what I mean. OP always thinks people are looking at her.

You're the meanie who has posted several times.

Anonymous wrote:Go back and read OPs original ENTITLED post and you'll understand what got people's ire up. Nasty.

There was nothing nasty about her post. People can debate about whether she handled it effectively or not, but that's beside the point - the point is that she was at least trying to handle it. She was aware that her child was crying and upset, and was doing her best to fix it. Now, if her child was carrying on, screaming and crying and making a scene, and OP and her DH were ignoring said child and not trying to alleviate the situation, then that would perhaps be a valid reason for people to be irritated with her. But there was nothing nasty or entitled about her post. (And speaking of 'entitled' -- as other PPs have pointed out, children are human beings (you were one once too), and they share this planet with you. OP and her family are entitled to go to a restaurant. They have as much of a right to go as you do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm ESL, thanks for the lesson.

Are you the same annoying person who posted a while back about singing to your brat while in line at the grocery store and getting the side there, too? Apparently neither you nor your kid are as adorable as you think.

Where did you get the idea that OP thinks her child is cute while throwing a tantrum?

Go look up the post I'm talking about and you'll see what I mean. OP always thinks people are looking at her.

Go back and read OPs original ENTITLED post and you'll understand what got people's ire up. Nasty.

Well, thank goodness the world is not populated by DCUMers. I have a 2.5 yo who is very good in restaurants (so far), and we are very aware and responsive to any behavior that might annoy anyone. And yet, even before I had a kid, I cannot think of many-- if any-- times I actually felt annoyed by small kids' behavior in public. Sometimes kids cry; that is normal and is not going to ruin my meal/plane ride/whatever. Kids are people, too, and the idea that parents of young kids should just stay home or that one is entitled to peace and quiet in a casual restaurant (hahahahaha) is absolutely ridiculous.