Pardon the Interupption... NOT

Some people are just plain rude. I know that is harsh, but recently that has become a truth for me. While dining out the other day with my husband and a group of friends, our dining experience was interrupted by several screaming infants/toddlers. The children in the restaurant were very loud and it began to disturb me and several other tables in the restaurant. The thing that upset me the most, was how the parents of each table never once got up and removed the child from the table nor did they try to quiet their children. I understand that dining out with children can sometimes be an issue, but these parents were just plain rude. If you know your child acts out- How about this.. Don't put take to restaurants where 95% of the dining population is adult or couples. That's just a thought.
In my experience (my family & my years as server in a family restaurant) when a child is disruptive in public they are removed the situation. Period. How embarrassing it is to have a child disrupting your dinner as well as several others. In my family you best be believe we were on our best behavior. There was no staying around and acting out. If you were bold enough to do that, then you must have been bold enough to accept a good scolding and a impending whipping... Maybe that was just my house.
When was it acceptable for children to ruin a casual dining experience? Why should I have to sit next to a screaming child that apparently only I can hear? That is why, whenever possible my husband and I choose to dine in the bar. It's quiet, children aren't allowed and the servers are pretty cool-most of them haven't been hardened by the spaghetti throwing champions or the I love Barney corral. I have nothing against families dining out, in fact I think its great the families are dining together. My issue is with the parents that seem to the think that their dining experience is the only one that matters. NEWSFLASH.. We Matter too! We like going out to eat, we like the atmosphere of a restaurant just as much as you do. So please, the next time you are dining out with small children think of how their actions will affect the other diners.

~OUT