Is this the new norm?

[ripcord]

I took a friend who was visiting to nice restaurant near us and there was a family there who's kids had no boundaries. They finished dinner and the parents were chatting while the kids ran wild playing in the aisles, trying to crawl under our table to play and tripping a server who dropped an entire order. A server very nicely asked them to get the kids to return to the table as they were disturbing other guests and endangering staff by being underfoot. These people were outraged that they were being asked to act like responsible parents and claimed everyone else was at fault because all they wanted a night out and some quiet time after dinner, they got to the point where they were screaming at the server.

This is the worst I've seem but it is becoming more common for kids to start playing in the aisles and being loud, are manners not taught anymore? Our parents expected good behavior from us at the dinner table and this went double when we went out. Has this become passe and are we expected to put up with this sort of behavior from now on?

[Emile]

1. Sound like Trumpies

[lagomorph777]

11. Yep.

I will not be returning to restaurants anytime soon. Way too scary for my taste.

[Mr. Ected]

2. It's the new abnorm

Ball is in the court of the restaurant. Either allow this to continue and lose patrons like yourself, or put your foot down and lose patrons like them.

Not really a hard choice.

[ripcord]

16. The owner kicked them out

This is a nice restaurant with a dress code, they did everything right and even offered a discount on meals to everyone for the trouble. I know this isn't all parents, there were other families there and their kids were fine but it only takes one entitled family to disrupt an evening.

[Solly Mack]

3. Was this the Olive Garden? Did someone have a pit bull? Was anyone breastfeeding?

Your post hearkens back to the "olden days" of DU. Unruly children at restaurants was a biggie.

So, I had to ask.

[NewHendoLib]

6. And don't forget .. pubic hair. Yes or nay?

Ah, yes, the good old days of DU threads that never died!

[Solly Mack]

8. What's restaurant drama without a pubic hair? lol

Which came from the breastfeeding pit bull on never ending pasta night.

[Busterscruggs]

4. They have

These backpack leash things for people to keep their demon spawn contained while in public. I would suggest that to the parents next time you see this.

[StarryNite]

5. Irresponsible parents have always been around.

Many years ago when we would go to one of our favorite pizza joints it was not uncommon to see little "pre-walkers" and toddlers crawling under tables and "grazing" on pieces of pizza crust and whatever else they found that diners had dropped on the floor while their parents chatted away seemingly oblivious to what their kids were doing.

Maybe it's getting worse? I don't know, I haven't been to a restaurant in nearly two years.

[Rebl2]

7. I see

more and more stories about this it seems like-even before the pandemic. Makes you wonder if they acted same way as a child at restaurants and their parents did not discipline them either.

[Runningdawg]

10. THIS 100%

[Midnight Writer]

9. Saw a 6-7 year old? boy climb on to the meat refrigeration case at Walmart and walk back and forth

and stomping on the meat. Dad and Mom right there, looking at beef, talking to each other and not a word to the child.

Don't know if this is anything new, but sure makes you wonder what the parents are thinking. My guess is that this kid will grow up to be so out of control that he will live a miserable life. Either that or be a Republican President some day.

[Klaralven]

12. Walmart

[Midnight Writer]

15. Yep. Always interesting to walk through a Walmart parking lot.

Oath Keeper bumper stickers and window decals are very popular around here.

[sinkingfeeling]

17. I wouldn't have been able to keep my mouth shut. I'd have yelled at the brat, and then at

the parents. Or worse, I'd grabbed the kid by his hair and yanked him off.

[Rebl2]

20. Well

that’s what I would like to do, but I would fear being dragged off by the police for attacking a child and parents.

[cinematicdiversions]

13. Bad parenting has always been with us.

I remember the free range children of the seventies.

[Earth-shine]

14. The parents are well aware of what they are doing.

It's a big FU to everyone else.

Kid Karens

[Rebl2]

21. Kid Karens

Just great🙄

[MissB]

18. If the parents wanted a quiet dinner out

They should’ve gotten a babysitter, not inflicted their ill-mannered children on the restaurant. Good on the restaurant for kicking them out.

We went out to dinner a few months ago with my siblings and some of our (adult) kids. One niece has 3 small kids; she and her husband did a fine job of keeping them occupied and engaged rather than being disruptive.

[CrackityJones75]

19. There is nothing new about this.

That shit has been going on forever.

[Caliman73]

22. It isn't new.

There have always been parents who did not discipline their children. I am close to 50 and I remember being told by my parents, to respect other people's homes and behave in public. I remember being corrected for going under the table or getting loud when at restaurants. I also remember seeing other kids misbehaving and not being corrected. I remember my room and my toys scattered by cousins at my house and wondering why they were able to do that when my parents would sit me down when I got too rowdy.

It is the way that things have always been. Some parents have greater expectations for their children's behavior, and will actively parent. Others will allow their children to behave in ways that are disruptive to others.

Look at the former president of the US. Classic example of a kid who was not supervised by his parents, had few if any actual consequences as a child for reportedly horrible behavior.

It isn't new.

[Zeitghost]

23. I've never seen anything that bad

But my general rule of thumb is that if the restaurant has a kids menu or offers high chairs, I don't complain about loud or obnoxious children. Of course, that rule has it's limits, I've just never had anyone reach that limit.