Restaurant Takes On Rowdy Kids

I congratulate the restaurant. I think it's awful the way parents let their kids behave.

Now, if you are in a Chucky Cheese, you can't complain. Kids are meant to be rowdy there. Or another family type restaurant, where you expect there to be loud kids and a little misbahaving. There has to be some tolerance when in restaurants that are geared toward the family. And those do exist. And you should expect that there will be kids sitting around you.

But I don't think you should ever have to put up with kids running around and yelling though. That's just bad parenting. If you can't control your kids.... if I ever behaved like that (and I am sure I tried) my mom would scoop me up and we'd leave. Simple as that.

Thank you Reyn, Mame and Aldistar.

Also Bella and Set.

I don't frequent Chuck E. Cheese since I have no kids, but if I was to go there, I know it's a kids domain. There are a few other places that cater SPECIFICALLY to children, but frankly, I don't even consider fast food places or Pizza Huts or whatever to be those types of places.

To me, if there are any adults there with the purpose of having their meal, that is NOT a place for parents to allow their children to act as they will. If they feel their child should be able to run wild, yell, etc, they need to take their children to places that are ONLY for children, the parents being secondary.

Parents being secondary?!!

Well, that's what I feel like when I go to a public place and the adults are supposed to accept that they have paid good money only to have to listen to crying, complaining, and all that other nonsence some kids get into.

Why should my wants and needs be secondary? Oh wait, I forgot...it's all about the children....

It really is a shame that some restaurants have been put in this position, since there really are kids out there who have been raised with firm guidelines and get the concept of "a time and a place."

I don't have children either, but I was one...acting up in restaurants? Are you kidding? That just did...not....happen.

And guess what, I LOVED going out to restaurants, and by the time I was 6 I could be taken to any 5 star place. I'm sure a large part of why I enjoyed it so much was that I knew what was expected of me in that environment and when I did as expected it made for a delightful experience.

My daughter (especially my older daughter) is just like how you were - she loves going out to eat - loves nice expensive restaurants - probably because she loves shrimp and lobster and likes to get dressed up. The other day she insisted we should get roses over tulips. I told her she can get roses from her boyfriend (hubby didn't like that much though).

I ate at Taste of Heaven -- the restaurant mentioned in the original article -- about a week ago (it's in Chicago, at the corner of Clark and Balmoral in the heart of Andersonville). First of all, it's a very small place -- there are about a dozen tables without much room for the wait staff to maneuver between them. I can only imagine that the antics of one misbehaving child would instantly affect everyone in the restaurant.

Secondly, the sign on the door is still there, but it's about at knee level (or eye level for the kiddies) so it's not very noticeable. And, in general, there's not really an anti-kid "vibe" in the place, although I didn't spot any when I was there on a Saturday morning. If anything, it was a typical yuppie/lesbian/gay mix that would be typical in any Andersonville eatery.

Thirdly, the artichoke heart and roasted red pepper omelette with provolone cheese was quite good. I recommend it.

Hey, thanks, Joe, for that report. It's always good to get a first-hand account of how things really are.

It sounds like to me it's all blown out of proportion to how those affected should have reacted to the owner putting the sign up.

This is about parenting, not rowdy children. Way too many parents who refuse to take responsibility for their kids is the problem. Teach them right from wrong, teach them to behave, or take them outside. Parents have allowed their children to gain way too much control over them from their birth. You see these parents coming into the restaurant, or getting on a plane, and they have a stroller the size of a small SUV, each carrying at least one backpack full of baby items. They take up a table for six just to seat three.

I remember taking my oldest out to eat when she was about a week old. We tucked her carseat carrier into the booth and everyone was amazed when they found out she had been there the whole time when we got up to leave. The same was true for all of our kids - until they're old enough to decide what to bring and carry it themselves, only bring what you really need.