Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

"For the naysayers, have fun eating TV dinners and renting Blockbuster movies. I'll be eating filet mignon and having a glass of wine."



I have taken my kids to decent restaurants and also left them home for others. My kids are taught how to act and are expected to be nice.

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

for the person that said kids should only go to McDonalds or Chuck E Cheese...omg!!!!! So, in order to take your kids out to eat, they have to eat unhealthy food??? I wont even give my DD McDonalds.

My parents took me everywhere and taught me proper manners. I am grateful for that and plan to raise my kids the same way.

My opinion on this is and will always be...it's up to the restaurant! if the restaurant wants to have a policy of no children under a certain age, they are free to do so. If not, then I can take my kids. If they act up, of course I will try to get them to behave, take them outside for a break, leave, etc.

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

It is rare that we WOULDN'T take Abby anywhere. Then again, the only time Abby ever so much as cried in a restaurant was when she knocked her head on the table while sitting in a high chair. I swooped her up and took her away from the other patrons so they did not have to listen to my child cry.

HOWEVER, I would not bring Abby to a restaurant like Peter Luger where we eat on special occasions. #1, she is NOT an easy eater. #2 I'll be damned if I will be stressed about her eating habits while my $80 porterhouse for two is getting cold.

BTW, Chuck E. Cheese's pizza sucks. I wouldn't eat it and I wouldn't want Abby to either.

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

wow! tough crowd on that board!! Im glad you went and enjoyed yourselves and it turned out well!!

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

Sorry to crash! Hope you don't mind

I just wanted to say that I think people have very strong opinions about this because we have ALL had a horrific dining experience next to a table with a very disruptive, poorly behaved child whose parents could not be less bothered by the screaming, etc. It is just SO noticeable that it sticks in your memory.

However, I think what these idiots who flamed you fail to realize is that for every child who appears to be possessed (or at least every child who is having a bad, bad night), there is at least one other who is sitting quietly at another table who is a pleasure to dine with. We just don't notice those (as some previous posters pointed out) because they aren't being disruptive. If every child in the restaurant was pointed out to them, they would realize that those very few bad applies are ruining it for every child, and that some parents can and do respect fellow diners. I honestly think that this is at the heart of the problem.

Either way, it was incredibly rude how those people responded to you. Hope you don't mind me adding my two cents even though I have no children of my own. BUT, when/if I do have children of my own, I fully intend to take them to fine dining establishments like Ruby Tuesdays and Ground Round)

Again, sorry to crash.

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

don't understand some of the people on this forum. There are those that are so against taking children to restaurants but it is ok to take your dog?!!
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My absolute favorite response!

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

I'm surprised that these people from NC were so nasty they are just as bad as new yorkers
Good for you taking the babies out!

DS is one, we only take him out if its a big family thing. we took my FIL to Peter Lugers, 12 of us all together. DS knocked over the steak sauce boat and it spilled all over the table this is why we don't take him out!! Thank god the waiter was so sweet about it and cleaned it up like it was no big deal.

Message edited 11/10/2009 8:50:39 PM.

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

I used to be one of those people. I didn't like loud kids at restaurants and sometimes wished there would be adult only restaurants.

Of course I am completely different now. I love seeing other babies and am sympathetic vs annoyed when babies cry.

DH and I went to a fancy place for brunch for my first mother's day this yr with our then 2m old baby. We took turns eating and trying to keep the baby from crying. I BF DS in the bathroom. Honestly it wasn't a "fine dining" experience at all.

Since then, we have taken DS to family restaurants like Cheesecake Factory. DH and I have gone on a few dates to nice restaurants but we don't bring DS with us.

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

I love the Olive Garden guy...seriously?

I used to be a hostess at Friendlys when I was in college and couples would come in and ask to not be seated near children or come up and ask to have their tables moved.....REALLY people, you are IN FRIENDLYS!

Good for you!

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

Posted by DRMom

Posted by chmlengr

Wow! But good for you for taking them out and enjoying a nice meal. We have taken our kids with us from day 1.... And they are very well behaved. All 4 of us went out last night to a little Italian restaurant near us and my 5 and 3 year old were so good! And they put their cloth napkins on their lap without even being told too and the waiter was very impressed! Then they proceeed to eat the entire bread basket and ask for more

That is so cute! That is what we think..if you never take your kids out...how will they learn to behave? We have always enjoyed going to dinner pre children so why not now? Like I said, if they were being at all disruptive I would immediately remove them.

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

i took my 1 year old twins to a diner at 11am.
one of the boys got upset. not insanely upset but a little cranky. the diner was hardly full and most ppl had young children with them.
normally i would take the baby outisde if he were upset but i was with a friend i hadent seen in a whiel, i was exhausted and he wasnt that upset and he was calming down. had it continued i would have removed him.

well before i knew it the waitress came over and said i had to take him outside that someone complained. i was a little surprised as there were other crying children and the diner on a friday morning at 11am is not exactly where you go for a quiet romantic evening out. i felt a little bad that we were disturbuing others but also offended at the way the waitress spoke to me.

the boys had been to nicer restuarants seveal times before without even waking up. this was the fitst time there was any situation. maybe i should have removed him but the waitress was really rude i thought.

Re: You guys will enjoy this-taking kids to dinner

DH and I go out to eat all the time - We enjoy it -
Sean is the easiest most mellow baby - We have been bringing him to dinner w/ us since he's only a few weeks old -

but I still wouldn't take him to Morton's !!

And honetsly, I WOULD be irritated if I got a babysitter so DH and I could enjoy our $300 dinner w/o bottles and rattles and pacifiers and diapers - yet the people at the table behind me broke out the toy trucks and coloring books -

HOWEVER, those parents have every right to bring their kids whereever they want to - As I have the right to and be annoyed at them for it - Do I think it's an APPROPRIATE place for very young children, no - but I don't think I have the right to throw a fit over it either -