Businesses saying keep the rowdy children at home.

[kenobi65]

My wife and I are expecting in a few months, we have no intention of going to the theater with our little one until she can behave.

Meet ya at the theater in, what, 2023?

 

[StupidSmurf]

Personally, I lump the parents who won't lift a finger to at least try and control their spawn in the same category as people who:

Park in handicap spaces
Cut in line very deliberately
Block an entire lane of traffic so they can talk to a friend of theirs who's standing at the curb
People who bring a full, and I mean a FULL, shopping cart into the 10 items or less line
People who talk loudly on their cel phones in a movie theater

It's called a lack of consideration for others. It's called being rude, selfish, and believing that the universe revolves around them. It's people feeling that they are somewhat above the rules of polite behavior.

My personal philosophy is, try to make my choices/flaws/idiosyncracies as unintrusive on others as I reasonably can. The exception to that being online forums.

I don't always succeed, but at least I try. And as I've heard say once, "It's the effort that exalts us." If people see that you're at least trying to be considerate, they'll cut you a break.

I consider making an attempt at restraining your loud kids to be a good thing, and if I see a fellow parent at least making an effort, I tend to be sympathetic, as opposed to the arrogant turds who just sit there and let junior piss in your souffle.

And I tend to think that, considering all that I've read here, people are more appalled at parental indifference and uncaring, as opposed to being angry at the kids themselves.

 

[BSF]

From my experience though those people are allowed in places.

I'm sorry to hear that. I have seen people be politely asked to leave all sorts of businesses. As well, I have seen people be escorted out with the help of the police. All for disruptive behavior.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

I'm sorry to hear that. I have seen people be politely asked to leave all sorts of businesses. As well, I have seen people be escorted out with the help of the police. All for disruptive behavior.

Yup. Seen that before. And it's usually ADULTS who get told to leave for acting like a jerk.

 

[BSF]

The latter. I was pretty amused by all the complaints of "that's what kids do." Really? Mine don't, at least not when they're out. I have a funny feeling that these same complainers sure didn't get to act like that if they were out when they were kids either.

A few years ago we were having a big family dinner gathering. You know the type, where your wife's parents invite your family, your wife's sister's family, and your wife's brother's family and you all have a big dinner etc.

Anyway, one of my nephews decides he is going to stand up on one of the chairs and start yelling. We are talking a 5 year old or so doing this on his grandmother's nice, new furniture. In my family, that sort of thing was a big no-no. It is disrespectful and somewhat dangerous to boot. In my wife's family, that was a big no-no. Yet, my brother-in-law and his wife didn't even make my nephew stop. His grandparents had to finally establish the rule that he couldn't stand on the chairs before my sister-in-law reluctantly picked him up and set him down.

WTF? I was appalled. Especially since I didn't want my son to decide he could pull the same stunt. (Seriously, when we go home, we had a talk with my son about why his cousin's behavior was wrong and unacceptable.) Later that evening, we were discussing children's behavior and my sister-in-law said "Well, at home he just jumps up and down on the couch even though I tell him not to. He's a kid, what can you do?" I had to bite my tongue rather than administer a tongue lashing about being a parent. Yes, she deserved it, but not in front of her husband's entire family. As well, my wife's parents didn't need that type of strife in their home on an occassion when they invited the entire family over.

Yes, it is called respect. It is taught to children and practiced by adults. That is part of what parenting is about.

When we are in public with my children, they know what the expectations are. If they misbehave, they can expect to be punished for it. They know better because my wife and I have taught them that. Quite frankly, more parents need to practie good parenting. The slackers are making every other parent look bad.

 

[Rel]

Lighten up, it was a joke.

Edit: No personal offense intended, Rel.

None taken. I couldn't tell if you were making a point in the ongoing debate so that's why I asked the question. Sorry if I was joking impaired this morning.

 

[Rel]

WTF? I was appalled. Especially since I didn't want my son to decide he could pull the same stunt. (Seriously, when we go home, we had a talk with my son about why his cousin's behavior was wrong and unacceptable.) Later that evening, we were discussing children's behavior and my sister-in-law said "Well, at home he just jumps up and down on the couch even though I tell him not to. He's a kid, what can you do?" I had to bite my tongue rather than administer a tongue lashing about being a parent. Yes, she deserved it, but not in front of her husband's entire family. As well, my wife's parents didn't need that type of strife in their home on an occassion when they invited the entire family over.

I JUST had a very similar experience. We went to visit my wife's family in Memphis and her cousin's child came over to her grandmother's house (where we were staying) to visit for the weekend. This girl was awful! And she totally brought out the worst in our child too.

I love my wife's grandmother but she is a grandma who is used to indulging this child while she visits, not disciplining her. As the only other two adults there, my wife and I wound up having to parent this kid all weekend. It certainly made an otherwise pleasant vacation more stressful than it needed to be.

:\

 

[Legildur]

I have a 23 month old daughter and I don't have a problem with this.

And same here. I have an angelic 8 year old daughter whom my wife and I take everywhere without even a moment's hesitation. But my 2 year old demonic boy? Let's just say that our parenting skills were no where near as successful with him and we stopped going out for dinner because of his behaviour. He's not really demonic, but won't sit still and get's under feet and all sorts of bother. So, rather than inflict that on other people who have paid good money, we decline to dine out until (if) he improves.

I don't want kids and mobile phones going mad, so I won't inflict that on other people.

And sounds like a business opportunity for someone to open up a kid friendly coffee shop....

 

[sniffles]

So far we've hammered on obnoxious kids, cell phones and boorish drunks. I'd like to propose our next target of public scorn: text message phone users at the movies. These people (usually teenage girls from what I've seen) have replaced loud children as my new least favorite theater-goer. I go to a later show to avoid the screaming kids and now I get these airheads, with their glowing screen right in my line of sight and muffled giggles.

Deciding to totally avoid the topic of the thread, I totally agree with you on this!! Most people nowadays do seem to turn off their cell phone ringers in theatres, which is great, but they seem to think that makes it okay for them to text message during the movie, and they get annoyed if asked to turn the darned thing off and stop blinding the people sitting behind them. If you're not an on-call physician, I can't think of any good reason you should need to make or receive a phone call while you're at the movies. What is it with our society that has made us think we need to be in constant verbal contact with everyone we know every minute of the day? :\

 

[Harmon]

Meet ya at the theater in, what, 2023?

That would make her about 17.... emm, close, maybe another year.

Course we do have the intention of using sitters and the few members of our family that want to help out, so we might be there sooner then that.