Quote:
Originally Posted by artplumber
Perhaps he had waited for the parents to do something about it (whatever it was) that he was so upset he could no longer speak calmly? Since this 18 month old was having a "blast" were the parents perhaps encouraging the behavior as well?
Well why couldn't they have stayed at home or ordered take out if their child wasn't going to able to go to a restaurant and not disturb other patrons? Selfish. Child will probably grow up with no manners too.
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No, I disagree entirely. They appeared to be first time parents so they probably simply do not know what their limitations are yet. They now have a baby that is 'happy' and more manageable than it has ever been so they tried going out.
I know that is exactly how it was for us after our first. Of course it went badly but in a much different way than the current example we're discussing.
First time parents are children too and I really don't think these people were doing much wrong and what they were doing wrong was easily forgivable.
There were a few ways that this could have gone as I see it:
1) Parents stay home.
2) Parents go out and try harder to keep the kid quiet
3) Exactly how it happened with both folks pissed and scarred from it.
4) The 'old fart' could have approached the parents more constructively.
5) The 'old fart' and his party could have left - as I mentioned in the original post they had already been there for a while. We arrived and they were there, we were there for more than an hour before this happened. They could have left, gone next door and had a quiet cup of Tea at the blue butterfly.
I'm not saying the HAD to leave but I am saying it was an option.
I'm sure there are other ways it could have gone - I wasn't trying to cover all bases.
This was a restaurant that welcomes children and adapts to them well. They have hi-chairs but no kid's menu. They make things for kids upon request, so if you parents want some nice sushi but the kids don't want stinky fish - Oshun in El Segundo is a fantastic place to go. This place is not an 'upscale' place at all but I don't want to downplay it. It's a nice place, I go there a lot and they don't have problems with kids coming in to eat.
Now Airline travel is something entirely different than a restaurant. I hate it, I hate putting my kid in the situation and I hate exposing the folks who are also traveling with us to the possibility that my kid may not be able to cope with being crammed into a pressurized metal tube and shot through the sky. My family is spread out on both coasts and to visit I have to travel. My Dad and his wife simply won't fly since 9/11 and all the crap that goes with it. My grandparents are in their late 80s and have handicaps that make it hard to fly. I want my kid to know them so I take them at least once a year. We've had good flights and bad flights but I think generally we've been lucky. We've got another coming up in November with 2 kids and us...I am not looking forward to it - At all.
Flying with kids on planes is hard and the general traveler and even the crews don't seem to have ANY sympathy or compassion on these kids and their parents. Granted there are bad kids and bad parents but there are also good kids and good parents having bad days and you can bet that any day spent in an airport these days is probably not going to be a good day.