Children eating out

[Jac]

Following on from yesterdays daily thread I just wondered what you all though of children eating out in restaurants and pubs.
I must admit we do go for quite a lot of bar meals in the summer months. Derek loves eating out as a family. Mind you I do to as it means no cooking for me.
Anyway when we eat out Ceilidh is quiet and mannerly. (as she has been brought up). Sometimes she'll get a bit fed up if there's kids being "mad". I always have a little something in my bag. ie colouring stuff or bead making to keep her amused if there is a long delay with the meal.
When we eat at home it's always at the table. No TV's and we chat about our day. How school was or Derek's work.
If we go to a friends house or have visitors she know's that its grown up time. As is night time. I'll do all sorts with her during the day but night time is grown ups time.
Both Sean and Darryle have been brought up with "manners cost nothing" . Even when I'm not there I know they will give up a seat on the bus, open doors ect.
I know there possibly old fashioned values but I really do feel strongly about them easpecially manners.
What do you all think?

[dinahsmum]

Agree with all you say Jac. Makes me feel like a Victorian sometimes but .........

[alexgirl73]

My 2 have to eat at the table, on occasion Robert and I will eat with them! Both of mine have been brought up with P's and Q's! I must admit though that it is more difficult to eat out because of hayley. She becomes very bored easily and can become whiney and loud, so for that reason I don't usually take them out to eat unless it's a McD's or something similar. I know how irritated and annoyed I get when people don't control their children in restaurants so I won't subject them to my childrens naughty behaviour, though I do hesitate to call it naughtiness with Hayley! Raechel is very well mannered however so I do feel that she misses out on experiences like that because of her sister! not a lot I can do though.

[Tanya]

My mum has bought me and my sister up to be exactly the same Jac!!

Trouble is trying to train my boyfriend!!:roll: Simple things like not saying pardon me after burping makes me crazy! :D

[Jac]

Alex, have you tried taking little surprises with you? When she gets board produce something that will take her attention? I have fond miniature necklace making stuff and colouring pencils also wee games you know puzzles that kind of thing. Even a pen and a bit of paper.

[Mags]

I wasn't afraid to take my two anywhere, be it restaurants, shops, cinema etc....... they were always well behaved and I am pleased to see my daughter is bringing her two children up the same. We all went out for a meal last Sunday and her children were so good and it was nice to see they had table manners too.

I think there is nothing worse than when you are in a restaurant and the parents allow their children to run around shouting their heads off and they seem oblivious to it!:roll:
Another pet hate is when children are sat at the table and eat their food with their fingers instead of using a knife and fork....

Maybe that's today's world and I am old fashioned! ;):D

[dinahsmum]

No, I just think you have standards and self respect Mags and, sadly, a good number of people no longer do.
I can remember at least two occasions when we were eating out with my children (one a motorway service station, one a 'Beefeater') where someone actually went out of their way to come over to our table and say how nice to see children behaving so well :oops: . What a shame that it seemed so rare for kids to sit quietly, clear their plates and then stack them, even way back then!
They weren't goodie-goodies by any means, there were times, at home, where they drove me to distraction, but I can honestly say they have never embarrassed me outside the home.
And some things remain, from my own upbringing. I can never, ever, bring myself to 'eat in the street' as my mum would put it. Maybe, just maybe, an ice cream, at the seaside, if there's a sea wall or something to sit on. Otherwise, no, never. I can't eat and walk at the same time! :)

[Jac]

I hate seeing kids eat with there fingers or with there mouth open when chewing!!!!!!!!:smt078

[alexgirl73]

Alex, have you tried taking little surprises with you? When she gets board produce something that will take her attention? I have fond miniature necklace making stuff and colouring pencils also wee games you know puzzles that kind of thing. Even a pen and a bit of paper.

I have tried things like that but then she argues with her sister over who has what pen etc! part of Hayleys problem is that she can't share and doesn't cope well with stressful situations. I've just found it easier over time not to go out with her for a meal. The last one we went to was her 5th birthday!! I find it had because raechel has always been so polite and well mannered and like DM I've had compliments given to me on how well behaved and polite she has been. Hayley is a different kettle of fish altogether. Most of the time I don't compare them because Hayley is a wonderful little girl in her own right, but at times it's hard not too:(

[Mags]

That's another thing DM....eating in the street:mad: Because of today's lifestyle and takeaways, the youth of today don't appear to understand what those bins are for along the roadsides:roll:....it comes as second nature to them to discard everything into the road or somebody's garden..:mad: Unless children of today are taught to put all rubbish in the bins provided, I'm afraid the build up of litter on our roads is going to get worse. Strangely enough though, when we are abroad on holiday we always comment on how clean their roads/streets are....hardly a sign of a bit of paper:o

[dandysmom]

I must be old fashioned and Victorian also, because I agree with everything Jac and others said! It's terribly annoying to try to enjoy a meal with friends when parents are allowing their children to behave like wild animals! I wasn't brought up that way!

[dinahsmum]

Life's nicer for the children when they are well behaved/polite too. My son had one school year when his sister had already gone to senior school, so he had to take the (ordinary, town) bus to his school (as we had moved house, away from the junior school,which we used to walk to). He became the blond, blue-eyed darling of the bus. The only child on that journey, because of the house move. All the ladies on their way to work in town got to know him by name; he always stood if seats became short; talked to them, etc. When it was his 10th birthday they all wanted to know if he was lucky to receive the gifts he wanted, and he came home with several bags of Maltesers (his favourites!) etc

[Moli]

My children were brought up as I was to be well mannered and respectful..We could take them anywhere and know they would behave......Like others here I cannot stand going out for a meal, and having it spoilt because some parents will just not control their children....

[Jac]

The thing is at the end of the day it's the parents responsibility. Unfortunately it seems in this day and age table manners went out the window along with respect for elders ect.

[dandysmom]

I'm afraid you're right, Jac ......sad, isn't it?

[Kim]

Agree with you totally Jac.

My daughter works as a waitress in a pub/restaurant and she says it is amazing how some parents let their children run around and cause havoc. Spoils the enjoyment for others and several times she has nearly been knocked over by a child.

[yola]

I defense of children, we were in (child-friendly) Carluccios today, and all the kids there, including my own :-D were very well behaved. Yes, you had some of the smaller ones screaming a bit, but try asking an under-12-month-old baby to sit at a table for an hour and see what happens!

I have to say that I've only witnessed one single horrendous episode with a child. It was in a veggie (ish)restaurant in Bath and the parents of this little boy were letting him take all his food off his plate and pile it on the table and on his chair. They allowed him to sprinkle salt all over the table and the floor. He run havoc in the place, would not be controlled and to be honest I found his parents were the objectionable ones as they were delighting in his behaviour totally oblivious to the hostility of the remaining diners. The child was just a mild annoyance.

I hate bad manners of any kind, but what really gets my back up is the obvious instilling and in some cases, encouraging of bad behaviour in children by their parents!

[dandysmom]

Too right, Yola! Children aren't born with an instinct for good manners and behavior, that child will be a little hellion when he's older, and it will be entirely the parents fault!