Dave Smith wrote:
> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
> > Amen, Denise! Although I am of the childless persuasion, I firmly
> > believe the best way for kids to learn proper behavior and
etiquette is
> > to be out in public and (gasp!) go to good restaurants. Social
graces
> > are not learned by eating fast food in the back of Mom's minivan.
>
> That's fine as long as I don't have to be part of the learning
process. I accept
> that it is part of the package if you go to a family restaurant, but
if I pay the
> extra to go to a nice restaurant I don't want to be exposed to
someone else's
> noisy ill-behaved kids.
I agree and I have a child. Many of the restaurants here have "family
night" where the kids can dine in an adult restaurant and learn their
social graces. When I'm out with DH alone, I don't want to have my
dinner interrupted by the "antics" of someone else's kid. If I want to
be "entertained" I have a Master of Entertainment at home, and being
biased as I am, he is much cuter, smarter, and entertaining than anyone
else's child could possibly ever be
>
> > Our neighborhood group has several children in it, and they go to
dinner
> > with us. They are polite, well-behaved, and joys to be with.
>
> I don't think any reasonable person would be offended by well behaved
children.
> Crying infants have no place in a nice restaurant IMO. They aren't
learning
> anything. They are too young to be acquiring social graces. Kids who
make a lot of
> noise or get up and run around have not yet learned them.
Yup. And there's nothing wrong with beginning to learn the social
graces at fast food restaurants (or similar). DS and I sometimes eat
at the lunch area at the local Whole Foods, where it is already noisy
and the setting informal. He's usually so engrossed in his food, he
doesn't make a peep. Once he understands to stay seated and be quite
we will "graduate" to more challenging establishments. We do, on
occasion, do the "family night" at a local brew pub, too, but try to
go early before the kids in the restaurant get too wild.
-L.