"nancree" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> According to Peter Aiken
> " It is astounding how some parents
> are so completely selfish and ignore anyone and everyone around them.
> And of
> course the bratty kids will turn out the same way. It's a good argument
> for
> euthanasia. "
> ---------Geez, Peter, I had always thought of you as one of the saner
> posters here. I'm sure the parents were disturbed as well, but
> temporarily unable to quiet their child. Perhaps they weren't
> "completely selfish". Arrowhead is a family resort area, high in the
> mountains, and there are not a lot of restaurant choices. It was a
> holiday/family week-end. Don't you suppose the parents were hoping to
> have a quiet family dinner as well? Baby-sitter prices these days, in
> a resort area, can run more than the dinner tab. Why didn't they/you
> ask to be served in another, quieter area? Go to an adult club. Or ask
> to be served in the bar area. There seem to be more "Crying Babies"
> here on RFC that in the Saddleback Restaurant. From your post, I'd
> guess that YOU were one of the crying babies when you were young.
> Nancree (waiting for more "flack" from you adult cry-babies)
>

I am sure the parents would have been happier if the child had been quiet.
But it wasn't, so what do they do? Just sit there and expect everyone around
them to put up with it, and baby crying is one of the most annoying noises
in existence. They could have taken the kid outside and walked it until it
was quiet, or asked for their food to be sent to their room. They could have
hired a baby sitter (should other people's dinners be ruined because they
are on a budget?). Or, best and most mature, they could have arranged a
vacation that did not require taking a noisy baby to inappropriate places.
But that involves consideration for others which was obviously lacking.

It is really bizarre that you consider someone who wants a quiet and relaxed
ambience in a fancy restaurant to be a "cry baby." Perhaps to you dining is
just shoveling food into your mouth. To many others it is an enjoyable time
for relaxation, companionship, and conversation. To have an icepick stuck in
my ear - which is just about what a squalling baby is like - really ruins
the experience. To have my companion's voice drowned out by a brat's shriek
tends to spoil the moment. Do you really not get this? In a Shoneys or
McDonalds or Cracker Barrel it's different, but at a "nice" restaurant it is
out of place - period.

Perhaps I was a crying baby, but I assure you that my parents had more class
than to take me to a nice restaurant and expect the other patrons to put up
with me. I raised two kids and was fortunate that they were relatively
quiet. Even so I would never have even considered taking them to a nice
restaurant when they were little.

Some people think only of themselves. "I want dinner at this restaurant and
if my noisy baby annoys other people then **** them." Other people are more
considerate. "I want dinner at this restaurant but my noisy baby might annoy
other people so I will make other plans." Which one are you?

Peter Aitken