"Peter Aitken" > writes:
>"nancree" > wrote:

>> 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.

>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?

I'm sure nancree understands. I definitely agree with you, Peter,
that a young child's screaming (and sometimes running around or throwing
things) is one of the most annoying, irritating things that can happen
when you're trying to enjoy dinner. And parents who allow this sort of
thing and don't even try to calm the child or monitor their actions are
deplorable.
However, I do know some people just aren't bothered by little kids
screaming or running amok. Like the parents, they just tune it out, or
it doesn't affect them. I would like to think that those who aren't
bothered by screaming at least realize that many others *are* bothered
by it, and just because they are bothered by it doesn't mean they are
insane or cry-babies.
Like I said before, it doesn't matter if the OP was telling the truth
or not, in a hypothetical situation like this, if I had gone to a
restaurant expecting it to be a quiet, adult atmosphere and found myself
sitting next to a large family with multiple kids, one screaming, I
would not have stayed.

Stacia