Buglet is 9, and he’s fine at a buffet by himself. However, if it had been me in the OP, I would have walked over to the mother, reached out and taken something off of her plate and started to eat it while giving her a raised eyebrow “well?” look. Scathing yet subtle at the same time.
Someone struck a nerve with me. I shouldn’t have gotten mad. I got offended because I think children are the most wonderful things and are worth all the stress and headaches. Yet, I’m speaking without even having kids.
Children are snow?
It’s naive, hon, and they certainly are. Which is why they must be taught how to behave in public. Are you seriously suggesting that children should not be held to the same rules as adults if they’re going to be taken out in public?
I understand that “kids will be kids”. This is right and good, but a responsible parent needs to realize that the public at large is not exactly thrilled with a display of “being kids” while they’re trying to eat in peace.
As for your “CHILDREN AREN’T PETS!!!”, obviously not. I would never allow any of my pets to behave in the ways I regularly see people allow their children to. If I can successfully teach my dog not to steal from people’s plates, that woman could certainly teach her child.
Young children should be seated at the table while a parent fixes them a plate. They should not be up and about in the restaurant. Definitely not trying to serve themselves. esp. when there are HOT dishes that could cause injury.
You as a parent should know what your child likes and it is up to you to see that they eat a proper meal. Laziness is not acceptable in parenting. Get your ass up and take care of your kids. They cannot raise themselves… 
[slight hijack] I spent a summer in highschool as a nanny/PA to a local big wig and her 6 year old daughter. My first day the child comes into the kitchen WHIIIIINING. Without even thinking, I responded “X I hope that you don’t normally whine because I don’t like whiny kids” while her mother was standing right next to me. :eek: She sniffed and stopped whining and I rarely had any problems with her for the rest of the summer. On one particulary bad day I did threaten and execute a “I will just stop this car right here” move and picked up my book and read for about 10 minutes before she apologized. After that summer, I only saw her about 1 or 2 times a year and she always came up to me with a big hug. She is now 16 and her mother still asserts that I was the best with her and the girl still insists that I was the most fun. [/end hijack]
I have often found that kids and some adults, do better when specific behaviors are described and given a do/don’t status
I just laughed very hard at that.
Not quite yet. 
I was in a McDonalds eating lunch with a friend of mine one day, seated right next to the line of people wating to order. A woman came in with her small (2-yr?) daugher in tow. As the mother is staring at the menu board. The following conversation ensues:
Kid: tugtug* “Mommy…”
Mom (not looking down): “What?”
Kid: “I need to potty.”
Mom (still not looking down): “Fine.”
At which point the child, still in line, drops her pants and squats. :eek:
Something about the kid’s motion caught mom’s eye, for she turned and spotted what was going on. She screached, grabbed the kid, and hustled her off to the bathroom before any “incident” occurred.
Haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.
–Patch
SpazCat and I went to a Pizza Hut buffet once where the seating was so close to the buffet, we could have probably stuck out our tongues and licked the spoons. We both are rather edgy about the gatherings of people within a confined space; we are edgy about people in general as a matter of fact. So, we asked the waitress at the next available moment to move us to a table where the hordes of people and mongrels alike, wouldn’t be shoving their food onto their plates nearly clearing our heads as they grazed. Well, we were enjoying the moment until we were joined by a fleet of blonde, squirmy, slimy, just got off of church, redneck southern hypocrites that didn’t at all control their monkeys. :mad:
To make a few points: I can remember being that age (especially with more than one goofy kid around) having a lot of fun and a certain amount of is and should be allowed in public. However, I can also remember when I would violate a social norm (most of the time, being too loud), it was quickly frowned upon by both strangers and my role models. I learned quickly how to be straight and well behaved while at the same time, what is accepted within the public scene. I was also told a few times to apologize to the victims. I am under the impression that even at the age of 23, I am still learning what is acceptable and what isn’t… hehehe.
On the other hand, since spaz and I are rather adamant about not having children, we know that we probably shouldn’t have them as we are uncomfortable around them. Ones of which we’re familiar are okay, but as long as they go home after being babysat. We just don’t have the personalities of being effective parents, so that justifies my ill patience with children.
With that explanation out of the way, we watched the kids at a distance until one decided it would be fun to swing on a separator pole. The only thing that divided them and us was that pole. Then, the swarm joins in the fun. Said children decided it would be fun to put their faces near us. Spaz teaches high school, so it was fun (*insert drool emoticon here) to watch the teacher stare in action. So, that little scenario worked out well. The instigator almost crawled into a little ball beside of mom. 
The arrangement of the table was better in that we didn’t get bombarded by folks; however, there was an arcade game behind me. That was the feces for the flies, ladies and gentlemen. The Mexican children and Blonde children felt that it was time to play a game! Joy! So, they flocked in line behind me–I said many times in Spanish to move away, but that only got me blank stares as (one) the Mexican children did not expect a fair-skinned white male to have the ability to speak their language with ease, and (two) the Southern blondes don’t respond well with languages of which they aren’t familiar. So, after battling it out, we both decided that we could just move the table and chairs back toward the Mecca of Children, and they found it was hard to fit into a space where my happy fat butt sat. They got the message and they were more patient waiting it out, as we rose to leave before they did. :smack:
Again, it’s not the children’s fault, totally. It is up to a parent to take note and appropriate action when a child is in violation of accepted norms no matter their locale. However, the only time it becomes a problem is when a parent doesn’t do their job. If a parent doesn’t like children, then by all means, don’t have them. If a parent is lax in application of said violations, then that means that parents in other realms will feel violated themselves and react appropriately because they feel that it isn’t their job to raise someone else’s child. It’s either a child gets raised by their parents, someone else’s parents, their peers, or end up being trained by the police. :dubious:
A final note: it is rather funny to see children violating personal space; however, they must realize that it exists and that others have different positions regarding their space. Ergo, other people’s freedoms can not infringe on other people’s freedoms.
How does being cheerful and outgoing make someone look retarded?
Have a couple then let us know how reality has run roughshod over your fantasy.
Sorry, not a fantasy. I’ve been with kids, both misbehaving and behaving.
Being with kids and having kids are two completely different things, because when you’re with someone else’s kids you know instinctively that you only have to put up with them for a limited time. When someone else’s kids drive you to the breaking point you have the option to leave.
Not so when it’s your own kids.
Well, some people shouldn’t be parents.
Perhaps Papa Tiger should have gone back, gotten many more sausages on a plate, taken them over to the mother, and said, “Here you go - your poor child seems to be hungry.”
I can’t imagine my kids ever doing that - even when they were in the running around stage. (And no, they would not have been running around a restaurant.)
Originally stated by kputt:
. . . and some people shouldn’t be posters.
That doesn’t bother me especially when you didn’t know I was referring to you.
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.
All I’m saying is that calling children heathens and this and that, IMHO, is being childish. Satan is a heathen, not children.
I’m not trying to bust on anyone here.
“Well, some people shouldn’t be parents.” I am referring to those who don’t raise children right.
The damn hamsters got the balance of the above post.
The ending was as follows:
Included on the list of people who shouldn’t have kids are people naive enough to think that raising kids to me decent human beings is a simple task. Also included are those who are not only naive but are willing to take offense at the joking opinions of people who do have children.
No offense kputt, but I know your comment was directed at me, and think it’s in poor taste for someone who doesn’t have kids to comment on childrearing with such obvious lack of both sense and knowledge.
-welby
I’m sorry Welby. I was wrong for that. Also, I never ever said it was an easy task. I know it’s extremely hard. Most likey, harder than I can even imagine. That’s why I’m afraid to have kids.
I’m also sorry for having a stupid kick me sign on my back and getting upset too easily. Forget the insults that I might have thrown at you, or any other poster. They were in poor judgment.