# I pit crying babies in public places **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 25, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368 "2010-01-25T15:52:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/381 "2010-01-28T21:16:39Z")
Oops, sorry, I forgot where I was. Won’t do it again, I promise. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/382 "2010-01-28T21:21:14Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > And you “have actual work [you] need to do today,” which is why you can’t respond to a simple request for actual information? Ahahaha. What a fucking cop-out. You might as well have said, “You have a valid point, but I’m too chickenshit to admit that I have no good response to it.” There ya go again, making shit up about what I posted. You’re an expert at making shit up to talk about. Let’s call that THREE times you’ve resorted to that dishonest bullshit to take a poke at me. Let everyone know when you’re ready to have an actually discussion instead of making up stuff and making demands that people give you information. Maybe others are willing to play your games, but I’m done with you. You should stick to the Wow thread where your posts have actual value. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/383 "2010-01-28T21:26:26Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Of course you did. Convenient that you only mention it after I brought it up, but totally plausible. > > Trust me, I believe you when you say you assaulted the kid. It is the kind of psychotic behavior that you have given the impression is normal for you. Your later excuses, conveniently remembered at a time that they make you look better and your additions to the story, on the other hand, come across as total bullshit. Convenient if you don’t read what you reply to. Check post #328 where I said “Asking them nicely didn’t work”. You posted in #329. Or you can stick to your lie, whichever. > [@villa](#): > > The reason I brought it up is because you utter unreasonableness generally is relevant. You are, bottom line, a crazy person, and are making that clearer post by post. It is a shame you don’t have to wear a big sticker on your head warning people about it. Crazy for screaming at a kid who’s been screaming for 10 mins while his parents do nothing? Yeah, if that’s crazy, then I’m fucking nuts. And by the way, if screaming at a kid counts as crazy, then I’ll bet half the parents in the country are crazy. > [@villa](#): > > I busted on Denny’s for a couple of reasons. First the food is so ungodly bad that a large part of me feels anyone who eats there deserves exactly what they get. But more importantly because it is the kind of restaurant where screaming kids are more likely. I’m over it. But I still judge you based on it. It’s not bad based on what you get and the time of the week. I had a friend who worked at a Denny’s for a while. He told me they cleaned the restaurant every Wed night. He warned me never to go on Mon or Tuesday. And the clam chowder I had that Friday was the best chowder I’ve ever had, so I suppose different strokes for different folks apply here. > [@villa](#): > > I didn’t mention the waiter, psycho. I mentioned the management. Who are paid to deal with that sort of thing. The management, as representatives of the owners of the establishment you are attending can do various things. They can ask the people to leave if their child continues, or they can tell you to suck it up. That’s **their** choice. You instead decided that you would decide the corporate policies towards crying children. And you decided them in a way that was definitely tortious, and warranted a fat lip. Fortunately for you the parents of the child were more civilized than you, despite their apparent lack of parenting skills (though on that front I only have you extremely dubious word to go on). You deal with it your way, I’ll deal with it my way. For the record, according to people who have reported stuff like this to management, my way works better 😃 > [@villa](#): > > If they ignore management, it is management’s problem. If management chooses to let the kid scream on, then they have made that decision. At no stage is it your responsibility or right to assault the child. And you make yourself look incredibly stupid by suggesting you would win a law suit against a parent who stopped you from doing it. Management’s problem? Did you conveniently forget the fact that this kid would still be screaming in my ear the next booth over? Oh yeah, that sounds completely like management’s problem! Waiter, I’ll have an Iced Tea with a side of deafness please! I don’t need to have a conversation with my friends because, hey! this kid’s all the noise I need! Why don’t I take my friends somewhere else where we can share a burger with a side of screaming? You’re fucking blind if you think a screaming kid is only management’s problem. It is their problem, it’s the problem of the waiters, it’s every other patron’s problem, and it’s MY problem because I was sitting right next to them. And you’re crazier than me if you think screaming at a kid is assault. That sounds like you graduated from the lawschool of Bullshit and Hyperbole ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/384 "2010-01-28T21:27:45Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > If I were at a restaurant where there was a crying baby, I would probably get perturbed. So much so that I might even write about it on my Facebook page. What I wouldn’t do is put my face inches from a crying infant and scream at it to shut up. That would make me somewhat retarded, I believe. You can name call all you want, but you can’t argue with results! 😃 That baby deserved to be screamed at, I did it, and it worked. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/385 "2010-01-28T21:30:04Z")
> [@thirdwarning](#): > > Actually, “long suit” is perfectly appropos there. Huh, apparently it is [an actual expression](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/long%20suit). Ignorance fought. > [@](#): > > Yes, a minute might be plenty long for the parents to react to a disruptive child, but your assumption that the only possible ways to deal with it are either to stuff food into the kid, or to remove him pretty much immediately is not reasonable. I’m perfectly willing to admit that someone should let their whelp scream at a table in public for more than a minute \*\*\*if \*\*\*someone will give me an example of what they’d be doing (which would take more than a minute) and/or explain why all that can’t be tried in a more private area once it’s become apparent that the kid isn’t going to immediately quiet down again. > [@tacoloco](#): > > There ya go again, making shit up about what I posted. I quoted you verbatim. You said you didn’t have time to respond, because you had actual work to get done. Both that post \*and the fact that you’re catching up and responding yet again \*belie that statement. The problem is not whatever other things are keeping you exactly busy enough to have time to tell me I’m an idiot but not back it up with evidence: the problem is that, for whatever reason, you just don’t want to actually debate anything. I choose to believe it’s 'cause you know I’m right and are just afraid to admit it, because that’s the scenario that reflects best on me. Duh? > [@](#): > > Let everyone know when you’re ready to have an actually discussion instead of making up stuff and making demands that people give you information. My god! How dare I try to get you to \*discuss \*things with me and \*demonstrate \*that I’m wrong instead of just \*telling \*me that I’m wrong and expecting me to take your word for it! _Horrors!_ ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/386 "2010-01-28T21:34:14Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > You can name call all you want, but you can’t argue with results! 😃 That baby deserved to be screamed at, I did it, and it worked. And I’m sure it proved to any who witnessed the event what a total fucking psycho you are. I suppose that’s a positive. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/387 "2010-01-28T21:37:21Z")
Come on - let’s not stop now - 5 more pages and we can overtake the Health Care Horror Story thread, and in less time to boot! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/388 "2010-01-28T21:37:25Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > “So was it worth it just to say the name out loud?” “Yes.” > > Oh, some people. There’s some Cracker Barrel-ish place that has a breakfast item called the Farmer’s Daughter. That’s a fun one to order. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/389 "2010-01-28T21:38:10Z")
> [@thirdwarning](#): > > Shot From Guns, your original position was reasonable, but now **you’re going a bit overboard, trying to defend it.** Yes, a minute might be plenty long for the parents to react to a disruptive child, but your assumption that the only possible ways to deal with it are either to stuff food into the kid, or to remove him pretty much immediately is not reasonable. I wouldn’t let it go on too long, but it isn’t unreasonable to allow the parents to try a couple of things that have worked for them in the past, or to institute disciplinary measures if necessary. I’m sorry, but this post is inadequte. Please provide the actual tasks along with a timeline. Submit this to SFG for her approval. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/390 "2010-01-28T21:38:24Z")
Some of you people are two biscuits short of a barnyard buster. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/391 "2010-01-28T21:40:18Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > You can name call all you want, but you can’t argue with results! 😃 That baby deserved to be screamed at, I did it, and it worked. You did it and it _worked_! It worked because the parents didn’t stand up to you. It would have been sweet justice when you shit your pants if the parents stood up to you. Be proud of yourself if you want, but also be grateful that you still have all of your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/392 "2010-01-28T21:42:29Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Some of you people are two biscuits short of a barnyard buster. _sigh_ Now I’m hungry. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/393 "2010-01-28T21:44:23Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I’m perfectly willing to admit that someone should let their whelp scream at a table in public for more than a minute \*\*\*if \*\*\*someone will give me an example of what they’d be doing (which would take more than a minute) and/or explain why all that can’t be tried in a more private area once it’s become apparent that the kid isn’t going to immediately quiet down again. Well, for one thing, if the child is crying because he’s hungry, it could take a couple of tries to find something he’s willing to eat, especially if he’s already upset. That’s not going to happen in the restroom, and might best be done at the table instead of lugging diaper bag and baby out. Gathering up baby and his stuff is going to take some time that might be better spent getting him settled. If he’s not hungry he might be tired, more than anticipated when you left home. Again, gathering him up, stuffing him into outside clothes, and carrying him out of the room will probably take more time than trying something to soothe him there in the seat, or on your lap, and might just be counter-productive by getting him more stimulated. And can we get past this “scream” thing? Most children cry when they get upset, but rarely do they actually scream. It’s a loaded word and bad form. Not that crazy about “whelp” either. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/394 "2010-01-28T21:53:01Z")
> [@thirdwarning](#): > > Well, for one thing, if the child is crying because he’s hungry, it could take a couple of tries to find something he’s willing to eat, especially if he’s already upset. That’s not going to happen in the restroom, and might best be done at the table instead of lugging diaper bag and baby out. Gathering up baby and his stuff is going to take some time that might be better spent getting him settled. > > If he’s not hungry he might be tired, more than anticipated when you left home. Again, gathering him up, stuffing him into outside clothes, and carrying him out of the room will probably take more time than trying something to soothe him there in the seat, or on your lap, and might just be counter-productive by getting him more stimulated. See, was that so hard? Do you really think it will take more than a minute to try to offer the kid a few items, though? (Serious question, not snarky.) At least with babies, my experience with crying ones generally tends to be that if you’re offering them a nipple, if they’re hungry-crying, they’re going to take it pretty quickly; another 45 seconds of shoving it in their face isn’t going to help matters any. Other things to calm the kid down, which may take longer, could certainly be done in a bathroom, in a foyer, in a lobby, or outside if the weather’s nice (obviously not in the midwest in the middle of winter). Again, maybe this is just the way I was raised, but to me it’s not considerate to do all that fussing in a place where you’re disturbing others. When the baby starts up crying, if you can’t immediately solve the problem (i.e., within a minute or so), you remove yourself if at all possible. Sure, it’s more work for _you_, but it’s about consideration for everyone else in the room. > [@](#): > > And can we get past this “scream” thing? Most children cry when they get upset, but rarely do they actually scream. It’s a loaded word and bad form. Not that crazy about “whelp” either. Yes, I was using deliberately antagonistic language. Pretty sure I worked “spawn” in there once or twice, too. Thanks for noticing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/395 "2010-01-28T21:57:12Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Other things to calm the kid down, which may take longer, could certainly be done in a bathroom :eek: ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/396 "2010-01-28T22:09:07Z")
What worries me is that some of the idiots in this thread are breeding… ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/397 "2010-01-28T22:14:32Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > :eek: Easier to clean up the blood when you’ve got a sink right there, natch’. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/398 "2010-01-28T22:47:43Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Convenient if you don’t read what you reply to. Check post #328 where I said “Asking them nicely didn’t work”. You posted in #329. Or you can stick to your lie, whichever. I assumed “them” referred to the child. Even if it referred to the parents, you still made it up after you were called on your psychotic behavior. > [@YogSosoth](#): > > Crazy for screaming at a kid who’s been screaming for 10 mins while his parents do nothing? Yeah, if that’s crazy, then I’m fucking nuts. > > And by the way, if screaming at a kid counts as crazy, then I’ll bet half the parents in the country are crazy. No, crazy for your general behavior, which is why I alluded to your previous insanity of assuming everyone who has a drink is an alcoholic. This is just another sign of it. And if a parent is screaming into the face of their child, they have issues. > [@YogSosoth](#): > > It’s not bad based on what you get and the time of the week. I had a friend who worked at a Denny’s for a while. He told me they cleaned the restaurant every Wed night. He warned me never to go on Mon or Tuesday. And the clam chowder I had that Friday was the best chowder I’ve ever had, so I suppose different strokes for different folks apply here. We have different expectations of restaurants, clearly. > [@YogSosoth](#): > > You deal with it your way, I’ll deal with it my way. For the record, according to people who have reported stuff like this to management, my way works better 😃 > > Management’s problem? Did you conveniently forget the fact that this kid would still be screaming in my ear the next booth over? Oh yeah, that sounds completely like management’s problem! Waiter, I’ll have an Iced Tea with a side of deafness please! I don’t need to have a conversation with my friends because, hey! this kid’s all the noise I need! Why don’t I take my friends somewhere else where we can share a burger with a side of screaming? > > You’re fucking blind if you think a screaming kid is only management’s problem. It is their problem, it’s the problem of the waiters, it’s every other patron’s problem, and it’s MY problem because I was sitting right next to them. You aren’t very smart, are you? It’s up to management whether they allow screaming kids in there or not. It’s not up to you. What is up to you is whether you eat there or not. If they take the family’s side not yours, you leave. You don’t determine their policies. Were I running the place, I’d ask the family to keep the kid quiet, or leave if they could not. If I saw you act in that fashion, I would throw your ass out onto the street. Which would be a win for everyone, in fact. > [@YogSosoth](#): > > And you’re crazier than me if you think screaming at a kid is assault. That sounds like you graduated from the lawschool of Bullshit and Hyperbole No, I know what the tort of assault entails, sparky. [In common law, assault is the tort of acting intentionally and voluntarily causing the reasonable apprehension of an immediate harmful or offensive contact](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_(tort)). You creaming into the child’s face was both intentional and voluntary, and I don’t think I would have a lot of trouble demonstrating, especially from your other comments, that the intention was to create that apprehension with either the parents or the child. That’s assault. Not necessarily criminal assault, but you were the pussy who initially brought up suing. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/399 "2010-01-28T22:51:54Z")
> [@villa](#): > > \ > > No, I know what the tort of assault entails, sparky. [In common law, assault is the tort of acting intentionally and voluntarily causing the reasonable apprehension of an immediate harmful or offensive contact](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_(tort)). **You creaming into the child’s face** was both intentional and voluntary, and I don’t think I would have a lot of trouble demonstrating, especially from your other comments, that the intention was to create that apprehension with either the parents or the child. That’s assault. Not necessarily criminal assault, but you were the pussy who initially brought up suing. eewww! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368/400 "2010-01-28T22:55:28Z")
> [@otternell](#): > > eewww! :eek: Yeah, I probably think that qualifies under a whole 'nother area of laws… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-crying-babies-in-public-places/526368.md?page=21)