Thats all well and good,
but plenty of people don't. I've had many a romantic meal with my girlfriend spoiled because of kids in the restaurant, and these were nice restaurants too.

What annoys me is the complete lack of consideration for other people that some parents display. If you can't find a babysitter, you don't go out. I went to a restaurant in Lancaster called Simply French once. It's a posh restaurant that caters almost exclusively to couples (the majority of tables in there are for two people only. You had to inform them in advance if you had a larger party coming so they could accommodate it). We went to celebrate our one year anniversary there, and there was a couple with a kid in a pram, that would not fucking shut up. I'm sorry, but that is just inconsiderate.

Our table was booked for 9:00. That kid should have been in bed by then. It seemed obvious to me that they had a meal booked, couldn't do anything with the kid, and so brought it along. If your night is so important to you that you'd want to get a babysitter, it's a fair assumption that other peoples nights are also important enough to them that they too don't want to be disturbed by a fucking screaming kid. That's what I resent more than anything about it, the idea that "we have to put up with it, so everyone else can put up with it too".

That was the point in the original post. I don't have to put up with it actually. I don't give a fuck about your kids. It's your fault you had them, so you deal with it. Just like if I carried around a cardboard box filled with shit and blaring white noise, I wouldn't expect anyone else to put up with it.
( PMGT -Bacon., Mon 5 Mar 2012, 0:18, 4 replies)

You should post paragraph 2 as an answer.
You might win QOTW.
( Pope Shax XIII uses Visio for picture editing, does it show?, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 4:32, closed)

I deal with it every fucking day mate. And my point is that
It's not always that easy. You'll have kids one day then you won't be so smug.
(Nitrous Nitrous, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 8:04, closed)

Why is it that every parent
Labels those without children as "child"?
(The Luggage is haunted..., Mon 5 Mar 2012, 9:39, closed)

Not going to happen.
I hate kids. As does my girlfriend. I'm making it my duty not to reproduce. I would not be a good parent.
( PMGT -Bacon., Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:13, closed)

Oh fuck off
Have you ever been to a child friendly restaurant? They are unremittingly shit (plus they are full of other kids, who aren't as well behaved as your own.)
Much better to go to a nice restaurant and put up with the sneers and passive aggressive complaints of the other diners.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 10:02, closed)

yeah, they are shit because they have children in them...

( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 10:13, closed)

Partly, yes.
But there seems to be an assumption that people with kids want to eat shit food too.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 10:41, closed)

That's not an assumption, it's a punishment.

( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 10:53, closed)

Are we not punished enough?

( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 11:02, closed)

No.
Because I don't like children. Why would I got to a child friendly restaurant?

If we go away on holiday, I make a point of booking at adult only hotels. Unfortunately there aren't many adult only restaurants. I don't like children in the same way that some people don't like cats. I don't see why that is so hard to grasp. Children ruin everything. Even parents constantly fucking complain about the fact that their kids wake them up at all hours of the night, and that they take a lot of looking after, and it's hard work, and we want to go for nice food too, blah blah blah... I don't care. If life is so fucking hard for you, then you shouldn't have had kids in the first place. I don't want kids for the reasons described above, therefore I'm not going to have any. I think it's a fairly straightforward idea. Just like, "I don't want to set myself on fire, so I won't".
( PMGT -Bacon., Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:18, closed)

Just because I have children why should I have to eat somewhere shit?
You not liking children isn't good enough reason, I'm afraid.
You can't ask restaurants to keep out types you don't like.
Personally I don't like to see happy couples eating out in restaurants, celebrating their anniversaries, rubbing my nose in it that they still love each other and haven't ruined their lives by having children.

I'm unclear as to whether your problem in restaurants is with babies or older children. With older children I agree with you - they should be brought up to behave properly in public (and at home). But babies will cry occasionally and it can be mildy irritating for some people. They usually get over it though.
( tangledupinblue hairy badge with moving eyes, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 15:00, closed)

Older children.
Babies are just a meaty blob of nerve endings and instinct. I totally accept that they will cry for no reason at any given time. That is no-one's fault.

And my problem isn't really with the kids either. It's with the parents who don't fucking do anything to rectify the matter.

Also - since when can you not keep out "types you don't like"? I've been to adult only restaurants, pubs, hotels... It's not against the law to want a certain type of clientele.
( PMGT -Bacon., Mon 5 Mar 2012, 15:47, closed)

I reckon
and I stand to be corrected, that it's probably quite unusual to turn up at a posh restaurant at 9pm and find people there with a screaming baby.

I quite agree that it's a stupid thing to do, and you are very much entitled to complain that it happened.

But to say that's what all parents do . . . no, it's not.

Either they're complete idiots - possible, or they had booked themselves for a night out and the babysitter didn't turn up. 9/10 couples would cancel. You were unlucky and got the one that didn't.
(username failed moderation, Mon 5 Mar 2012, 12:33, closed)

I agree
And I also concede that you only ever notice the kids that are badly behaved. There are plenty of people out there who go to restaurants with kids who are immaculately behaved. I have no problem with that at all. I just think it's really rude to sit there when your kid is screaming and being a little shit and not do anything about it. Which happens fucking PLENTY.

I remember as a child, if I ever started acting up, my mum would take me outside until I calmed down. Which I eventually did because I came to realise that being outside wasn't as nice as being inside. So eventually I would behave myself. And then we would go back in.
( PMGT -Bacon., Mon 5 Mar 2012, 14:20, closed)