I know that all of our kids are perfect angels so this doesn't concern us but what does everyone think of the less fortunate souls that this affects?
http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2971198&page=1
Restaurant Takes On Rowdy Kids
I lived down the street from
I lived down the street from this restaurant & noticed the sign before all the controversy. it should be said that the cafe itself seems unwelcoming to kids & the food doesn't look appetizing despite the name of the place (taste of heaven). that being said, I took the sign as a notice that this was not a place for kids & I casually boycotted it. it seemed for every person like me, there was another who made a point to support their policies. my honest thought is that parents are told to ignore their kids bad behavior & that this is not entirely appropriate at public places.
We talked about this....
Ticktock and I actually casually conversed about this on the way home from a Blackhawks game (note: Blackhawks are so bad you don't bother talking about them on the way home.)
I have no problem with it. The sign never said, "Children are not welcome." Asking children to behave and use their inside voices seems reasonable. I've seen many parents (at parks, museums, restaurants, etc) who see to live comepletely by the "kids are kids" philosophy. Heck I Have a two year old so it's not that I don;t understand that sometimes kids act up. But at the same time we don't let our son get up and do whatever he wants wherever he wants (as Im sure most of you don't).
This to me is the same society that feels bad for the couple who were thrown off a plane because they couldn't get their daughter into her seat on the plane. You are the PARENTS, get her in the seat. (Btw, I read the articles, the girl had no behavioral or developmental problems that would provide extenuating circumstances.)
I respect ticktock for not visiting TofH. But to make a news story of this seemed absurd then, and now.
Hopefully this leads to a nice, civil discussion....
Josh
SAHD Since August 2005
It really does seem
It really does seem ludicrous that the press blew this up into a huge deal. I think one would assume that parents would protest this sort of sign... be outraged. I just looked at it, shrugged, and moved on. And I actually totally agree with the thought that parents should control their kids. As a waiter, I encountered many rich girls with designer strollers letting their kids create chaos by hollering and destroying the contents of the sugar caddy (etc), and leave the mess for me to pick up.
However, it's a little obnoxious to place a sign at kid-level eyesight based on one or two instances of misbehavior, and it's really odd to ban someone from eating there. This to me is indicative of an over-bearing or unkind owner, and that's the only reason I avoided the place. Plus, I'd have been constantly wondering whether my baby's cute coos were offensive enough to have me kicked out. Where do you draw the line with that sort of thing? I understand that this guy claimed the kids were climbing the walls, but what does that mean in his world?
I can't believe I'm writing this much about it. There is something fascinating about a cafe that captures the nation's attention. Last week's "This American Life" was recorded at the Golden Apple on Lincoln in Chicago. It felt so weird to be listening to the descriptioin of the rotating pie display, and to actually remember that display as well as all the waitresses, drunks, and regulars.
Well...yes & no
I see both sides of this one, having been on various sides of it: parent w/kids (both behaving and not), parent trying to dine w/o kids, restaurant server. I think the restaurant owner's sentiment is valid...nothing wrong with asking for respectful behavior...but it does sound like he handled it the wrong way. A much gentler request of the (un-)supervising parent to get their kid under control was probably in order, but outright telling them never to return seems overboard...and immediately slapping a sign up on the front door adds insult to injury. Something along the lines of "Please do come back another time when your child is better able to participate in the restaurant experience" might have sufficed. No reason not to have a similar gently worded sign up, but perhaps not immediately on the heels of a kerfuffle with a customer.
- Andy
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kcdad/
I agree with Andy. I think a
I agree with Andy. I think a kinder, gentler sign might be in order if a sign absolutely has to be posted, but also the restaurant owner or manager on duty might be able to remind the parents of those rambunctious kiddies, that there are other people dining in the restaurant and ask them to please keep their children under control.
Kerfuffle. Good one Andy! Don't see that one used too often! : )
Media bashing
I thought the article about the restaurant on Chicago's North Side was very interesting. It's a topic both parents as well as folks without kids can relate to or have experienced first hand.
I know I don't want to be sitting at a restaurant or on an airplane next to a misbehaving kid. I also know how terrible it feels to be holding a crying baby and knowing you are annoying everyone in a 10 ft radius. Still, there is nothing you can do to stop the tantrum.
Articles like this make readers or television viewers talk about these often difficult topics. That's a good thing. Hell, this email thread wouldn't even exist if the story was lame. Nobody would have anything to say.
That being said, I wish folks on this site would stop complaining about media coverage. This is the latest example. Other examples can be found in the thread about suggestions for the upcoming convention. (Making media folks wear a big scarlet letter so everyone can distinguish between them and other conventioneers.)
Of course, I am a member of the media, as well as a stay-at-home dad. Thus, my opinion in biased. I just feel that attacking the media for a story that clearly generated emotional response is dumb. That's what good news stories are supposed to do. Admittedly, the media is an easy target, and there certainly are areas that need improvement.
I just think this story is a bad example of poor media coverage. In my opinion, this is exactly the type of story newspapers should be writing. Stories that promote discussion and strong feelings both sides.
Thanks to KevH for posting the link. I probably wouldn't have seen the story otherwise. Yet another reason this site rocks.
Misunderstood
I didn't mean to come across as saying this story was a "bad example of poor media coverage" as Howard states. In fact, I thought the article was rather well done. And I surely did not mean to infuriate any members of the media. Sorry if I came across that way.
What was meant to come across in my comment was that I just thought the whole situation was blown way out of proportion, and the media coverage was what made it so. Obviously, just my honest opinion.
I am an activist for many things, and I am also politically active, so I just think our society and our world has WAYYYYYYYY more "difficult" topics than this to deal with and our collective energies (as well as the media's energy) could be better spent elsewhere. But that is a topic for a whole other website!
Oh yeah...I almost forgot... GO GATORS!!
Infuriated
By no means was I infuriated. Just wanted to try to halt what I see as a disturbing trend. I really like this Web site, and I visit often. However, if folks are going to continue to bash the media, I'm not going to feel as comfortable and thus won't check in as frequently.
It's easy to criticize the media, and often we deserve it. I just thought this was an unwarranted attack on a story that was well written and thought provoking.
By speaking up, I figure I might prevent another knee-jerk, "blame-the-media" reaction.
That is all. Again, I appreciate the site and the conversation. It's good to get fired up over something other than the cost of baby formula and the lack of changing tables in men's rooms.
Joined: 2006-11-16
Dad Points: 540