[Ellesu]

Are children these days out of control? The owner of the restaurant thinks far too many of them are, and he blames their parents.

[R. Scott]

I don’t believe that discipline cause irreparable damage to our "precious" little children. I was raised in the era of “Children should be seen and not heard – and seldom heard”. I see nothing wrong with it.

[Carling]

There was recently a story about a restaurant that had an "English Only" sign or something like that in its window.

I believe that owner was fined.

[SouthernFreebird]

I'm a parent and I see kids waaaaaaay out of control in public.

[HairOfTheDog]

"I am not sure whey people are upset the restaurant doesn't want their kids to act like a brat," said Lara Osborne, restaurant patron.

"That is really taking a stand for something," said Patrick Tully, restaurant patron.

You said it Patrick!

[diamond6]

Yes, there are too many out of control children. I see it all the time when I'm out and about. Permissiveness is the norm these days, and we'll reap the fruits of it in the near future.

I recommend all parents to read Michael and Debi Pearl's book: To Train Up A Child. (www.nogreaterjoy.org)

The trick is ... to "train" them at home so that they will be obedient to you when you take them out.

Another book that touches on this subject, and is also a good read is: "The Epidemic. The Rot of American Culture, Absentee and Permissive Parenting, and the Resultant Plague of Joyless, Selfish Children."

[sit-rep]

couple years ago in boca raton fla, I brought the family to a restaurant. as we walked in, i seen all the rolling eyes... i just smiled at the folks as we sat down. my wife, a friend we were visiting, and my three kids, 2, 5, and 8 and myself engaged in a wonderful conversation. the kids, got into there coloring the like to do as we three chatted after dinner for about 45 minutes. seven different people came up and commented on how well behaved and mannered our kids were.

i thought about it afterward and thought it odd that people responded this way...are there that many ill behaved kids in this land? or, is it because of a few, we want to "regulate the many"??

[LA Woman3]

Guess the owner didn't want to rename his restaurant!

[carlr]

When I worked in a NAPA store I was amazed how many people would bring their kids in and turn them loose while they came to the counter.
This was in a store full of chemicals and other dangerous things and the parents paid no attention.
In grocery stores they let them run around and take things off the shelf and put them in the cart while pleading with them to "please don`t do that" or something similar.
When I was growing up you never and I mean never got more than 3 steps away from my parents and if I was acting up I got one particular look from my father that said "knock it off".
If I went farther I was in line for a swat.

[No Longer Free State]

Since when is "Starbucks" an "eatery"?

[Tax-chick]

Kim Cavitt says she was offended when she was told her 2-year-old daughter should quiet down or they could leave. "My response was, then we're leaving," Cavitt said.

Correct response. It's hard to keep a 2-year-old quiet, I admit, but you owe it to the public to keep 2-year-olds out of places where quiet can be expected.

My youngest (not quite two) can be pretty noisy, and we almost never take him to restaurants, unless we're on the road and have no choice. (And quiet isn't expected at Hardee's.)

[Rebelbase]

""Kim Cavitt says she was offended when she was told her 2-year-old daughter should quiet down or they could leave."

Offensive because it exposed Mrs. Cavitt's lack of parenting skill?

[martin_fierro]

"And the way he handled it is extremely offensive. If you don't want children, great, that's great. Put a sign up that says no children allowed, not a benign thing where you are subjectively deciding what you consider to be positive behavior," said Cavitt.

Good behavior in a public restaurant isn't subjective.

And even if it were -- it's his restaurant.

[HungarianGypsy]

I remember being at a Sizzler one night watching a group of kids scream, jump around, and cause all sorts of ruckus. There was a family next to them (a man, woman, and little girl) who looked so relieved when these children left. Then they looked toward my table with my many children just quietly enjoying their meal. The man actually looked amazed and pointed us out to his wife.
I always like it when we are in a restaurant and someone turns around to say, "I didn't know there were any children there." My children know their dad and i really appreciate those compliments about them too.

[SuzyQue]

..my money is green and I get to have what I want," said McCauley.

I think we may have found the problem.

[Dan Nunn]

This reminds me of a story from yesterday. I was taking a 7am flight out of Buffalo (which meant I got up at 4), looking for a little sleep on the way across the country. The plane was almost done boarding, and it looked positive that I was going to get a whole row to myself (one of those small A+BC regional jets).

Then, a family boards with five children, including one infant and four aged about 3-6. My hopes suddenly dashed when they sat next to me. Their mother was carrying the baby, and their father sported a buzz-cut and a Navy sweatshirt.

Well, it turned out to be the best AM flight I've had. I didn't sleep, but the children were the most well-behaved children I've ever seen, as well as the smartest! I had a more intelligent conversation with them than I've had with teenagers. The four year old next to me clenched his Jesus portrait as we took off, and told me that maybe we'll meet again, if it's God's will.

It was quite touching to know that there are children out there that are this well behaved and respectful.

[ChefKeith]

Maybe they should put up a sign that says:

PLEASE CONTAIN YOUR CHILDREN, CONTAINERS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

[ladyinred]

We mustn't ask parents to make their little darlings behave themselves in public! Oh dear no, the darlings are allowed to express themselves donchaknow. any parent who is offended by this has a brat for a kid.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Good for the owner. If these self-centered, child-enabling parents can't keep control of their little brats while eating out, they should STAY HOME!

[Welsh Rabbit]

I might have been a little mischievous at home, but I knew never to act up at a restaurant. I still remember my first time going to a real restaurant. Before we left my mom read me the riot act and put her wooden spoon in her purse. My parents loved to eat out. We ate out about once a week. Some of my favorite memories are of eating out with my parents. There's still nothing I like better than trying a new restaurant or going to an old favorite.