Posted on 08/10/2010 4:39:06 PM PDT by nickcarraway
One family got more than unlimited breadsticks when they visited a Boynton Beach Olive Garden Saturday night.
Richard Bennett and his family were having dinner at the Olive Garden at 1001 N. Congress Avenue when Bennett claims Paul Blankenfield started to make comments about his son, according to the police report.
"Can you control your kid, I'm trying to have dinner," Bennett told police Blankenfield said several times. Bennett said he tried to ignore Blankenfield, but when Blankenfield began to curse, Bennett told him that his 11-year-old son had autism. To which Blankenfield replied, "So what?"
The confrontation got physical when Blankenfield got up from his seat, pushed Bennett's chest and struck him in the side of the neck before other patrons intervened. When police arrived, Blankenfield was handcuffed and charged with simple battery.
"You know what, good for him," the police report states Blankenfield said of Bennett when he was being transported to jail. "he gets what he deserved - an autistic kid."
This isn't the first time lately that a complete stranger has taken to disciplining another person's child.
Jeffrey Feld was arrested in June after slapping a crying toddler in the elevator at a Surfside Publix.
I understand what you're trying to say - but it's apples and oranges.
Autism covers a WIDE spectrum - some people that have known us for a while are shocked to find out our daughter is "Autistic".
She is extremely bright and quite charming (and beautiful).
But then there's the OCD thing, and the (rare) outbursts that come, really, out-of-the-blue.
She is going on 9 and she knows she is not like "other kids" and she is OK with that, but she tries really, really hard.
I thank you for your patience and understanding if you ever encounter a child like her.
Best post so far.
ICAM! Last Friday I was having lunch and a few feet away there were these people with 3 small children. One of the them wouldn’t shut up and was screeching adn carrying on.
I don’t think that child had autism but I don’t know. The point is; all too often in our society we just let kids and their behavior slide.
I wonder what people who can’t tolerate special needs childrens behavior would say or do when one of their children or grandchildren has something like that. Believe me, I have seen it over and over. My wife and I used to be foster parents to special needs kids.
I would also do the same for these obnoxious liberal bloviators who sound off in public at the top of their voices.
I don’t think children with issues should be locked in their rooms, but...
Before I get blasted let me say there are several special needs children in my family and I encourage them being able to get out and about and participate as much as possible in the real world.
To me, going out to eat with my hubby is a special occasion and when we were younger it was a break from our own children as well. I don’t mind seeing children in adult type restaurants but I do expect them to behave and not disturb others. Whether they are too young to behave, have not been taught how to act, or have issues that keep them from behaving appropriatly that is not the problem of other patrons. I did not take my children anywhere but fast food places until they knew how to act and if they didn’t behave we left ASAP.
I don’t eat at Olive Garden or other chain restaurants so I don’t know if it is a place where children should or should not be allowed to go before they know how to act. If these type of restaurants are places where adults go to unwind then children should not be there before they can handle the situation. If they are family places then children should be able to go while still learning how to act and if others don’t like it then they need to go to a more adult oriented restaurant.
That would be a great solution, and the restaurants should have the space to make that work since most had smoking areas and now don't. Seperate the adults that want to enjoy a quiet meal from families that have children that likely won't be so quiet and not always well-behaved.
It's hard to find an adult oriented restaurant. Low end - noisy kids. Lower middle - noisy kids. Middle grade - yes, you guessed it, noisy kids. High grade - noisy kids with a sense of entitlement.
And then there are the "adults" who scream into their cell phones. Don't even get me started on that one.
I have four children, and every one of them behaved appropriately in public from about 3 years old on. When they were too small, we kept them away from venues that were not small child friendly.
Olive Garden, church, weddings, etc. are not the place for out of control kids (whatever the reason) and parents that won’t deal with it (good on those parents here that try).
Life isn’t fair. My niece was born at 22 weeks, is blind, can’t walk, and slobbers like a baby (and she’s 18). She does not go to restaurants because, frankly, it’s gross to watch her eat. Is that fair? No, it’s not, but it is life.
I think both the guys in the story were jerks, and the restaurant manager a whimp for not making those parents deal with that kid.
I would never do anything to someone’s child but it is awful when you go our to dinner as a treat only to have a misbehaving child ruin it for you.I always feel worse for all of the other parents who paid a babysitter to ahve some quite time only to have to endure someone else’s out of control kid.
“Is that fair? “
Fair?
2 of my grandsons have behavioral problems. My son warns them once, after that he will remove them from the venue,(store,church etc). Most times the 1 warning is enough, but my son will not disturb others, as he has been in the same situations and other kids annoy him with their antics. As a parent of the 2 with problems, he sees both sides and is considerate enough to the situations that arise.
I know of a woman that has a 9 yo son with autism. She is in denial about his condition. As such, she takes him all over and he causes scenes which she is unable to control. She acts defensive of her son but I put a lot of blame on her as she doesn’t get him the help he needs. BTW, he was diagnosed 3 years ago. He throws the dog down the stairs and has tortured my neices cat. Both times he blamed his cousins and even tho’ their were witnesses, Mom punished the cousins.Those are BIG trouble signs for the future for this poor child, yet his mother just spoils him because he is “Special”. I don’t want to see what he does to her in a few years.
Second, he sounds like a Grade A *******. Here's hoping he spent the night in a cell.
“If you child (young or unable to control themselves) is causing a disturbance, you must remove that child.”
Correct! I do wonder how many of these autistic children have learned they can act up and have it attributed to the condition? Beyond the uncontrollable aspect.
(and dad had a solution for us kids if we acted up when we knew better. LOL)
I am sorry for your situation. I am not a parent but I can only imagine how hard it must be for your son.
As far that woman; it sounds to me like both she and her son need to seek help.
Being born disabled since birth myself; I was fortunate that I had a mother who resisted the temptation to spoil me and give me everythig. As she once told my dad:
If she is going to survive; she needs to be treated just like the others within reason.
Funny. They used to have separate eating for blacks.
Now we are so enlightened, we have separate eating for smokers/nonsmokers and want separate locations for kids/adults
Or accept what happens to you without whining.
Striking the poor guy? He should have been shot. In Arizona, there wouldn't be any second guessing.
My kids are well-behaved. If a screaming nuisance was at the next table I would ask the waiter to move us and if he could not, I would leave. No need to be an a-hole over a plate of bland pasta.
PS - too many crusty old (and old at heart) people look down on "breeders" and inaccurately believe they were litle angels when they were young. There's a special circle of Olive Garden reserved for folks like that.
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