Musical instrument in restaurant?

[DaviesMum]

I was having lunch today with DM in a fairly quiet bistro/restaurant. It's not billed as family friendly, but it's not averse to families with children.

A politely spoken couple sat at the next table with their daughter, who looked to me to be about eight or nine. She was fairly insistent on showing "daddy" every time she won a level on her Nintendo DS although this didn't bother anyone as she was wearing headphones. What did bother both me and everyone else was her insistence on whipping out a harmonica and playing a riff on it every time her parents didn't pay her attention. The parents sat and smiled adoringly, but didn't seem to see this as a problem despite more and more people beginning to glare at the little bitch angel.

AIBU to think this is not on? I thought this was just free range rudeness, absent some more obvious explanation for this. When I fixed her mommy dearest with a pointed look, she simply stared right through me like it's perfectly acceptable to allow a child to do this when people are eating/talking right next to her. To make it worse, they all ate with their mouths open

[DJBaggySmalls]

Buy a jaw harp and go back next week, I double dare you.

[DaviesMum]

DJBaggySmalls

Don't bloody tempt me! At first I thought it was someone's phone.

[GeillisTheWitch]

The harmonica thing is unreasonable. But you lost my sympathy when you referred to an 8 year old as a bitch .

[OvariesBeforeBrovaries]

Being annoyed about the harmonica? YANBU.

Calling an 8 year old a bitch? YABsoU it cancels out my earlier YANBU.

[DJBaggySmalls]

I'd give her the gift of music every time I saw them. One of those penny whistles thats never in tune, a slider whistle, and a kazoo.
Fuck 'em. They deserve it.

[Spam88]

This is hilarious

[IrregularCommentary]

Yeah, you lost me when you called an 8yr old a bitch as well.

[DaviesMum]

Not looking for sympathy or semantics here, I stand by the term regardless.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

Not looking for sympathy or semantics here, I stand by the term regardless.

Well then you're a bitch.

[SadTrombone]

Not looking for sympathy or semantics here, I stand by the term regardless.

What are you looking for then? Someone to join in with the name-calling of an 8 year old kid??

"Yes OP you're quite right she's a complete twat..."

[TheWitTank]

She's 8. She wasn't aware she was doing anything wrong, her parents were encouraging. She isn't the bitch in the situation really is she.
Aside from that, YANBU. Musical instruments and loud computer games/dvds etc do not belong in restaurants.

[Cucucachoo]

Yeah... I'm with the others. You've lost a lot of support by calling a little girl a bitch. You're a grown woman and surely intelligent enough to know you don't refer to little kids this way?
Just as a by-the-by, you had my sympathies until you said that. Prepare yourself, I doubt this will end well for you.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

Me thinks the op is looking for people to have a wee giggle at what she said and say 'yanbu'. The reality is, nobody likes to hear a child referred to in such a derogatory manner and she's made herself sound like a monumental douche by doing so. Her calling a kid a bitch has over shadowed the actual issue.

[SadTrombone]

^ what PaulAnker said.

[candycoatedwaterdrops]

She's 8 years old. Her parents are to blame for not reprimanding her as soon as she began to make a noise. She isn't a bitch but you sound like one, you're an adult and should know better.

[RachelRagged]

Not her fault she is obviously indulged really OP.

It is OTT yes , but when I read your heading I imagined she had a trumpet or trombone out or something.

[ChocolateMintBalls]

Gob smacked that you called an 8 yr old girl a bitch! Disgusting!

[SadTrombone]

Rachel "It is OTT yes , but when I read your heading I imagined she had a trumpet or trombone out or something."

That's exactly what my first thought was. Had visions of the trombone slide knocking people's drinks over

[jasonapple]

I'd be pretty impressed with any 8 year old who could knock out a 'riff' on a harmonica.

[jasonapple]

A banjo would have been excellent.

[RachelRagged]

SadTrombone .

Apt user name for this thread . .haha

[Cucucachoo]

As a side note: children are literally everywhere, they're allowed to make some noise, fair enough a harmonica is bloody annoying, but didn't you find it sad at all that her insistence on whipping out a harmonica and playing a riff on it every time her parents didn't pay her attention.
That says a lot about the parents and even more of you for noticing she wanted the attention yet you still referred to a child as a bitch

[PickledCauliflower]

I'm near to giving up on eating out now.
If the restaurant doesn't have blasting music (almost rare now) I will be sat next to a family with toddlers having massive screaming episodes.

I think I only ever took my kids to a restaurant twice (and not all together) - I couldn't cope with the stress.
It was picnics in the summer and quick in and out of cafes in bad weather. No way would I choose to sit in a restaurant - waiting between courses while they got bored and cried. A stressful situation that was never a pleasure.
Would rather get takeout pizza and watch a muppets video at home!

[RockyBird]

Did you say anything to the parents or staff at the bistro, OP?

[IMissGrannyW]

The PPs are not wrong to call you out on calling the kid a bitch when it's clearly the parents' fault.

But... OMG... I'd want to slaughter them all!!!!

A fucking harmonica???? What's wrong with a little drawing/colouring when you're waiting in a restaurant? Who allows their child to bring/use this?????