Our comfort chat turned into an ear slitting screaming session

I'm not sure why this keeps being mentioned, there's a huge difference between allowing a child to cause a ruckus and entertaining them at reasonable noise level.

It's not a choice of screens or parental interaction, it's a choice between interaction appropriate for a given environment and interaction guaranteed to cause children to get overexcited.

But yes, everyone complaining about over-noisy children wants them strapped in a pushchair with a screen inches from their face (with headphones, of course).

How about parents parent and not let their kids spoil everyone else's time out.

Except they were.

Were they though or was that just the OP's perception. Parents can't seem to win. They are berated if they use screens to babysit in such situations and are told to engage with their child but here they are told they shouldn't. I wonder if the woman was just over sensitive bearing in mind she was already on the edge after her own child's behaviour

This. Parents need to understand we don’t all want to hear their screaming little darlings. 🙄

The OPs style is too try hard. I wouldn't read the book anyway.

There are other choices than cafe ( not usually of much interest to toddlers) and screens

This.

Much easier to get one person to turn down a tv for a bit than expect a cafe during holidays to be quiet surely?

YANBU Parents just CBA to look after their own children anymore.

You are obviously right but unfortunately have just learned like me and others I know that if you notice and comment you will get a mouthful of abuse from the rude parents.

If her friend was in need of a "comfort chat" then a busy heaving cafe isn't the best location.

Seems basic common sense to me!

Yep.

They don't need to play in a cafe. Take the child home, to a park, to softplay etc for that.

Seems needlessly cruel to me.

I am not the poster you were being rude to but I read the whole post. If her friend was in need of a "comfort chat" then a busy heaving cafe isn't the best location. If her husband refused to give up Wheeler Dealers perhaps they could have gone for a walk themselves or perhaps that's reserved for the ghastly outsiders?

I think it’s a bit rude of people to encourage their child to be noisy in a public place. (I totally understand if a child is having a meltdown etc that is out of the parents control)

I'm a professional writer and editor. There's nothing wrong with the Op's style.

People making excuses for the toddler family's rude antics are delusional. It's one thing if a child emits the occasional loud cry or laugh. Deliberately playing games to elicit shrieks from the kid in a public indoor setting is rude, rude, rude.

So rather than play with their child I guess you are in the group that actually want them stuck in front of a noisy screen instead.

You will rarely get a positive response when you basically point out someone’s child/grandchild is being an utter pita. However, I’m with you op. Nothing against toddlers, but they are capable of sitting quietly in a cafe, at least mine were.

Easier to go to a packed, busy coffee shop that gets packed with walkers the first weekend after Christmas than asking your DH to turn the telly down or make himself scarce?? Your husband didn’t change his behaviour to suit you so why should another family?

Absolutely this!

Did you actually read the whole post ???

I think we need to cut the OP some slack on the writing style, she says in her post she's an older woman, and it reminds me of the way my mother writes on social media, which is aiming for conversational, and maybe not quite hitting the right tone because they're used to a more formal writing style.

It's fine, it would be boring if we were all the same, wouldn't it?

I certainly don't employ the errant nonsense my teenage daughter uses when speaking to my peers, so she no doubt considers me an antediluvian relic when it comes to online communication.

I'm not sure I would have had the nerve to say anything, but I'd have wanted to. I get that everybody is entitled to be in a public place, but some people just don't give a shit about other people around them. To be fair, I have been the annoying parent with the screaming offspring. My two sons were always pretty well behaved when it was just them, but when we went out with my friend and her two children, the noise was unreal when they got together as a pack. A few times we had to beat a hasty retreat out of a coffee shop because nothing was working. They were ok while they were stuffing their faces with scones and muffins, but once the food was finished, the volume increased. But at least we were aware of how annoying we were and left quite quickly, chucking the last of our coffees down as we went.

I know a cafe which bans children and babies. They do a roaring trade and you never have to listen to whinging children. Bliss!

You are probably not being unreasonable but for serious conversations, the best place is in a car with a flask of coffee looking at a nice lake or something.

Other people are hell unless you are in a very relaxed mood.