to tell off someone else's kids in a restaurant?

[CheeseChomper]

When out for a meal with DP last night (only Pizza Express, nothing too fancy!), and we were sat right next to a table for two where two young girls (10ish) were sat at. Their mums were sat on another table within sight in the restaurant, and i'm guessing the girls were allowed a table together as a treat, which is fine.

However, the girls were, in my opinion, behaving totally inapropriately for a restaurant, chucking a napkin around (so it landed on a lady behind them, who had a word), and then getting up and running around, before standing having a tickle fight so they nearly piled into DP and my table.

As a result, I let rip slightly, and told them "can you SIT DOWN PLEASE, THIS IS A RESTAURANT NOT A PLAYGROUND" rather loudly . I stand by what I said, but felt like a bit of a grouchy old tit (i'm only 26 ) and DP was mortified by my outburst. Their parents didn't seem to give two shits though.

Possibly pg hormomes (i'm expecting my first), but am I unreasonable to expect parents to make sure their kids behave when out and about? Nothing against children being out in the evening though, as there were loads of well-behaved ones around. What also got me is these kids didn't seem to care that they were being told off and just shrugged and giggled- when I was that age i'd have been mortified to have been told off by another adult!

YANBU I think if more adults ticked off unruly kids behaving inappropriately we'd have a lot fewer ASBOs and a lot nicer society. Go with your instincts.

YANBU

yanbu

I would have either spoken to the staff or the parents.

Um.... speaking as a parent who has had their DC shouted at in public places, my thoughts are:
A) It sounds like the actual parents didn't give a shit so you may as well have shouted.

B) You could have spoken more quietly, firmly and persuasively, just asked them to mellow out because their behaviour was bothering you in XYZ ways. I don't mind if people end up talking to DC like that, particularly when I can't get on top of DC behaviour that instant (last time DS got shrieked at I was changing a dirty nappy, sigh). If their parents haven't taught them to be calm in a restaurant, it's not exactly their fault that they don't know.

C) If you're going to comment to other people's kids, start with a teaching/helpful attitude rather than going straight to angry outrage.

D) You're just guessing about their ages, they could be younger, that would matter to me.

YANBU.

Yanbu.

Don't think the age makes a difference - my DC are 5 and 6 and wouldn't be happy with either of them behaving like that.

Ah, the old let´s treat the girls to their own table avoid responsibility for the evening trick.

You were perhaps a little harsh, & it was only pizza express, but if they´re not toddlers then I think old enough to know how to behave tbh.

YANBU

I wouldn't let my 5 year old behave like that.

Yanbu, not that i've ever bellowed at children in supermarket cafes, oh no not me.....

YANBU

I would leave my DD1 and a friend to have a table of their own as a treat but it would be on condition they can be trusted to behave. I would have taken them back to "mothership table" long before any other customer would have been annoyed enough to have to tell them off.

YANBU That would've pissed me off no end too.

I don't get it tbh.

I have two with adhd and autism, they have many issues,however certain behaviour is expected and if they don't behave appropriately, they go home, i've only had to do that a few times.

So if they can manage to behave in restaurants etc any bugger can !

Yanbu. I wouldn't let my 5 and 6 year old boys behave like that.

I perhaps should've explained why I was pissed off rather than flying off the handle, but when my pizza is in danger of flying off the table, my shouty pizza-preservation reflex kicked in! I'm pretty sure they were 10, as they were talking about having just gone into last year of primary school, but I think if they're old enough to sit alone, then they're old enough to behave!

It might only have been Pizza Express, but as i'm preggers at the moment, a meal out, even if low key, tends to be my outing and highlight of the week, along with my weekly glass of red!

I don't think it matters that it was 'only Pizza Express'.

It isn't appropriate to run around and bump into other customers,and staff,in any restaurant imho.

I was going to say yabu based on your title but you're soo not! I would have lost it too!
I would probably have grabbed a member of staff tho- hopefully that would have embarrassed their mums into action!

Part of the reason why some children persist in behaving badly is because they don't think any adult is going to dare to intervene. And, sadly, they're probably right. There were a lot more adults than you in that restaurant, including the woman on whom the napkin landed and including the people they came in with. Anyone could & should have said something... no-one except you did. So well done.

The woman who had the napkin thrown at her did have a word according to the OP.

I would have told them to knock it off in no uncertain terms. If they're old enough to be in a restaurant on an evening then they're old enough to behave appropriately.

You sound like you were spectacularly restrained to me.

But then I have a famously low tolerance for kids in restaurants at best of times...

Then there is hope yet :)

I didn't go alone into a restaurant until I was 18 why do people think that 10 is the right age to be dining alone, genuinely do not understand that at all.

YANBU at all, if the parents don't care which from the sounds of your op they did not than you are well within your rights to correct them. It does not matter whether its in MacDonalds or the Ivy, you are a paying customer and should be able to enjoy your food in relative peace. Yes they might have been younger, but incidently might have been older too. I would not expect this behaviour from my dd 3.6 and would correct her, from two 10ish year olds noway they should know better.

YWNBU.