to have wanted to move tables in this restaurant?

[FairhairedandFrustrated]

Wednesday is my day off, DH had the day off too so decided as our DC were both at school, we would treat ourselves to lunch in our very favourite place.

So we were there as soon as the lunch 'sitting' started and ordered our meal... the tables are quite close together (only drawback but the food is amazing) and they fill up pretty quickly.

A couple with a little girl came in and were seated at the table beside us (If you can picture, one side of the seats is all the one, like a long sofa against a wall) that's the side I was sitting on.

So the woman and the young girl sat on that side of their table, with the young girl beside me. She was about 5 or 6 (school age). The woman kept asking her if she was OK and rubbing & patting her back..

I was listening when their order was being taken and the woman told the waiter she had a chest infection and was off school.

BUT, the little one coughed and spluttered and coughed and cleared her throat and coughed and climbed right up beside me on the bunker/sofa seat and coughed.... right into my face/plate etc. I didn's say a thing, but I put my knife and fork down and turned my face right to look at her parents. I looked around for an empty table, but this is a popular place in a seaside town and busy all yr round, so none available!

If my child was ill I would have kept her at home, not taken her out into a place where people were eating food and let her cough all over the feckin lunch!

I said to DH, you'd think one of those adults would have taught her to cover her mouth with her hand when coughing, or at least told her not to cough over people. Looks like I didn't keep my voice low enough as the woman (I assumed she was the mother) asked the girl if she wanted to swap seats with her (ie: one seat away from me instead of right beside me) and she said to the man (the child's dad?) that woman keeps glaring at her

I feel a bit bad now, the wee girl was probably ill, and they may have left the house for a break, but I left half my lunch after she had coughed and spluttered all over it.

It sounds like a rather cramped place to take a child anyway, never mind a coughing, spluttering child.

I would NOT have been impressed if anyone were to cough and splutter over me or my food and would not have been able to hide my displeasure.

You did better than would have! I would've said something if a child or adult coughed in my face and had an infection.

Yanbu

And you should feel bad.

You gave them a look, eh? That'll learn them.

All you needed to do is say "oh, sorry, would you mind asking her not to cough on me and by the way here's a hanky for the poor little thing".

Can never believe the number of people on here who have zero compassion for children.

yes poor child for being dragged out into a public place when she was not well enough to attend school.

bad, selfish parenting.

Kayano, I am not nasty.

I would never have asked her to move the child.

I have two of my own but I know that either a) I wouldn't have taken them out when they were ill, b) made sure they covered their mouths when coughing.

But you could have said that to them or the child rather than glaring at the
Parents and making comments to your DH that obviously obviously they would hear if the child was close enough to be coughing on your dinner.

That is nastier than just saying something politely to them

Am rather at those being so rude to the OP. So you would be thrilled if a child known to be ill by its parents hawked all over your lunch? Really? Find that hard to believe.

Well your comment was annoying - really if you have a problem - speak to the parents or wait till you get home.

But agree the child shouldn't have been out if poorly really.

And I do know how annoying other people's children are when your own are at shcool but it was lunchtime so I guess you were lucky not to have a table full of babies and toddlers.

No I wouldn't be thrilled and no one has said they would be but just make
Stuff up

Just saying passive aggressive behaviour helps no one and wouldn't have helped
In that situation at all

It wasn't even the child, she wasn't annoying, she was poorly. She made an aeroplane out of a receipt and threw it about the place, when it landed on my leg I give her it back! It was more the lack of consideration for my lunch.

Would some of you really have asked the couple in question to stop their child from coughing? Or to cover her mouth? I would have preferred her to have been wrapped up warm at home. She said she didn't want to east as she had a sore throat so they ordered her a glass of ice-cubes. (I'm sure they ordered her food too.. lol)

I probably wouldn't have said anything at all and would have waited till we got home to moan.

But I think in a restaurant that has people pretty crammed in - you have to accept that there is a danger that other people will make your experience less pleasant.

Poor child though - am sure she'd rather have been at home too.

Obv I would have preferred a sick child to have child at home and in bed. But she wasn't.

And I would have said politely 'excuse
Me
But would it possible to get her to cover her mouth?' with a smile at parents and the child.

Better than being PA. which obviously did not achieve your aim and your food continued to get coughed on

Don't see why you are so concerned about the germy family they are the ones in the wrong - good to show dimwits like this that when their daft parenting decisions impact negatively on other people other people are going to get pissed off.

For what it is worth, I owuld have been really pissd off, but may not have had the balls to say owt.
in that situation, either accept it , and no sarky comments or ask the parents nicely to get her not ot cough in your meal
passive aggressive is just horrid for everyone

If a kid's sick enough to be off school there are plenty of other more appropriate places to take them for a bit of gentle outdoors. God only knows, pleasant lunches between two adults are so few and far between in my life I'd have been pissed off to even see a child, even a well behaved one.

That said, I'd have bottled it and not said anything. Just seethed inwardly and whinged when I got home. [sad repressed wuss emoticon]

I wouldn't have been pleased in your position.
If the child isn't well enough for school, she's not well enough to be out having lunch.
A child that age should know to cover their mouth too.
Poor parenting.

YANBU but passive aggressive glaring and moaning about it on here isn't muchof a solution.

Poor kid out and about if she's not well.

Whenever I think of being brave and posting a dilemma on here I read some people's really negative comments to the OP and I change my mind. This forum is not always a very pleasant place to be.

Poor child, not her fault, and she obviously was poorly, but that doesn't make it any nicer for you - it's completely unacceptable to allow your child to cough all over someone else's dinner! And revolting.

The parents should have moved her on the first place.

It's not easy to think of things on the spur of the moment but next time instead of getting irritated and botherd, think of a way to get what you wuold like without causing offfence - some good suggestions bellow.

Sorry you lunch was spoiled.

Next time I think I would just move.

I am embarrassed at my own behaviour today and feel bad that I probably upset the mother, but can't help thinking that I would have upset her even more if I had asked her to move the child or get her to cover her mouth.

I give the child the chocolate that came with my coffee, obviously my conscience was bothering me.

I would never have said anything to DH if I'd have thought the woman would hear me, but I was so frustrated.