AIBU?
These Parents were as useful as a chocolate teapot (MacDonalds related)
pigletmania · 18/05/2013 14:08
Went to MacDonalds with dd 6, she has ASD and developmental delay. We went sit down with our food, behind where I was sitting was a mini football pitch set up in lights where a very rowdy group of boys (7/8 years mabey) were pretending to play and shouting and cheering and knocking against my chair.
They must have been in a group tat one boys parents have taken out after football, they were all dressed in football gear of their local club. The host parents did nothing to tell the boys to be quiet and tone down their noise and behaviour. The parents got the boys ice cream and because one was messing about his ice cream spilt everywhere behind me. The parents did not tell this boy off, they said never mind the lady will clean it up and will get you another one 
. my dd was behaving much better, sitting quietly eating.
I eventually told them to be quiet after my chair was bashed for the umpteenth time and the screeching got louder, the parent came to apologise but te screeching and shouting still carried on. We eat up and left. My patience was in tatters, but dd was very calm
Aibu to think the parents should have told the boys to quieten down and to stop messing about, and to not get te boy who spilt his ice cream another for messing about, even if teir not the boys parents. I would no have any qualms about telling a child in my care off if they were misbehaving and being a nuscience
CloudsAndTrees · 18/05/2013 14:13
It might have been a birthday party or special treat for some reason.
I would have told them they needed to stop bumping into your chair if there was nowhere else for you to sit, but if you had other options of places to sit then I would think it's your own choice that put you in that position.
If the 'restaurant' has set up a facility for football inside, then you have to expect it to be used. It's McDonald's, I don't think you can expect children not to play in that type of establishment.
BackforGood · 18/05/2013 14:15
I think everyone has different tolerence for noise, but, if I were looking for a calm, quiet place to eat and chat, then I wouldn't choose a McDs on a Saturday lunchtime.
I don't really understand what you mean by the "mini football pitch set up in lights" to be able to comment if what they were doing was reasonable or not. Sorry.
pigletmania · 18/05/2013 14:27
No, no other seats available. Dd loves MacDonalds nowhere else, it's a Saturday ritual. It wa an image f a football pitch in lights. But surly as parents you expect better behaviour from older children, if they were screeching and shouting very loudly you would tell them to tone t down in a public place where role are eating.
HorryIsUpduffed · 18/05/2013 14:33
Your daughter has ASD and you don't consider that one or more of the offending children might also have had special needs of some sort?
If you were that offended, why didn't you speak to the children or the adults? I hope I would have done so. A calm, smiling, polite "Could you please ask the boys to calm down a bit? I can see they're excited and having a lovely time but I'm afraid they're really disturbing us" would be responded to positively by anyone remotely reasonable.
I'm just back from Saturday lunch at McDonald's. It is definitely not an environment for those who can't tolerate or cope with noise and bustle.
CloudsAndTrees · 18/05/2013 14:34
Tbh, if I took my 7yo boy to an area that was designed to be played in, no I wouldn't tell them to tone it down. I would expect them not to bump your chair though, and if they didn't do that then they would be made to sit down.
A place like McDonalds focuses much of it's marketing on children, therefore I expect it to be a place where children are allowed to behave like children. I don't think cheering is misbehaving or being a nuisance in a place like that, and I'm actually quite a strict parent!
pigletmania · 18/05/2013 14:40
Horry I don't think they had special needs no, just loud raucous boys. So iam being unreasonable for expecting Chidren to behave a bit better in public. As kids we sometimes went to MacDonalds and would not behave lik that. Itwasent a play area, but light projected football pitch. But hey ho what would expect
IcingTheCake · 18/05/2013 15:04
To be honest I'm surprised the staff didn't move the chairs around better so there was plenty of space around the pitch ( I'm guessing it was the ones that are projected from the ceiling onto the floor?) I don't think you we're being unreasonable, I would've made sure the boys kept a good distance from all tables/chairs, as you get some really young kids in mcd's, future ref, if you see a staff member in the dining area you can ask them to ask the group to mind others, we used to get it all the time when I worked in a mcd's and we knew how to deal with more stubborn kids/adults too.
Startail · 18/05/2013 15:12
In ours the football pitch is a interactive game. It causes my DDs to get excited.
There is a lovely line in my old copy of toddler taming, something like...
"If your DCs are stressing you out, go to Mc Ds. There is sure to be a child there that makes you see yours isn't so bad"
NetworkGuy · 18/05/2013 15:47
well done IcingTheCake, for some commonsense and constructive comments, rather than criticising the OP for using that particular chain. (also for explaining for the benefit of this old duffer {me} what the hell the football pitch idea is...).
No YANBU, OP, but afraid boys have pretty appalling role models in footballers, and clearly the nominal 'guardians' were only half cognizant of any other customers.
pigletmania · 18/05/2013 15:59
Ahh some people who actually agree with me 
. Whether its te Nobu o MacDonaldsi would not expect Chidren to run about screeching like banshees and knocking people sitting in their chairs. I could see others around me looking annoyed at them, and the staff seemed exasperated.
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