To arrange to descend on my local Starbucks with an army of toddlers after being told to keep my one year old laughing child quiet in there today by miserable manager?

[Elsmom]

I would understand if I was letting him run riot but he was sitting lovely (for once!) and laughing!

I don't think there is a lovelier sound than a baby laughing. If I'd been there I'd have automatically been smiling at him and it would've really lifted my mood. Mind you, I do love babies and toddlers. If I had my way there's be a baby laughing everywhere I went (within reason! )

Of course, I do realise that not everyone's as soppy about them as I am, but I can't fathom why anyone would complain. For the manager to come over to you and tell you to stop him laughing is just ludicrous and must've been very upsetting, OP. I'm sorry this happened to you.

Cmw81 Are you the OP's sister? Your post sounds like you may be.

FWIW I thisnk the OP INBU. There are some people who are just miserable sods.

OP If I were on the bus and your son was waving bye-bye, I'd certainly be waving back

Omg you didn't try and bf him did you?

Why make such a drama of it just v

So someone snapped and had a moan about your child it happens ignore them

And complain to head office

Nothing more tedious than parents whinging how others do not appreciate their little precious darlings

If people want a peaceful coffee (and why not - peace is wonderful, where can I get some?) it's probably not a good idea to try to get some in a busy coffee shop that sells espressos and the likes - the steam machine, the coffee grinder, the industrial blenders, the chillers ticking on an off - very very noisy, far noisier than a baby laughing...or are THOSE sounds ok? Those who think they are entitled to a peaceful coffee in such an establishment - is this REALLY about peace or about children in particular?

Agree the actual incident is not worth getting worked up about, but the "Depends what sort of laugh it was/ how many seconds he laughed/ whether you egged him on to laugh more" responses are daft and typical of MN pursed lipped, 'children should be barely noticable otherwise their parents are inconsiserate' trend.

nothing more tedious than parents wingeing how others do not appreciate their little darlings
Er yes there is. Ppl who say things like this ^

That sentence is dripping with derision about children.
There's a significant difference between being tolerant and gushing. Far too many ppl are ready to purse their lips at the presence of children.
It's boring and unattractive.

Freudiansslipper not expecting him to
be appreciated by all and sundry but I do not expect to go to a noisy public place at peak time and be singled out and 'told off' because I have a laughing baby with me. I've sat in Starbucks many a time cringing to high heaven with the amount of adults that can't eat properly smacking their mouths and slurping away not to mention these oh so important business people bellowing into their phones about their frigging spreadsheet figures using all their shitty jargon. So anyone who wants a coffee in 'peace' are in the wrong place to begin with even without the sound of my baby chuckling!

You actually do sound like you encourage your baby to "perform" for the crowd, op... Why the hell should a busload of miserable gits, as you say people going about their business wave at your child?

However delightful he seems to you, other people are probably hearing something quite different.

Couldn't agree more, MrTumbles.

OP - the manager was an unreasonable individual who couldn't even give you a valid reason why she honed in on your particular child (the blenders being noisy is a reason?)

Perhaps she's under an awful lot of stress - who knows - she was unreasonable and it was bad form and if she keeps treating customers unreasonably her particular outlet is soon going to feel the repercussions but don't ruminate on it. YOU know how things were and YOU know how your child was being. YOU know that children are entitled to laugh and be happy within certain reasonable limits.

Forget about her - and the usual pedantry that you find on these kind of threads.

Hope the weather's good near you - go out and enjoy it if it is. It's scorching here and I'm procrastinating on MN because I'm supposed to be spending the day cooking - so if you get out enjoy it for me too!

Really and how exactly

I love being around children i can not stand being around parents who feel the need for others be interested in their children not everyone is get over it

I have had these encounters a few times it happens when you have children who to others are not the cute centre of the universe

I love babies and toddlers, and often end up chatting to little visitors that come up to my table when out and about. The problem is with the mums (rarely dads) who PARENT IN A VERY LOUD VOICE. "Does Jacky Wacky need a poo?", "Here comes a train with a piece of muffin choo choo choo choo", all delivered at the top of their voices. We don't need to hear all this! Don't get me started on those who visit coffee shops in groups with huge buggies they insist can't be placed anywhere sensible like the back of the shop. Or those who stay for hours but buy one small coffee- cafes are expensive to run.
I've lived abroad and I can say that kids are kids the world over, but we do seem to lose sight of manners when we have a buggy in tow.

OP - I am not suggesting this is you but the manager's reaction seems extreme to a mere baby's laughter.

If you want a "quiet coffee" don't go in a public cafe!

Go home and have it there.

And I agree with others, Starbucks coffee is rubbish

I did not say yabu to be upset complain to head office

Good lord a gaggle of parents and toddlers having a sit in over such a minor incident is just ott preciousness unless you were joking about that

Jesus Christ I'm not expecting people to fawn over him. I'm having a vent as we were treated unfairly and had our meal ruined for nothing! As for the bus incident I did shrug it off but I think that anybody regardless of age talking or waving deserves basic manners in return. You wouldn't blatantly ignore an adult talking to you would you? Extreme rudeness, and it was also an example of how much ware people are in other countries towards children. Just an observation. The only time I admit I did get encourage him to get louder was after the miserable cow came over and moaned at us!

Yes, the response does seem extreme
I suppose that's the reason for the aibu

Much warmer towards children that was supposed to say.

Op, you weren't actually talking to your child were you?
Because if so, I might have to change my view to YAbu.
Don't forget yor decibel monitor next time ok.

Obviously you should challenge the manager to a duel.

Settle it with a thumb war.

There's a difference between not being interested in children and actively showing that disinterest in an unreasonable and negative way - it may make the complainer's day a little more bearable, sticking it to the kids and their parents over the slightest little thing (or worse even inventing things to complain about - I've seen that happen), but snuffing out someone else's candle doesn't make yours shine any brighter.

OP - I'd leave this thread now if it were me. You'll be here 'till the cows come home defending yourself if experience has taught me anything about how these things go.

I don't think it's very fair to call people miserable gits for not waving at babies on buses.

And if an adult invaded my space when I hadn't encouraged it I would politely make it clear I didn't want to engage,yes.

YABU to expect everyone to wave to your child on the bus, so....

It's fairly nice if someone responds to a child but you're comment calling them miserable gits because they didn't, makes me think maybe there's more to the Starbucks incident than you are admitting to, OP.

Xpost with sooty., wasn't copying, honest.

How on earth is a baby waving from outside a bus invading someone's space?

An dhow was this baby sitting in a high chair and laughing invading someone's space in a busy coffee shop where the tables are crammed in like sardines?