Cofree shop etiquette

[Turtlemeter]

Firstly I know I'm probably being unreasonable.
Little turtle is a 5 month old nap dodger. I've got him to sleep in the pram and escaped to Costa. This usually works well as the hum of conversation acts like white noise. Snag the last table and get started on toasty ~and chocolate shortbread~ and family sit next to me. The little boy starts hanging over, rattling and kicking the little metal fence between tables. WAKES THE BABY
I've given cats bum mouth to the mum who has noticed and ignored me. IABU to expect that they'd stop they're little boy being so bloody antisocial.
It's my only escape from the house ~prison~ today and I'm fragile with sleep deprivation.
This is such a ridiculous problem I know.

[Floggingmolly]

Since when did possible special needs become a catch all excuse for everything considered odd or disapproved of?

[ShatnersBassoon]

Since when did possible special needs become a catch all excuse for everything considered odd or disapproved of?

Remind me when Mumsnet was established...

A better catch all would be 'perhaps she momentarily didn't give a shit, when ordinarily she would have done'. That would explain 99% of my bad behaviour.

[Donatellalymanmoss]

shatnersbossom i like that. It pretty much describes all of my bad behaviour as well.

[JassyRadlett]

Indeed Jassey but a small child may still be on that learning curve, and not yet peaked into perfect child

Yep, so as a parent, you intervene, you stop them, you move them away from whatever the temptation is, you don't just ignore and let them continue to be disruptive.

Usual, is 'smughead' code for 'person who gives a shit about others'? If so, ta muchly. Not at all a perfect parent but I do try to remember that there are other people in the world who are just as important as my precious pair.

[JassyRadlett]

And I've always found that the general ambient noise of coffee shops has been brilliant for keeping my babies asleep. Maybe I'm just lucky.

[ShatnersBassoon]

Yes, and sometimes you'll momentarily forget to give a shit. It happens to everyone. You just don't notice the times you weren't brilliant because it is usually unintentional.

[Primaryteach87]

Sounds tough. I got annoyed by the postman/neighbours' driving down their drive/dogs barking once/someone phone ringing as they walked past the window.

So, YABU but then I was too! Sleep deprivation is a horrible thing and that age is very testing.

I now have a noisy toddler....

[JassyRadlett]

Shatners, I'm sure I have. But not in restaurants/coffee shops or the like, because I prioritise making sure my kids are behaving decently and not being annoying little horrors when I'm in them.

Too many years of standing behind the counter, maybe. Or maybe I can just hear my own mum in my ear.

[Whiteplate1]

Since when did possible special needs become a catch all excuse for everything considered odd or disapproved of?

Nobody said it did

[Floggingmolly]

There's at least one special needs advocate on every thread, Whiteplate
It wasn't a specific quote...

[sizeofalentil]

My friend, who was born and brought up here, is wonderful when this happens. She just calmly says to the child 'please stop that, because xxxx' in a really nice and polite voice. The child stops and she's so sweet about it the parents never complain.

She says it's a normal thing to do in her culture and can't understand why we'd sit there all arsey when we could just ask the child to stop.

I am totally not as brave as her but do try it now and then with positive results.