dad left little girl in resturant

[orangehead]

recently eating out in pub/resturant, table next to me a guy with son about 2 and little girl in high chair about 10 months roughly. boy declared he neede loo and started to pull down pants so dad dashed him to loo and left girl. BTW loo on opposite side of pub and around two corners the dad was gone at least 5 mins the whole time the little girl was screaming obviously thought she had been left. I do understand difficult situation, I also have small age gap with my kids and had many similar situations where wished either someone else was there or I could just deal with the one child at time but not been possible so just dashed the 2 out. Anyway me and my dp were horrifed this guy left the girl. What do u think?

Motherinferior. You're going to have to try harder if you want to be known as a bad person. I like you

Rhubarb you still there? Any whisky left?
Can I have some please?

Oooh yes - whisky would shut the brat up!

I would have complained to the manager about the crying little brat spoiling the ambience because I am a bad person!

Rhubarb. The request for whisky was for me!!
Sorry, all that shoogling left me with an urgent need to go and walk the dogs. OK, kids squabbling over whose turn it was galvanized me into doing it to shut them up! Not fair! I'm only supposed to do mornings!

IMO no-one who has whisky can be bad

Apropos of nothing, my Organic (Ponce) Delivery Service has started doing organic whisky, and biodynamic champagne, I note with obviously only academic interest. I feel all Christmas presents solved forever.

Academic? (Please forward name of Organic Delivery Service a.s.a.p.)

Biodynamic? Is that anything like those biowhatsit thingummys you're supposed to eat every morning so as you're not too bloated to get into your posh frock to go out in the evening? Bucks Fizz for breakfast with a cast iron excuse!

Abel and Cole. Also, I see, organic port.

Organic port!? (rushes to google Abel and Cole in frenzied anticipation)

Returns MI's shoogles threefold!

I sympathise with him. Often when I have been eating out with my three on my own I have had a real problem when one suddenly demands a trip to the loo while the rest of us are still eating. This is especially awkward if you are in say a museum or gallery etc when you haven't yet paid and the loo is possibly on another level or a 5 minute walk away. Usually we pack up and leave, pay and go but I have certainly toyed with the idea of leaving one or two behind while I dash off with the culprit. Even if it's self service, it is v annoying to have to abandon half eaten food and drink.

I think if you know you can't manage three children on your own without compromising their safety, you should stay at home. Don't eat out with them unless there's another adult.

Leaving a baby alone for that length of time is bloody stupid IMO.

Its tough on dads, because (presumably) its not ok to bring a 10month old girl into gents, whereas a mum could bring any child of any gender into the Ladies.

I saw a dad take a little girl of around 3 into the gents with him today. I think most dads would.

I haven't read the whole thread (dont you hate it when people say that?) but I feel for the man. Firstly remember they can't multi task, he had a real emergency on his hands (a poo accident in a restaurant would have been a much bigger deal for all) and he was responding as best he could. I bet it was really stressful for him. Presumably he didn't know how long he'd be.

I would hope that there would be plenty of people around to comfort the little girl.

Not read the whole thread....just wondering if the guy maybe would have felt uncomfortable to take his little girl to the men's loo? Men can be funny about those things ime.

lol Spidermama....

oops and obviously six had teh same thought there as me...

Hmmm, I think if he didn't have a plan in mind for what to do about toilet trips, he shouldn't have taken the chidlren out on his own. It is kind of basic, really. Children need the toilet pretty frequently.

I'd LOVE to think we live in a world where you could leave a 10mo baby alone for several minutes and she would just be comforted and minded by other benevolent adults. And I know lots of people would - but I wouldn't be happy relying on it, not at the expense of my children's safety.

Faced with a poo emergency, many of us panic. Especially in a setting where my patented get-toddler-to-poo-directly-into-nappy-bag technique may not appeal.

As a bookshop worker, it is not unknown for people to leave children with me to 'nip to the cash machine' - which is not something I'd ever have asked a person in a shop to do for me. That aside, I can see his need for speed, and I think getting children to entertain the baby was a good plan.

I do see your point, but to me there's 'panicking' and then there's 'leaving a baby unattended'.

I panicked once when ds2 had a pyroclastic poo exlosion in a very twee and prim tea room and I didn't have spare clothes with me. I ended up breaking into the 'Private' bit upstairs - ie the owners' home - and showering him off and rinsing his shitty trousers in their lovely shell-pink bath-tub. I haven't been back since .

I would have grabbed the baby under one arm before dashing off to the loo though. I'm pretty sure dh wouldn't have left one of the babies alone in this situation. And if I found out he had, I would remove his left bollock with an ice-cream scoop and stuff it down his throat

WHy on earth didnt someone go and pick up the crying baby. I am shocked you all sat there in judgement and let the baby cry for 10 minutes.