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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Horrified at 7month old in pizza express with screen

999 replies

MadeinSW3 · 22/01/2022 15:00

I went for lunch today at pizza express, there was a couple giving their ?7month old a bottle with a screen propped up with something Disney to watch. They then plopped baby into high chair and put something else on during whole time at the stable. How can people be so stupid! The baby was looking around elsewhere for something more interesting.

OP posts:
WindyState · 22/01/2022 18:16

"Bullshit"

In what way? It's definately the actions of an arsehole.

Or bullshit that I don't do it?

"Oh look at that fatty, I bet she doesn't have a gym membership"

Nah, I don't do that. I mind my own fucking business.

rainbowdancegirl · 22/01/2022 18:16

There really is nothing wrong with this.

I hope u enjoyed your meal and had a nice time instead of getting all uptight and stressed about what another family were doing on another table.

Mamabear1212 · 22/01/2022 18:16

Lol how can you judge other people so easily. Don’t be idiotic

KaptainKaveman · 22/01/2022 18:16

It's sad when parents simply cannot be bothered to interact with their children.

lynntheyresexswappers · 22/01/2022 18:16

You'd be on here complaining they were screaming and ruining your lunch out it the baby wasn't settled. Parents can't win. Get a grip and stop being so bloody judgemental.

Wineisoverrated · 22/01/2022 18:17

[quote PinkArt]@jobsharenightmare 'Cancer diagnosis pizza express lunch? Come off it'.
That's exactly what we did when my mum was diagnosed with cancer. Dinner rather than lunch, but yes we went out for pizza. It's really not far fetched that after bad news no-one felt up to cooking and that getting out of the house served as a small distraction while we processed the news.
No clue what the situation with this family was but there's a lot of judging on this thread when no-one knows what might have been behind one parenting decision for a couple of hours.[/quote]
We got a chippy.

The peas were very watery I remember that quite vividly actually.

I wonder if that’s normal or lots of families drift home and plan a full roast dinner in the wake of tragedy?

JigglyPiggly · 22/01/2022 18:17

[quote BABAHOTEL]@JigglyPiggly age was t glancing g round, she was watching and listening I g to their conversations! She needs to get a life and keep out of others.

[/quote]
And?

You're finding fault with perfectly normal and common human behaviour

Giraffesandbottoms · 22/01/2022 18:18

@bonfireheart

People love to use “performative parenting” on MN to describe people who sound, mostly, like good parents. Oh no, a parent actually talking to their child and explaining pizza is from Italy - what a bastard! 😆 can’t be that they are just engaging and thinking of things to say?

Also a 7 month old is hardly going to sit there and look at a book, are they

What?! There are plenty of fun and exciting books for that age bracket.

@Piglet89

Maybe when you have children you accept it’s quite normal for children to not want to sit still in a high chair for ages. It’s not fun. I have 2 extremely active boys and I was not always able to go out with them to eat. I took them on occasion to teach them how to do it and it was very much a lesson. I was not taking them and expecting to have a leisurely meal and a chinwag. No wonder so many women get PND if they have these ridiculous expectations about motherhood!

I think screens can be great. They have a time and a place. There are plenty of educational apps snd tv shows can be a blessing if you need to keep them alive whilst you prepare dinner etc. But IMO it’s anti social and bizarre at a restaurant and teaches them reliance rather than about meals being social and joining in.

JigglyPiggly · 22/01/2022 18:18

@lynntheyresexswappers

You'd be on here complaining they were screaming and ruining your lunch out it the baby wasn't settled. Parents can't win. Get a grip and stop being so bloody judgemental.
Parents can win

They can actively parent their children

There is a big space between babies being sat in front of a screen and child ruining everyone's experience

No one said parenting was easy.

WindyState · 22/01/2022 18:18

@KaptainKaveman

It's sad when parents simply cannot be bothered to interact with their children.
Yeah, parent's should commit to 21 solid years of not sleeping or doing anything other than gazing adoringly at their kids and ensuring they are engaging with them 24 hours a day.

Never mind that an effective parent is one who does get to have some time to themselves from time to time.

Wineisoverrated · 22/01/2022 18:19

[quote BABAHOTEL]**@WindyState* not juice but a bottle!!!! * [/quote]
But from the teet of a woman or a cow?!?!

That’s the important part!

(In the voice of Brad Pitt in Se7en)
What’s in the bottle?! What’s in the bottle?

JigglyPiggly · 22/01/2022 18:19

@WindyState

"Bullshit"

In what way? It's definately the actions of an arsehole.

Or bullshit that I don't do it?

"Oh look at that fatty, I bet she doesn't have a gym membership"

Nah, I don't do that. I mind my own fucking business.

Oh it's certainly bullshit you've never judged anyone in your life

Absolutely bullshit in fact

Giraffesandbottoms · 22/01/2022 18:21

*Personally I don't go to public spaces and judge the other people who are out and about.

Because that's something a dickhead does*

Is this said with a sense of irony?! You don’t go out and judge but you sit behind your screen and judge the OP? And you think you’re better than her because you judge for something else?

Everyone judges!

BABAHOTEL · 22/01/2022 18:21

@JigglyPiggly nah in my life I said not judge pate st for using a bottle or some screen time, as I said mine did t as it wasn't available.

It's not normal human trait to sit and judge, it's an awful trait and I'm glad that in my day others didn't seem to judge.

And to say horrified? Really? Is that not a word that should be saved for child abuse?

mistermagpie · 22/01/2022 18:22

@BABAHOTEL

Remember people that OP also mentions they were giving her a bottle also!!! What's the relevance in even mentioning that?
Because not only did they put their baby in front of a horrifying screen, they also (whisper it) didn't breastfeed...
WindyState · 22/01/2022 18:22

Oh, I judge people when I have a reason to do so. I don't go out and about with a mental checklist of what I deem acceptable behaviour or not, however.

Fluffycloudland77 · 22/01/2022 18:22

I stopped going to pizza express because our local was so noisy with kids playing up at gone 9pm. I’m up for anything to keep them quiet including a thimble of laudanum on the way in.

I have turned into my mother.

BABAHOTEL · 22/01/2022 18:23

@Giraffesandbottoms

*Personally I don't go to public spaces and judge the other people who are out and about.

Because that's something a dickhead does*

Is this said with a sense of irony?! You don’t go out and judge but you sit behind your screen and judge the OP? And you think you’re better than her because you judge for something else?

Everyone judges!

Nope don't think we're judging the OP, just setting her straight.
BigYellowHat · 22/01/2022 18:23

@bigbeachedwales ^I’d have been horrified too. I always used to prop a Shakespeare play up in front of my DCs when they were little^

What only propping up Shakespeare plays?!! My son was re-writing them and directing them at that age 😂

MissCrowley · 22/01/2022 18:23

This is something I did. And if people judged me I didn't give a shit. I had two kinds under 2. I was suffering with manic depression and bouts of psychosis.
I also struggled with fibro shortly after giving birth to my DS and he didn't sleep for 3 months because he had a CMPA.
If you're that arsed how about you entertain their baby. I'm sure they'd be glad of a few minutes peace.

Giraffesandbottoms · 22/01/2022 18:23

The absolute narrow minded hostility on here is bloody horrible. Even if the baby is given a screen EVERY meal it’s in no way going to stunt their growth or give them a massive developmental delay. There’s far worse things a parent could do to a child than give them Bluey at the dinner table

I actually disagree and I think it would be quite damaging for social and developmental reasons to do this. But I also don’t think something “not being the worst you could do” is a fantastic bar to set, parenting-wise 🤷🏻‍♀️

WindyState · 22/01/2022 18:23

@Giraffesandbottoms

*Personally I don't go to public spaces and judge the other people who are out and about.

Because that's something a dickhead does*

Is this said with a sense of irony?! You don’t go out and judge but you sit behind your screen and judge the OP? And you think you’re better than her because you judge for something else?

Everyone judges!

Yeah, I judge someone when they publically come out and say "am I an arsehole?"

Not people sitting in a pizza express minding their own business.

This is not a difficult distinction to grasp.

Yumperwumpee · 22/01/2022 18:24

What?! There are plenty of fun and exciting books for that age bracket.

That a 7 month old will look at on their own? Seriously, mine just lobbed everything on the floor at that age.

TiredMummyZZZ · 22/01/2022 18:24

Oh get a grip

Nichebitch · 22/01/2022 18:24

OP thoughts like yours is what pushed me to pnd. Not having the right to breath. My dd is 4 and I’m still on medication.