To think children should be allowed to run around and have fun in McDonalds

[JimmyNail]

It’s a children’s restaurant so children should be allowed to have fun while they eat their meal. Nothing outrageous but things like crawling under our own table, playing a little chase around our table. Not in any way bothering other customers. Being a little loud. Just a bit of fun.

5 and 6? You’re going to get nailed here, OP.

Also, it’s not a ‘children’s restaurant’. It’s just a fast food chain.

Teach them some table manners.

Running around the restaurant is a no in most places. But I hate this kind of threads way more that crawling under the tables children as almost every single response starts with 'this is lazy parenting', 'my child is 9 months old and he would never do that', 'I hate parents who let their children do that', 'children should be told to sit still and eat and not to disrupt others'. Parents definitely should encourage children to be able to sit still whilst eating but I do not like the horrible judgemental attitudes in this country whenever a child cries/throws/climbs/drops/runs even for 1 second. Straight away assumptions that this child is spoilt, his parents are lazy, he needs to be diagnosed or visit GP if he cannot do this and that quietly for a certain amount of time. All children can have a bad day and play up and have big feelings or be disruptive. I do not pay attention when other children do that and I do not crucify mine when they do. I lived in Scandinavia for many many years where a child climbing under the table, having a tantrum would not make anyone even look because its embraced as a part of life with small children. And yes children are still parented there just very differently. Hate those attitudes in the UK. No running in McDonald's is not alright but a child who is not sitting still like a robot for a few mins or attempts to run or climb something is not a problem.

My 22 month old daughter sits quite happily for a two course meal when we go to places like pizza express, absolutely ridiculous to say a 5&6 year old can't manage a McDonald's without getting up! That's laziness on the parents part for not teaching them what is acceptable in public. And as pp have said, McDonald's is not a childrens restaurant, it's a child friendly restaurant!

When a child is scalded when bumping into a person carrying hot food no doubt the negligent parent would be clapping their hands at the thought of all the money they could make by suing McDs.

It's not a children's restaurant - it's a fast food restaurant, one that serves hot drinks.

It would be 100% your fault if your children were seriously harmed because you let them run around...or if someone else was harmed because of them. Stop being selfish and parent your children or keep them out of restaurants

But it's not a 'childrens restaurant'. It's family-friendly, yes but it's not specifically for children.

And if you can't expect a 5 or 6 year old to behave appropriately at a restaurant, it says more about your parenting that 5 or 6 year olds in general.

Teach them how to behave and they will.

But it’s very hard to expect a 5 year old and 6 year old to stay sitting down
Unless the children have learning difficulties, then no, it's not very hard when you parent children properly and include discipline in every day's life.

Only those who don't discipline or haven't gained the skills to do or are lazy and can't be bother find it very hard.

I thought you were talking about toddlers, but two school aged children are well able to sit down for the time it takes to eat a McDonald's meal - or do they have special needs or just known behavioural problems? I wouldn't call McDonald's specifically a children's restaurant either.

5 & 6? 🙄

Have you tried telling them to sit down? That should work.

Why do you keep saying "children's restaurant"? It's a fast food establishment for all. People like you drive me mad. My kids have never behaved like this while sitting down to eat and if they did mess about, it would be take out instead. It's dangerous and inconsiderate, particularly when people are walking around with trays that may have very hot drinks on them.

5 and 6?! No. It might be hard work getting, say, under 4s to stay sitting in a restaurant for a long period of time but McDonalds is a quick in and out job anyway. At that age you tell them to sit or you take them home. It's part of learning how to behave.

No running round the table. Its dangerous with hot food and drinks.

Most five and six year olds can wait for the amount time it takes to get served in MacDonalds and if not take some colouring or something. They even provide colouring sheets.

What rubbish. Anyone who thinks they can't teach a child a bit of self control at 5 or 6 shouldn't be breeding, they are too lazy for any responsibility.

I'm not one of the "seen and not heard" brigade and I'd expect a fast food restaurant to be a bit busy and noisy but it's perfectly possible to take children in there for a treat and to enjoy themselves sitting at the table being engaged by their parents/adults. If they are feeling the need to be running around and crawling under tables maybe it's time to leave and allow other people to not be burned by spilt hot drinks or irritated listening to/avoiding being bumped by misbehaving children. if they want to run around then go to the park with a picnic.

Absolutely fantastic advice ! All the lazy parents in the world simply have not figured that one out.

You sound like the parent DH and I encountered in a “ family friendly” pub who smiled indulgently while her little darlings charged around bumping into people and knocking tables . DH was carrying 2 drinks back to our table when Little Darling ran into him resulting in beer being spilt over her . Parent was furious - with DH !! He left her in doubt what he thought !

Children should be taught table manners which doesn't include crawling around under the table and running around being loud disturbing everyone else. It's a life skill that applies even in a children's restaurant. Manners, patience, self control are all skills that you're responsible for teaching your children. At the age of 5&6 I would 100% expect a child to be able to sit at a table and have a meal politely. Also gross! Why would you let your kid crawl around under a table in MacDonalds that's so gross!

Absolutely not! No way should children be running around tables in any environment that sells hot drinks.

Tell them if they don't sit and eat their food nicely for the whole 15-20 minutes it takes, they won't be going there again.

No one else likes parents who don't parent. If your kids are behaving like that, that's you!

Indeed, you’re not supposed to be sitting in McDonald’s for hours.

Some people just don’t want to teach their kids to behave appropriately in social situations though.

All NT 6 year olds should be able to sit nicely for a normal length meal in a restaurant. (Obviously quietly colouring or similar counts for this).

i used to work in McDonald’s as a teenager though. There is a segment of society who seem to think it’s fine to let their children be feral in a fast food restaurant. Or to behave poorly themselves. It’s really shit for the lobby staff in particular.

No way should children be running around tables in any environment. The H&S risk from hot drinks is irrelevant.

I had two a year apart so would have had a 5 and 6 year old out to eat. They are perfectly capable of sitting in any restaurant to eat and for a lot longer than 15-20 minutes. How do they behave when you sit at a table to eat at home? Or don't you model good behaviour at home? Do you just expect the general public to put up with your poorly mannered children. That's on you btw, poor kids.

I appreciate they may be excited and that's okay, but do you see all the other children running round tables and crawling on the floor? No? I wonder why.....

Definitely not.

it’s not a childrens restaurant. It’s a fast food restaurant that also serves childrens meals.

I used to work in a McDonald’s and people used to let to let their kids run riot. A toddler/ pre school aged child running under the gate into the kitchen was a common occurrence.