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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Children running around restaurant WWYD?

244 replies

AutisticLegoLover · 07/08/2023 13:13

Please could you tell me what you'd do in this situation:

In a hotel restaurant at breakfast there were two young children about age 4 running around and screeching. It wasn't clear where the parents/adults were that they were with. They were eating while running in front of guests who were carrying hot drinks and food from the breakfast buffet and going up to other tables and carrying on their screeching.

What would you do in this situation?

OP posts:
Mochudubh · 07/08/2023 13:14

Stick a foot out.

Seriously, I'd ask the staff to have a word with the parents.

Hankunamatata · 07/08/2023 13:14

Dropped a bowl of cereal and milk over them.... well in my head. Was there no wait staff?

namechange1986 · 07/08/2023 13:14

I would leave it to someone who works there to intervene.

Enoughnowbrandon · 07/08/2023 13:15

I'm autistic and I would have to leave before I had a meltdown due to noise and visual overstimulation. I might tell the children to stop screaming.

Thesearmsofmine · 07/08/2023 13:15

I would speak to the staff.

toomuchlaundry · 07/08/2023 13:16

Speak to a member of staff

readbooksdrinktea · 07/08/2023 13:17

I would have left and taken some food with me. If anyone wanted to ask me why, I would have told them.

ilovesooty · 07/08/2023 13:18

Asked the nearest member of staff to deal with it.

GrumpyPanda · 07/08/2023 13:18

Scream back. Only thing that'll get their attention <ducks and runs>.

Fiddlerdragon · 07/08/2023 13:19

Mochudubh · 07/08/2023 13:14

Stick a foot out.

Seriously, I'd ask the staff to have a word with the parents.

My dd’s dad did this to a kid last week 🤦🏼‍♀️ he took her to see the barbie movie for her birthday and there were two kids being absolute terrors for the entire film. The mum shouted at them to shut up and sit down but they ignored her and she didn’t really do anything else about it. He stuck his leg out into the aisle they were tearing up and down in and one of the kids went flying over it

Tinklyheadtilt · 07/08/2023 13:20

Tell the staff to find the parents and sort it out.

TheFlis12345 · 07/08/2023 13:22

I would ask a member of staff to speak to the parents and ask them to stop as the kids are not only causing disruption to the whole room but putting themselves in danger (perhaps with a comment about the hotel getting sued if the kids get injured!).

Ylvamoon · 07/08/2023 13:22

Give them one of my very stern looks.

Usually that works!

FourTeaFallOut · 07/08/2023 13:23

No sign of any parents? I'd speak to the staff about the lost children running feral in the room.

Akiddleetivy2woodenchu · 07/08/2023 13:24

I’d drop food on them. Nothing too hot though. Yogurt and honey would be satisfyingly sticky. I was in a restaurant in France where two British kids were running around screaming. The manager told the parents to keep their children under control, and they responded “Oh but they’re just children.” One cannoned into a waitress and got covered in spaghetti. The parents then tried to blame the waitress and were told to leave (with the screaming child still covered in spaghetti as the staff refused to help clean up).

LovingLalo · 07/08/2023 13:24

If I was on holiday I'd just do my best to ignore or move away. Then I'd forget about it and enjoy my holiday.

Mylovelygreendress · 07/08/2023 13:31

A few weeks ago , DH and I were having lunch in a local cafe . A large group appeared - 6 adults and several children . Once they had rearranged tables etc to accommodate them plus buggies ,3 of the DC started racing around tables, bumping into people and squealing. The manager went over and asked the adults to keep the children seated in case they were hurt. This did not go down too well . Somewhat predictably one of the children bumped into a young waitress carrying soup which splashed both waitress and child . Parents hit the roof , saying they were suing etc etc . Manager asked them to leave while the rest of the customers silently applauded.

Sigmama · 07/08/2023 13:55

Eat them

MrsR87 · 07/08/2023 13:55

As a first port of call I would definitely have tried to find a member of staff for them to deal with. If I couldn’t find one I would have got down to the level of the kids and asked where their parents were and if they pointed them out I would have suggested they go back to them so that they don’t get hurt by someone carrying their food and drinks. I find a suggestion by a stranger often works as it’s unexpected for them!

TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening · 07/08/2023 13:58

Trip them over.
Then take a plate of food back to my room

Shortandpale · 07/08/2023 14:09

I'd say something on the lines of 'hey, be careful, I nearly tripped over you and dropped my coffee on you' and they'd probably get such a shock that they'd run back to their parents. If it kept up I'd complain to a staff member.

Original poster
AutisticLegoLover · 07/08/2023 14:21

I'd chosen a quiet spot due to being autistic. After about 5-10 minutes if this I asked a member of staff to deal with the situation. He went over to the children and told them to be quiet because that lady has complained and pointed to me. The children paid no attention to him but the mum finally clocked that staff had spoken to her children and again the member of staff pointed me out and said I'd complained. She went over to the children and asked if they were doing what they'd been told off for and they said they être just taking so she cane over and had a go at me telling me I shouldn't stay in a hotel if I didn't want children there. I was there with my own child so a bit bizarre. She went on about how children need love and understanding and that she'd rather have kids like hers rather than kids that were afraid to speak Hmm ds was sitting quietly trying not to have a meltdown due to the noise.
I spoke to the manager who basically said there's nothing they could do even though it was a safety hazard them running around and said if they got scolded it's the parents' problem. He offered to segregate me from the rest of the guests as though I was the problem.
When the family left the quiet was bliss and it was obvious how much noise they'd all been making.
It's nice to read that others wouldn't have tolerated it.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 07/08/2023 14:23

I think I would now be speaking to the manager about the way the member of staff dealt with it as it was totally unacceptable.

agent765 · 07/08/2023 14:44

I'd have complained to the staff that you were feeling threatened by the other guest. Take it to management.

I'm fed up with parents of feral kids ruining holidays or time out with my grandkids. My GC have been taught there's a time and a place for running around and a place serving food isn't.

I suppose the light at the end of the tunnel is that today's feral kids are the future's trouble-making family members for them as well as the rest of us.

If more of us clapped loudly when parents of feral kids are shown the door the easier it would be for more complaints to be taken seriously.

FourTeaFallOut · 07/08/2023 14:45

Threatened by four year olds?