to think that some parents are just lazy and inconsiderate?

[LentilsRMe]

We went for tea yesterday at Wagamamas.

There was a family behind us, including 2 children - about 2 and 4 maybe.

I looked round after they had left and under the table they had left food, crayons, paper and two empty juice cartons.

I was a bit that they just left without even picking this all up off the floor.

Surely I am NBU?

Whenever we eat out, dd and ds almost always drops food on the floor. We always ask for a dust pan and brush to pick it all up but most of the time we are told it doesnt matter. Would always pick up rubbish though.

Never been to wagamamas however we always pick up our mess from the floor and put it onto the plates or thow it onto a bin after we have eaten out. I wouldn't leave the mess lying around at home so I wouldn't lower my standards when I eat out. Paying or not.

I don't think Wagamama is an upscale restaurant, it's the MacD of asian food so you're bound to get all sorts of people.

We recently went to the Wolseley for breakfast with our 11 mths old and she ate with us at the table. There were the inevitable crumbs of croissants and torn apart soldiers. I didn't pick these things up but recovered her napkin, menu and spoon. We thanked the staff for their attentiveness in helping us and apologized for the crum littered floor, it's only polite, isn't it?

I wouldn't have bothered that much in WagM, MacD, etc. but would still pick up big items and put them on my tray.

We have staff at home but I still want my daughter to learn to be disciplined and well-mannered and it's not okay to behave like a pig in a restaurant just because you pay for service. It's the principle, isn't it?

crumb littered

YANBU

But why does it depend on the type of restaurant?

YANBU. I always pick up the mess my children leave under a restaurant table. Especially when doing BLWing!

I like Wagamama's.

And the type of restaurant doesn't matter. Just because it may be considered a lower standard of restaurant doesn't mean that I have to lower my own standards of politeness.

Absolutely Belgo

I'm the scrabbling-around-on-the-floor type. I take packets of baby wipes with us whenever we eat out, and I clear up all the mess I can every time. And then I clean my hands.

I don't understand the H&S argument - surely any germs transferred to the table from the floor will get cleaned up when the table is wiped down? It's surely more dangerous to leave food on the floor where anyone could slip over on it.

Anyway, I don't care how common I am. It's unpleasant for other diners to be surrounded by mess, and it's totally unreasonable to expect others to clean up after my child just because I have failed miserably at teaching him any table manners. So sue me!

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this reaaly f* me off, they are pigs and probably live like it at home. years ago dh and i went to a thompson 3 hotel and was equally disgusted by the filth people left, and the table manners.

I try to encourage my dcs to be responsible for their mess wherever they are. At a coffee morning last weekend ds1(6) asked the waitress for a cloth so he could soak up some orange juice he'd spilt. I'm often surprised by how much mess other people feel it's acceptable to leave, I feel even doing a little at least lets the waitress know you care.

Now crayons in restaurants drive me mad, my dts are at the stage where they love peeling the wrappers off them and will not be persuaded otherwise. Blinking bits of confetti like paper everywhere.

YANBU I would not have left so much mess on the floor, unless some sort of emergency exit was required.

I agree with poster. The waiting staff are their to serve food and wine not look after to children.

I wouldn't leave a big mess with a group of adults, so should not assume it is ok because I have my kids with me.

In my past experience as a waitress, the people who let their kids make a big mess walk away without tipping properly also. Nice!

Forgive insane use of English language, sleep deprived...

It's probably this very reason that so many restaurants factor in a compulsory 10% tip nowadays - to deal with slobs like this.

I think it is terrible to teach your children to behave this way - i get ever so cross with my OH as he has the attitude ''it is someones job - you are keeping the cleaners employed'' his biggest one on the trains and the worst thing is HE is an engineer on those very trains where he leaves all the litter on the table.

I always (of habit and good manners than anything else) pick up any debris - obviously not down to every crumb, but the big bits, scrape and put the finished with plates into a big pile at the end of the table so they are easier to collect (also then they are out of your own way), collect any large debris/crumbs into a pile that have gathered on the table and if there is a spare tissue let over gather it and put it on a finished plate - obviously the table will still need a wipe but it just makes it easier to clean.

Now i don't go as far as cleaning spills but like to try and keep reasonable tidy area.

I do the same when i go to other peoples houses and i'd be mortified if someone came to my home and left food, spills and plates everywhere with not even an attempt at helping to clear them. (i'd usually tell them don't worry mid-way but it is the attempt that counts - shows they have respect for my home)

When kids come to stay they are politely asked to bring their empty plates and cups into the kitchen - i think learning good manners as a child goes a long way to making great adults.

Please correct me if i am wrong but it seems to generally be the men that have the 'i paid so i'm not cleaning up' attitude. At least it is with the men i know - yet they are all pretty good at keeping their own homes clean, i'm confused!

Tip - i meant 'service charge' lol!

And when i meant i don't clean up spills i mean little gravy spills or drips - not big water/juice spills - I WOULD attempt at cleaning those type of big spills up without hesitation and immediately.

Just coming back to this.

Wanted to say that DD and I often have a hot chocolate and a coffee at our local library.

I have ALWAYS cleaned up any debris and spills, etc. Just whizz round with a babywipe - so easy!

Anyway, today the lady working there slipped DD a packet of biscuits because she "likes having us there".

So really, a little respect goes a long way. Not saying I need free biscuits, but for me knowing that the person serving me is happy to see me and my child, not grimacing, is worth something!

It does matter what restaurant it is: how come H&M shopping alleys often look like a trash bag where clothes have been pulled out and not hung back properly, lying on the floor having been trampled upon. You don't get that in a Prada boutique, do you??

Some people (me not included but I have seen enough) do believe that if it's already a bit messy/cheap/etc. they can just pig out and get away with anything. This subsequently lowers the standards and attracts even more customers who dump their crap there. It's sad but true.

I was just wondering, the people that wouldn't pick up big bits of food from the floor would you would you also leave big bits of food that have been spilled onto the table or would you pick them up and put them back on the plate?

Also if the crayons come in a pot or packet, do you put them back before you leave or leave them lying on the table?

YANBU. I'm BLWing my son and he makes a horrendous mess, but I usually use a napkin to duck down and grab the main 'bits' - chunks of broccoli or whatever and pop them onto a finished plate. I cover my hands with a napkin, don't really see where the germs come into it - I usually have a wet-wipe too. To be fair, people's dirty plates probably harbour as many pathogens as the floor.

I don't scrape the floor or pick up every crumb, but I do at least make a little effort not to leave a restaurant like a bombsite. People are enough about children in restaurants without giving them extra ammunition. If they make a horrible mess it reflects badly on all parents of young children who like to eat out.