To expect parents to keep their children relatively quiet in a pizza restaurant...?

[confuseddoiordonti]

I have just got back from a pizza (Planet Pizza in Bristol in case anyone's wondering) and me and DH were driven bonkers by the number of overexcited shrieking childen in there (we got there just before 7pm.)

I am not against children in restaurants, and I realise this is a pizza place rather than the Ivy, but I do object to them charging about and shouting where there are people there with no dc's (like myself.) I realise that some noise is to be expected and I don't have a problem with that, but I do have a problem with the same children running about, shouting and crawling around under tables. Am I being unreasonable by getting a) pissed off and b) wishing they were someplace else so I could eat my pizza in peace...?

Lastly, while I was tempted to go over and ask some of the parents to get their children to keep it down a bit, I did chicken out and hoped they'd realise the kids were too noisey themselves (they didn't.)

I think that it's quite possible to enjoy oneself while still having consideration for others.

So do the Greeks and Russians.

And I'm not speaking of Greeks and Russians here.Having had very little experience of dining with them.

What about the French? Everyone says their children are beautifully behaved, but then that's because they hit them.

hully have you gone mad

I'm quite sure that one can have well behaved children without resorting to violence.
Besides I'm not thinking so much of the children's age appropriate but not restaurant appropriate behaviour, but more of how the parents deal with it.That's the real issue imho.

dont think different cultural norms involve screaming at the table or running round other peoples tables whilst eating.

Im not intolerant...i just teach good manners.

Its funny how even the hotel in greece actually warned us as we went into dinner on our first night..

Straight out of the mouths of the hoteliers and they were not wrong.

MoonTheLoon i did say some not all!

Just out of interest, how do you think all the badly behaved Greek and Russian children grow up to eat like normal adults in restaurants if they're not being taught as kids?

I just love the way these debates always turn into the:

'Good lucky parents' whose kids listen to them and behave as requested.

vs

'Bad parents' whose children have 'opinions' and go through phases of naughtiness independance!

As I said earlier, there is a big difference between parents who struggle, but TRY to control their children in a variety of situations (ie. me!), and those who ignore their children whilst they run riot.

some of the adults are just as bad (in all cultures) ,its just that this hotel was overtaken with those two particular countries,they barge into the front of queues and rudely grab all the fresh fish that you have been standing for,waiting to cook at the buffet for 10 minutes. Never an door opened ,never move in the lift ,no please or thankyou....

For the manager of the hotel to apologise to us,it must have been fazirly noticeable.

It happens everywhere,but that doesnt make it acceptable

bad typo....fairly not fazirly

hully's wrong and trying to chase up the race card to distract us all

Oh don't be silly. Aly, you haven't answered the question.

hoover

i think you forgot me

normal children, the good the bad the ugly, seen it all

expect my children to behave
expect to have to teach and show them how to behave with consideration for others
expect certain behaviour in public out of consideration for others

not perfect mother, not perfect children, do not believe it's acceptable to run around shrieking in a restaurant

i have no idea how there parents teach them as thank god I'm not in their homes. Manners also get taught at school so you would think they would pick some good behaviour up from somewhere

oh hully why is it right to allow children to run around in a restaurant

why? why? why?

how ghastly if you think this is true

'Im not intolerant...i just teach good manners.'
Well I teach good manners as well. My DD says please, thankyou, may I etc etc. She is generally polite. However, because she is only 3, she sometimes gets carried away and overexcited. Especially when she is hungry and tired.
I believe this is common in very small children!

thanks mmrsceptic

well that's why we try to manage situations so that they don't kick up in restaurants where they may be tired at 7pm and have to wait for food

that's what most people do i thought

mmrsceptic - its not right to ENCOURAGE it, but sometimes shit happens!

Hoover, exactly what I have been trying to say but apparently even that is not good enough, you must be doing something wrong!

Anyway, this is just going round in circles, I'm off.

thats what i was lead to believe too mmrsceptic

see my above post: re managing situations

and to allow it, never mind encourage, both wrong

and even if you're trying to stop it and not managing, you should recognise it's troublesome to others

can you recommend any restaurants or hotels...[empathetic smile}