I started restaurant dining when the kiddos were young. I have basic, consistent rules and now, at 8 and 10, aside from forgetting an occasional napkin on the lap (mostly the boy child) they're good to go!

Uh, people who choose "ignore it"... WHY???

Ditto the first comment above - mine learned to have restaurant manners at home so when we go out it's no different. It's a place to eat, not a playground. Unless of course there IS a playground there, then they can get up and run around after they are done eating.

Home discipline was high on the list when my son was growing up. Anything from a good swat to the rear to time (and I mean hour or more not minutes) in his room. He fully understood at a rather young age that acting up in public would exact a price at home so, we had very little trouble with him in public and quite often were given compliments on his behavior. He has done the same with his boys so taking the grandchildren out is no problem at all ether. BTW, any parent that subjects strangers to having to endure the antics of an unruly and out of control child have no consideration for others at all. So with that kind of attitude it is easy to see the example these enabling parents set at home and there is little wonder the offspring become brats.

k4th3r1n3 wrote:Uh, people who choose "ignore it"... WHY???

Because they hate the rest of us. I've had meals comped at restaurants because I've complained to the manager about screaming kids next to our table and the parents doing nothing about it.

Part of it is goig to the right place. I take my son to restaurants he enjoys eating at, and in turn I expect good behavior.

Never really been an issue. My children go pretty much every I go and behave appropriately.

My daughter went everywhere with me. I had a problem with her behaviour one time. She was 3 and wanted a pair of shoes that were inappropriate for her age, so threw a tantrum. I picked her up, swatted her on the butt once and walked away. I only got to the end of the shoe department before she caught up. Never happened again. FYI, she is 18 now.

My kids were eating machines and they knew if they acted up they would never go again.

My daughter has gone to sit down restaurants since she was a baby. She grew up knowing how to act properly in a restaurant.

I've gone out to eat with other people's kids that have not been so well behaved. If their kid was my kid, i'd either take them outside or to the restroom for a time out. Unfortunately, they are the type of parent that just ignores the behavior. Needless to say, it's been a long time since I last went out to eat with them.

k4th3r1n3 wrote:Uh, people who choose "ignore it"... WHY???

I said ignore...my kids are extremely well behaved when we go out to eat...but they are 1, 2 and 3 so they aren't perfect. When they do get excited and loud we just ignore or give simple reminders and that's enough. Not to brag (okay...I'm meaning to brag) but my kids are just so awesome and well behaved that we don't usually need to do more than that. Of course, if they did get wild or out of control we would do what was needed.

charliecarroll wrote:Home discipline was high on the list when my son was growing up. Anything from a good swat to the rear to time (and I mean hour or more not minutes) in his room. He fully understood at a rather young age that acting up in public would exact a price at home so, we had very little trouble with him in public and quite often were given compliments on his behavior. He has done the same with his boys so taking the grandchildren out is no problem at all ether. BTW, any parent that subjects strangers to having to endure the antics of an unruly and out of control child have no consideration for others at all. So with that kind of attitude it is easy to see the example these enabling parents set at home and there is little wonder the offspring become brats.

+1. My experience (w/ 2 boys now 12 & 10) is that discipline must start at home, and early (young). If the correction is swift & consistent, the behavior will change. Make the lessons memorable and the kids won't forget them.

Increasingly I encounter parents who will tell you that their child has a right to behave like an untrained animal and anyone who feels otherwise is the problem.

See the comments section of any news story involving a family being booted from an airplane or swanky eatery for numerous examples.

yell at them in the restaurant

Sometimes ignoring a behavior is the better way to go. It depends on the age and temperment of the child. Appropriate behavior in McDonalds isn't the same as a 4 or 5 star restaurant - the discipline should match the setting. I find that most kids who are acting out badly in a restaurant either have no business being in that type of restaurant, no kids menu = don't bring the kids. Often in those situations they come with arrogant, selfish parents. The other possibility is that the child is tired and shouldn't be out in public in general.

If you haven't ordered, you walk out of the store. If you have, you ask for to-go containers, pay and leave.

I promise it will make such an impression on them that they will NEVER do it again. You, as a parent, have to be willing to leave, but you only have to do it once.

Oh, and do it quietly. Don't scream, don't yell, don't throw a fit. That's what they're doing. Your turn to be the parent.