My Next Big Idea

Tonight my friend and soon-to-be business partner and I were strategizing over dinner. (That way we can write off our meal!) We weren't at a fancy place, but it was nice and we were indoors, even though it was warm enough to eat outside. Just before our food was served, a young family sat at the table next to us. In addition to an infant, there were two little boys, one of whom seemed pretty well-behaved, the other not so much. I'm all about letting kids be kids -- just not when it comes to climbing on furniture in a restaurant. Because of the way the seating was set up, with a booth-type cushioned bench against the wall and chairs on the opposite side of the table, anything this kid did impacted our table. He was literally jumping from a chair to the cushioned bench, landing about a foot away from me. Not only was this distracting, it was nerve-wracking; I was sure he was going to fly into me and injure me or himself. His parents did nothing to discourage this behavior. When he wasn't jumping, he was standing on his chair. He was little, maybe three or four, old enough to understand what is and isn't appropriate, if he'd been shown. My first thought was, "I bet you don't do this at your own dining table," but then I thought maybe he does.

After one exceptionally close jump, I looked at the kid until one of his parents finally told him to sit down. Of course the parent became defensive of the kid; he said, "Come here, buddy," and he stared me down. I stared right back. I can't stand when parents let their kids do whatever they want with no consideration of how their behavior affects others. And then I came up with a great idea: Restaurants should have bouncers for unruly kids and their parents! What a fantastic position it would be. If kids acted up and parents did nothing, the parents could receive one warning to tame their child(ren). A second offense would result in the entire family being removed from the restaurant with their food packed up in containers. I realize this probably makes me seem like a real bitch, but I have been on the other side of the situation, with the difference being that I took my kid outside if he wouldn't behave. It didn't take many times of being removed from the situation for each one to learn to act right. I never hit them or screamed at them; I simply led them out quietly so other diners could enjoy their meals.

The other part of this that justifies my being a little bit of a bitch is that I see kids in my classrooms who have been indulged throughout their childhoods. They have a sense of entitlement and they don't understand consequences. If parents want to let their kids run wild, they should do it in big, wide-open spaces where people aren't trying to enjoy a meal away from home. Maybe then the children will be worn out by the time they get to dinner.