4 kids ruining dinner with your bwning target

7/30/2011 10:30:56 PM

Quote :

"Kids are kids, they are supposed to be noisy, bratty, etc at certain points of their lives. If an adult cannot bear with this, then he is being childish. I have no problem with any place letting kids in. I had the same stand before I had a kid."

Seriously, how is this a fucking argument? Have you even read the thread? This isn't about places allowing kids in, it's about places not letting kids in if they choose not to.

7/30/2011 11:40:53 PM

Quote :

"But at the same time, if someone's kid is being bratty in public, it does not bother me. Because to me it is natural for many kids to be like that. Hyper active kids are happy kids."

There is a HUGE difference between a brat and an active kid. It's kind of disturbing you lump them together.

7/31/2011 9:33:59 AM

^^Dude calm down, no where did I say businesses have no right to ban kids from their establishment. It's absolutely their choice. I just said, I am fine with any place letting kids in.

^and you sir, really are "disturbed" by a mundane post on a message board?

7/31/2011 6:32:46 PM

I don't have a problem with restaurants outright banning kids. I'd never eat there without my kids. I will back this up by pointing out that I very rarely ate at non-smoking restaurants before the unconstitutional ban took effect (ie - i only ate then when someone else paid, it was a work function, family get-together, situations where i had no control over picking the restaurant).

Some of you obviously have no experience with children that you are responsible for. You aren't going to get a 2 year old to be quiet by asking. You aren't going to get a 2 year old to be quiet by smacking, spanking, or beating them. Young children are extremely volatile - one minute they're whispering, the next minute they're being loud, the next minute they're crying, the next minute they're eating, the next minute they're trying to get out of their high chair, the next minute they're crying, the next minute they're whispering, and so on.

I would never take my young kids to the Angus Barn, Porter's, or restaurants like that for several reasons. 1) Those aren't really kid-friendly places. 2) I don't want to pay those prices for a meal that my kid won't appreciate, and probably won't like as much as a Happy Meal. 3) Sensible parents don't take their kids to places like that.

However, there are a great number of places that are appropriate, and if you eat there then you should expect for children to be there. Cici's, Golden Corral, McDonald's, Burger King, etc. I doubt that any restaurants of those types would ever consider banning children.

Movements like this are dangerous. What's next, no blacks? What about if the black people smell - that makes my dinner uncomfortable. Would that be ok? Some of you are trying to apply common sense logic that seems normal to you but is not necessarily normal and accepted by all. What if the black couple that comes in stinking like shit are huge environmentalists that only shower once a week because they are trying to do their part to save water? You have to think about extreme cases like this.

If I'm in a restaurant, and my kid starts fussing, I'll make an attempt to calm the kid down. I'll offer food, crayons, something on the table, etc. to attract her attention. I don't think you should ignore fussy kids. There's obviously a reason that they're fussing, and parents should normally have a good idea about why their kid is fussing.

If I'm done eating, and my kid gets restless or starts crying, I'll take the kid outside. No problems there, and I generally want the kid to be happy. That's basically where it ends.

If I'm not done eating, and the kid won't stop being loud, then the kid is just going to be loud until I'm done. If it's raining, or cold, or extremely hot, or there's any reason where I wouldn't want to be outside then I'm not going to force my kid to go outside.

When it comes right down to it, I want the kid to not cry or fuss just as much as everyone else in the restaurant. However, I don't give a shit if it bothers other customers, or if they get upset about it. It's only going to be worse for them if they come over to my table and say something about it. If a manager asked me to leave, I'd tell them no and to go away. If they tried to force the issue, I'd tell them to call the cops. If for some reason they did call the cops, I'd just file a lawsuit. I am willing to bet all of my lunch money that a simple letter from a lawyer gets you 1) An apology letter from the company. 2) The price of your meal refunded. 3) Gift certificates/restaurant credit to return, with a welcome invite to dine-in with your children whenever you like.

This is America. That's how things work.

I've only had one incident in a restaurant where someone said something, and it wasn't even said directly to me. It was said loud enough for me to hear it. We were at Cici's (of all places), and the kid starting being loud and fussy. It wasn't like a constant ear-screaming pitch, but the kid was being a little louder than one would normally expect a 2 year old to be. We had special ordered a pizza and it had just arrived. I wasn't going to let my food get cold because the kid was fussy. There were already plenty of kids running around the restaurant like heathens, 3 TVs going with the sound up, and 2 large parties (10+ people).

There was a man and a woman, probably husband/wife, sitting diagonally across from us. After a couple minutes, the woman stood up and said, "I can't sit here and listen to that anymore." I replied, "Good, take that fat bitch home. She's disgusting. I can't eat with her in my view. I can't believe you fuck that fat pig." She stormed out. The husband never turned around. No reply. Nothing.

A few seconds later, there was a tap on my shoulder. The couple sitting behind us had 4 kids. The wife said to me, "People with kids just don't understand." That's the perfect way to end this post.

People with kids just don't understand.

[Edited on July 31, 2011 at 8:21 PM. Reason : It's funny that most people in this thread are crying worse than kids in restaurants.]

7/31/2011 8:00:14 PM

a private business owner should be able to deny service to anyone they want

7/31/2011 8:26:35 PM

Quote :

"If a manager asked me to leave, I'd tell them no and to go away. If they tried to force the issue, I'd tell them to call the cops. If for some reason they did call the cops, I'd just file a lawsuit. "

7/31/2011 8:34:24 PM

State Oz is the reason places are banning kids.

7/31/2011 8:52:55 PM

My rule is, if they have high chairs, then kids are fair game. If a place has a no kids policy, then I will gladly abide by it.

My daughter (7mo) is always asleep by 8:30pm. When we go to a restaurant, we go after 8:30 and just bring her in in a stroller and let her sleep. It's never happened (knock on wood) but if she were to start being noisy, and not calm down within a few seconds, I would take her outside.

7/31/2011 9:11:03 PM

Quote :

"If I'm not done eating, and the kid won't stop being loud, then the kid is just going to be loud until I'm done. If it's raining, or cold, or extremely hot, or there's any reason where I wouldn't want to be outside then I'm not going to force my kid to go outside. "

And you are the reason restaurants have started banning children. If your kid is being loud, you take them outside and sit with them in your car or outside until they have calmed down, regardless of if you've finished your meal. This is what parents that are mindful of others around them do. Yeah it sucks to have to do that sometimes but when you chose to have children you knew your kids would make it so you couldn't do what you wanted to do at all times.

I seriously hate eating at restaurants where people pull this sort of shit.

8/1/2011 8:25:42 AM

If your kids can't act right in a restaurant, then you don't take them out to a restaurant.

8/1/2011 8:34:45 AM

The No-Kids movement will be a special report on tonight's NBC Nightly News

8/1/2011 8:45:38 AM

^^ Stated by a person with no kids. Seriously my daughter is a great kid and very well behaved most of the time, but she can get cranky and sometimes she'll get fussy while we are out to dinner. It is not as cut and dry as people make it out to be.

8/1/2011 9:10:10 AM

Quote :

"I replied, "Good, take that fat bitch home. She's disgusting. I can't eat with her in my view. I can't believe you fuck that fat pig.""

wow.


[Edited on August 1, 2011 at 9:19 AM. Reason : -->

8/1/2011 9:15:54 AM

^^What you are willing to do with your well-behaved child who is not being her usual calm self might not be so cut and dry to you, but what the general public wants to put up with (or not) and feels is the appropriate thing for you to do IS cut and dry. Take the kid outside or don't come to the restaurant. And since you don't see it that way, that's why restaurants are doing this, because there are enough people out there who DO see it this way that they would risk losing all the precious children customers and their parents to gain this minute population of people who feel this way.

[Edited on August 1, 2011 at 9:16 AM. Reason : a]

8/1/2011 9:16:03 AM

Holy shit. State Oz is exactly the reason why kids are banned from restaurants. Completely selfish and inconsiderate. And I do have kids (5 and 7 yrs old rambunctious boys) and I still don't understand selfish attitudes like that.

Now my kids are older so it's less of a problem, but even now I would not hesitate to take them out of the restaurant if they started getting out of control. I also don't have a problem with restaurants banning kids either because for the most parts these are places that reasonable people don't take their young children to anyways and I can fully appreciate how much selfish jerks like State Oz can ruin the experience for other people.

8/1/2011 9:18:20 AM

^^^^ Stated by a person who has never worked in a restaurant (actually...that's just a guess).

And I'm okay with an occasional cry or an outburst. But IMO, kids get the same treatment than an out of control (or drunk) adult will get in a restaurant. Your "cranky" kid can have one or two good cries/screams/yells...but constant crying/screaming and you just need to go home. You are ruining everyone's reason for going out.

Same thing with a drunk/unruly adult. Start ruining everyone's dinner and you will be (and should be) asked to leave.

As far as the no-kids-allowed movement...I have no problem with it. If you've worked in restaurants before, you would know that at least 20/30% of kids (and I mean very young kids/toddlers/babies) are a constant disruption to where they affect the majority of the customers in a restaurant. When the percentage is that significant, then I don't think a restaurant should get any flack for imposing whatever rule/restriction on kids that they want. If you don't want to go there because of that, then good for you. But I don't see the big deal in them doing it.

[Edited on August 1, 2011 at 9:20 AM. Reason : .]

8/1/2011 9:20:04 AM

Quote :

" If you've worked in restaurants before, you would know that at least 20/30% of kids (and I mean very young kids/toddlers/babies) are a constant disruption to where they affect the majority of the customers in a restaurant."

This. Working in restaurants was a real eye opener to me on the sort of parenting, or lack thereof, that exists. No please, let your child use their utensils as a drum set for the next hour while they scream at the top of their lungs. Everyone else here loves your special snowflake! And make sure to get as much food as possible around your table and onto other guests. Of course a 9-year old doesn't know better!

8/1/2011 9:35:15 AM

State Oz is the ugly American. Selfish, total asshole, runs to the lawyer to solve problems.


FYI, you can't kick blacks out because race is a protected class defined in the constitution. Loud people, smelly people, people with kids are not protected classes. So, the legal dilemma you were trying to invent does not exist.

8/1/2011 9:40:58 AM

^^

The craziest part were the parents that just let their kids run around the restaurant like it was a day-care or the McDonald's play place. That blew my fucking mind. Your kids need to sit at the table like everyone else in the restaurant. I never moved out of the way when a kid was running around. I'd let that little fucker run into me and crumble to the ground. Might even stick my foot out and trip them...teach them a lesson.

8/1/2011 9:48:40 AM

I can't even count the number of times I saw a kid almost end up with hot food spilled on them because they were running around the restaurant. A restaurant is not a safe place to be running around for kids and adults alike. Personally I'd be terrified to let my child out of my sight in a restaurant but other parents just seem so oblivious.

8/1/2011 9:55:39 AM

My two nephews are those kids unfortunately. Last time we went out to dinner with my in-laws, my nephews pushed their food around their plate for about 2 minutes and then prompted to get out of their chairs and start grab-assing around and doing laps around the restaurant. I'm sitting there trying to decide whether to flip out on their parents and burn the relationship to the ground (surprise surprise, they think WE are too strict with our kids) or just ignore it as much as I can and meanwhile my kids are looking to me wondering why they aren't allowed to act like little retards in the restaurant. Haven't been out to eat with them since.

They don't intentionally try to be jerks, but my in-laws are prime examples of people that are just oblivious to how they affect the people around them. Then, of course, they will get overly defensive if they are ever confronted.

8/1/2011 10:01:16 AM

at a restaurant called Flaming Amy's

8/1/2011 10:33:51 AM

RightTimeKids ftw ...

Drop the kids off for an hour on fridays (they even feed them pizza), head out to whatever, and pick them up a few hours later.

If I only had 1 kid, we would do this for sure.

WIth 3 kids, we just pay our babysitter 5/hour to clean up their mess at our home instead.

I <3 cheap babysitters.

If you cannot afford a babysitter in addition to your bill at an expesive restaurant, then you should not be going to the expensive restaurant ... and just head to mcd's instead.

Again, as a father of 3 (4 and under), I would never take the little poopheads to a nice place with me.

8/1/2011 10:34:29 AM

^
Everyone should be so lucky to find a babysitter willing to sit 3 kids for $5/hour. I think that's what I charged when I was 14

But I agree...I wouldn't take kids to a nice place. Save that for date night.

8/1/2011 10:39:54 AM

AHA, poor State Oz. The only restaurants he thinks are appropriate for children ("Cici's, Golden Corral, McDonald's, Burger King, etc.") also happen to attract not-so-healthy patrons that ruin his appetite. How's he ever supposed to eat out with his children without having to drop F-bombs at fat women?!?! NEW MOVEMENT: BAN FAT PEOPLE AT UNHEALTHY RESTAURANTS!!!! A MAN AND HIS BRAT NEED TO EAT!!!!

8/1/2011 10:40:19 AM

holy shit at State Oz

You are everything that is wrong with modern society.

8/1/2011 10:43:40 AM

Quote :

"meanwhile my kids are looking to me wondering why they aren't allowed to act like little retards in the restaurant."

haha that sucks to be in that situation but I just imagine your kids sitting at the table going while you're sitting there

8/1/2011 11:00:49 AM

this thread has helped me realize maximus is basically AstralAdvent with an extra helping of derp

8/1/2011 11:26:49 AM

Quote :

"I've only had one incident in a restaurant where someone said something, and it wasn't even said directly to me. It was said loud enough for me to hear it. We were at Cici's (of all places), and the kid starting being loud and fussy. It wasn't like a constant ear-screaming pitch, but the kid was being a little louder than one would normally expect a 2 year old to be. We had special ordered a pizza and it had just arrived. I wasn't going to let my food get cold because the kid was fussy. There were already plenty of kids running around the restaurant like heathens, 3 TVs going with the sound up, and 2 large parties (10+ people). There was a man and a woman, probably husband/wife, sitting diagonally across from us. After a couple minutes, the woman stood up and said, "I can't sit here and listen to that anymore." I replied, "Good, take that fat bitch home. She's disgusting. I can't eat with her in my view. I can't believe you fuck that fat pig." She stormed out. The husband never turned around. No reply. Nothing."

So:

A) You recognize that the kid was being louder than the combination of other heathen children, 3 TVs, and 2 large parties and the woman had the right to complain.

or

B) A random stranger's comments about the noise, in a restaurant full of noise from multiple sources, caused you to flip out.

Either way if your kid has the right to make that much noise surely an adult has the right to talk above a whisper.

[Edited on August 1, 2011 at 11:31 AM. Reason : ]

8/1/2011 11:30:44 AM

Quote :

"State Oz is the reason places are banning kids."

I thought kids being loud and uncontrollable was the reason that restaurants are banning kids? Either way, the majority of kids, who are well-behaved, are going to suffer because restaurant owners want to make sure that absolutely no kids cause any kind of disruption. That seems unfair, but I've already stated that I fully support the rights of private business owners to make business decisions. If you believe this, then you should also oppose the government-mandated smoking ban, as private business owners should be able to decide what goes on inside their establishment. It's one way or the other.

Quote :

"Yeah it sucks to have to do that sometimes but when you chose to have children you knew your kids would make it so you couldn't do what you wanted to do at all times."

I agree for the most part. However, it shouldn't mean that your kids always prevent you from doing normal, family activities. You mentioned taking the kid out to the car until they calmed down, but that's usually an effort in futility. You can usually calm a child down fairly quick, but it's not unusual for something to set them off again only moments after returning. I'm not arguing that people who have children screaming non-stop should stay in a restaurant.

Restaurants are full of different types of people. If you sit down in any restaurant, there's a good chance that you'll be able to hear someone else's conversation unless you consciously block it out. You know those people that seem to laugh a little too loud, get excited and slowly but consistently raise their voice as they're telling a story? I think that most kids fall into that noise level, and to me, that's perfectly acceptable.

Quote :

"Seriously my daughter is a great kid and very well behaved most of the time, but she can get cranky and sometimes she'll get fussy while we are out to dinner. It is not as cut and dry as people make it out to be."

Quote :

" If your kids can't act right in a restaurant, then you don't take them out to a restaurant. "

Quote :

"My rule is, if they have high chairs, then kids are fair game."

Kids have just as much right to go out and enjoy a restaurant as anyone else. Would you guys be ok with restaurants banning people who suffer from tourrette syndrome? To me, that would be extremely annoying. I wouldn't be ok with it because they have a disability. It's not their fault, just like it's not the kid's fault that he doesn't understand proper restaurant etiquette.

Quote :

"FYI, you can't kick blacks out because race is a protected class defined in the constitution. Loud people, smelly people, people with kids are not protected classes. So, the legal dilemma you were trying to invent does not exist."

But you could simply say that every black that comes in smells, and deny them service? Whoa, the black people are talking too loud, let's not serve them! My point is that if you can't discriminate by one means then you can by another. If this is allowed to continue then it's only going to increase the legitimacy of discrimination. The legal dilemma that I proposed is certainly possible. I think a lot of the responses in this thread come from the assumption that restaurant owners are only going to go so far. I'm simply warning that this could be a step towards greater discrimination.

Quote :

"Completely selfish and inconsiderate."

Quote :

"selfish jerks like State Oz"

Quote :

"State Oz is the ugly American. Selfish, total asshole, runs to the lawyer to solve problems"

Quote :

"holy shit at State Oz You are everything that is wrong with modern society."

All of this is unnecessary, and untrue. I didn't call any of you names. Just because I don't agree with your opinions on restaurants banning children, or when you should or should not remove a child from restaurant, doesn't make me a bad person. Did you ever think that parents might want to enjoy a meal with their children? Some of you argue that parents should either be able to afford or a babysitter or not go out to eat.... why? Why should you be the one to determine what they should do? Maybe you should go to restaurants where people don't take kids.

Quote :

"AHA, poor State Oz. The only restaurants he thinks are appropriate for children ("Cici's, Golden Corral, McDonald's, Burger King, etc.") also happen to attract not-so-healthy patrons that ruin his appetite. How's he ever supposed to eat out with his children without having to drop F-bombs at fat women?!?! NEW MOVEMENT: BAN FAT PEOPLE AT UNHEALTHY RESTAURANTS!!!! A MAN AND HIS BRAT NEED TO EAT!!!!"

The only way that part of my post could have been better is if I had the husband saying, "Yo holmes, to Bel Air!"

Again, with the name calling. Your argument could be turned around. NEW MOVEMENT: NO CRYBABY ADULTS WHO CAN'T HANDLE NOISE IN GENERAL, NOT FANCY RESTAURANTS!!!! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!

It's more fun dropping F-bombs at managers.

Quote :

"A) You recognize that the kid was being louder than the combination of other heathen children, 3 TVs, and 2 large parties and the woman had the right to complain. or B) A random stranger's comments about the noise, in a restaurant full of noise from multiple sources, caused you to flip out."

The kid wasn't being louder than the other noise. I was simply pointing out that most noisy situations are compounded by a lot of noise. Think of Texas Roadhouse - would anyone even hear a crying baby in that place?

I'm still trying to figure out which part of my post made people the maddest.

Quote :

"Either way if your kid has the right to make that much noise surely an adult has the right to talk above a whisper."

Absolutely. I'm not the guy complaining about parties who are making noise. In those types of family restaurants, the noise level should be well above what it is in a place that I need reservations for.

[Edited on August 1, 2011 at 7:23 PM. Reason : .]

8/1/2011 7:21:15 PM

Sometimes it's just so easy to stoke the fires. I'd love to say that yall are posting in a troll thread, but that's not the case.

I think that we do have some confusion about some things in my post.

1) I've already stated that I had no problem with restaurants outright banning children under a certain age. Just because I wouldn't eat at those establishments without my children doesn't mean that I don't agree that some businesses would be better served by imposing an age limit.

2) What's an acceptable level of noise from a young (3 or less) child? In my opinion, those kids are always slightly louder than your average table conversation, but aside from a couple outbursts, their noise level is usually acceptable.

Would I leave a screaming and crying 2 year old in the high chair for > 2 minutes while I finished my meal? No, and it has nothing to do with the "aggravating" noise that the child is making. The child is obviously unhappy. Most of the time there is a simple fix that quiets them down - moving them to an actual chair, giving them crayons (parents should carry survival packs for situations like this), or setting them on your lap.

I think that my definition of an acceptable level of noise will be close to what most of you think is an acceptable level.

3) Respect goes both ways. If I take a kid to a restaurant, and the people behind me are constantly saying "fuck," or talking about anal sex with double-headed dildos, I'm not going to tell them to change their topic of conversation. It's up to each person as to where you draw the line, but in general I stay out of other people's way, and I expect them to do the same for me.

8/1/2011 7:22:38 PM

dude, someone has issues.

8/1/2011 9:33:17 PM

Quote :

""Dear parents: No one gives a shit about your little crotchfruit except you. They're not cute, they're not fun to be around, and if they're not well behaved they'll ruin a good time for everyone around them. There is a big market for people not wanting to be subjected to your shitty parenting, or lack of control over said crotchfruit. I support this.""

8/1/2011 9:59:53 PM

Quote :

"State Oz: I thought kids being loud and uncontrollable was the reason that restaurants are banning kids?"

Dude, first sentence of your looooong post, and you reveal your misunderstanding right off the bat. Restaurants are banning children because parents won't remove their loud children until they quiet down. There are perfectly well-behaved children who won't get to dine at certain establishments because other parents won't properly manage their children's level of public noise. It's not your kids. It's you.

Do you understand?

8/2/2011 10:35:47 AM

Quote :

"If I'm not done eating, and the kid won't stop being loud, then the kid is just going to be loud until I'm done. "

Quote :

"Would I leave a screaming and crying 2 year old in the high chair for > 2 minutes while I finished my meal? No, and it has nothing to do with the "aggravating" noise that the child is making. "

Wat.

8/2/2011 10:57:05 AM

I guess it's just a troll.

8/2/2011 11:03:03 AM

There's not a black chance in hell that was a troll post.

8/2/2011 1:07:40 PM

Quote :

"Dude, first sentence of your looooong post, and you reveal your misunderstanding right off the bat. Restaurants are banning children because parents won't remove their loud children until they quiet down. There are perfectly well-behaved children who won't get to dine at certain establishments because other parents won't properly manage their children's level of public noise. It's not your kids. It's you. Do you understand?"

That's incorrect. Restaurants are banning kids because they make noise, which aggravates some customers. They are betting that the money they will make from not allowing kids is greater than the money that they will make by allowing them to eat there. I don't want to argue the use of language with you. It doesn't really matter. We could come up with 100 different reasons as the root cause.

No one has offered up anything that attempts to define what an acceptable level of noise is from a child. Until we do that, I don't know how to go any further than I've already gone with the discussion. Once we do that, and reach some kind of a consensus, I think my feelings and beliefs will be shown to be similar to those of most of the people who support such a ban.

There's a huge difference between a kid being loud and a kid who is screaming/crying uncontrollably. If that wasn't clear in my previous posts, my bad.

8/3/2011 7:48:53 PM

If parents consistently removed their loud children, then nobody would be aggravated. And there would be no need for a ban. That isn't a language issue.

In terms of what is an acceptable level of noise, I think most people expect children to remain about as quiet as conversing adults do...with a few short instances of loud whining/crying. If you want a maximum threshold, think back to when a large table of adults all started laughing loudly at a joke at the same time. It's loud enough to catch your eye, drown out your own conversation, and to make you wonder what's so darn funny. If your kid is that loud for more than thirty seconds, then you should consider removing them from the environment.

I don't even know that I'm some major supporter of child bans, by the way. But don't act like we can't agree on what loud is or that parents have no control in this situation.

8/3/2011 8:02:28 PM

Well and never mind that every situation is different when it comes to loud. The level of loud in a quiet high class French place is completely different from loud at Mitch's during a football game. If your kid is consistently several decibels above the level of conversation at other tables, they're being too loud.

8/4/2011 12:24:08 PM

Where is that little image of the smiley face eating popcorn, watching the thread? Needs to be inserted here.

8/4/2011 3:04:32 PM

crotchfruit

8/4/2011 5:29:14 PM

My family ate at Ragazzi's the other day, right after the lunch shift (2 PM or so). Naturally there was only one section open and we were the first ones to sit down. And then two ladies came in with four of the most obnoxious kids that wouldn't sit down.

My dad yelled at the hostess and the cook and a couple of waiters. It was hilarious.

On the whole, I can go either way on the ban, because watching people get aggravated is awesome and being able to enjoy a peaceful meal is also awesome.

8/4/2011 6:12:50 PM

UNBELIEVABLE.














there is one family in here with one child that is crying at the top of her lungs for attention and the parents are ignoring her. TAKE HER THE FUCK OUTSIDE.


Your kid single handedly cleared the place out. Congrat-u-fuckin-lations.

[Edited on August 4, 2011 at 7:57 PM. Reason : .]

8/4/2011 7:51:18 PM

^ Yeah that's the sort of shit I hate. A little while ago we went to a restaurant in Chapel Hill where two or three families were having lunch with their kids. Four of the kids were being god awful little assholes. Running around the restaurant, screaming, throwing their food, smearing food onto the windows. It was disgusting. We saw several other patrons leave while this was going on. And all the while there was a 5th kid at the tables that just looked absolutely perplexed on what the hell was going on with the other kids.

8/4/2011 8:01:27 PM

i just started reading this thread

and i cannot let this pass

Quote :

"FYI, you can't kick blacks out because race is a protected class defined in the constitution."

um no. i know this is the lounge but how did this slide?

please see the civil rights movement re: title 7

thats all.

8/4/2011 8:03:07 PM

you could always tell them to leave, it is YOUR business

8/4/2011 8:05:04 PM

I wish this movement's momentum would make inroads into the workplace.

The amount of time my coworkers' skip in order to take their kid to the doctor, or to stay home with them, or to see one of their plays/graduations is ridiculous.

I wonder how things would go if I were to take off-the-books vacation time to pursue one of my chosen life pursuits?

"Hey employer, can I have half a day off? I have to change my bike's oil." "Sorry, I can't come in today-- I need to play Civilization V."

8/4/2011 8:05:41 PM

well, you could be less-than-ethical and claim that you had appointments or were ill. but typically, ducking work for something you WANT to do is called "vacation." i'm sure they aren't enjoying their time with a crying child at the doctor and cleaning their vomit and diarrhea when they are sick. a lot of employers give "family" leave that these parents are using. maybe you have some and should just find some stuff to do with your "family."

8/4/2011 8:14:41 PM