General Chat

than to go into town when it is half term!

I like children..... I really do! Honestly! However, we had lunch in Wetherspoons in the docks today, normally quite quiet compared to the one in town. There were two tables in the part where we were eating and trying to have a conversation. On one table Mum, older lady I took to be Gran, and three children boy about 8, girls about 6 and four. Another group, two females and five children, mixed ages about 13 down to 4. the first group shouted, screeched, jumped around, screaming with laughter (adults and children) At one point for some reason 'Gran' had a serviette on her head!!!. The second group fought amongst themselves screeched etc (the children while the adults were downstairs ordering food and drink.). Mum came back separated children who were fighting across the table (long table bench seats). Turned her back they carried on. Not at all peaceful and not well behaved at all.

Then we got on the bus home and across the back seat a family again with children screeching to each other all the way (are these children hard of hearing? they will be if they carry on shouting at each other). Oh, Dad was at the front of the bus with baby in buggy, Mum at the backg with the screechers holding a conversation with him.

So, not a peaceful outing. I am not a killjoy, I know children need to have fun but whatever happened to table manners and respect for other people in restaurants.?

We do try to avoid going to popular places during school holidays. After all, we've most of year to enjoy them while the children are at school.

Our children were 'trained up' at Little Chef back when it was reasonably cheap. Once they knew how to behave in public, we'd go somewhere a little more up-market. One thing that We did impress on them was that things they could get away with at home wasn't appropriate in a public restaurant.

We often see a granny and toddler grandson in Sainsburys cafe. We were very impressed that he is being taught good manners & how to use a fork instead of his fingers when he tackles his bowl of chips. Having occasionally seen Mum with them, its obvious he hasn't learnt them from her!

Yes, we would avoid popular places but if we were to avoid the bus and local restaurants all through holidays we would have nowhere to go. I would prefer children to be taught as ours were and as our grandchildren were that restaurants are places to behave nicely. And I do see children who know how to behave so I know it is not all children. Strangely all the mothers today were not really young mothers.

and I bet they were on their mobile phones

Strange,y enough Ann no they weren't not a phone or tablet in sight with either group.

We always try to avoid most of our regular eating places in school holidays Ann, or get there as soon as they open for lunch at 12.00pm or even 11.30am! Even so we got caught out yesterday with much the same experience as you. Two mothers and a chap with a baby, 3 toddlers and child aged about 5. There was only one other couple in the restaurant before they arrived and as soon as they turned up it was bedlam! Shouting to each other, squabbling and racing around the restaurant as if it was nursery! Far too young to be there, unless eating and playing outside in my opinion. OH and I couldn't even hold a conversation for all their noise. When I came back from the carvery carrying my plate, they were spread across the 3 steps I needed to go up to get to our table and I couldn't hold the handrail which I need to do with the state of my knees! I fully expected to end up sprawled across the floor if one had leapt up into me.

OH had a similar experience again at the dentist today. Two children aged about 6-8 were shouting and squealing and pushing each other about while their father was paying. What made OH roll his eyes though was when the father said he would have to wait to look at his diary before booking their next appointment as he was..........wait for it....... A TEACHER!!! What hope is there if teachers don't even bother to correct/control their own children. :-S

I think many of us can remember getting the 'behaviour' talk before going out from our mothers when we were little. Noise wasn't allowed because who would want a headache from listening to us shout, running about was a no no as we could trip an old lady up and cause accidents. In fact the emphasis was all about having good manners and being polite and not showing our parents up!

Good manners, polite Annx if only. Yes I had the hairdresser experience yesterday as well. Woman two older children having hai cuts, no problem, daughter about six rampaging around swinging round on chairs touching everything. Actually mum did try to correct her but failed.

But why should we have to arrange our lives to avoid these children? When did children become the rulers of our lives? It will get worse if they decide to stagger holidays instead of having a long summer break.

Oh sadly when we were in Spain any unruly children in restaurants turned out to be British.

well it's half term next week in this neck of the woods and I'll be in Menorca!!! :-D

I don't go down our village during school lunchtime as it is infested with kids buying food in Greggs and chucking the wrappers all over the place - I can't let it go and wade in - not good for the blood pressure :-D :-D

On the other hand, we can go out or ave somebody come to us at any time we like. We live next to a primary school and there are times of the day when we don't bother to go home if we have been anywhere because there is nowhere to park.

How often do you see parents engaged in conversation and totally ignoring the children present? It is not a familiar place for children, they don't know what they are supposed to do there.They fight and squabble because they can't think of what else to do. Sitting quietly comes within a framework, you do it at your desk, we did anyway. A pub table is not a desk so there is nowhere to focus.

I wonder if some children don't get to burn off as much energy, as they don't get to go off and explore or get set loose for the day, as we did years ago. Hemmed in, using phones and tablets, watching TV more, not allowed out as much. I agree about some parents who ignore their children. If you're going to take them out, engage with them and show some interest.

:-D :-D the mum and 'gran' in the group with three children were not ignoring them, they were winding them up, getting them hyper, making as much noise with the children as the children were alone.

Teaching the children that that was the way to behave in public.

We began taking our daughter to eat out as a toddler ............ we have a super place where they provide special meals for kiddies, the Pirate Pack. You can get a burger or hot dog or something else child-like, and it comes served in a cardboard pirate ship that the kiddies can take home. It comes with fries, a drink (milk or juice) and "dessert" ............. a gold wrapped pirate coin!!

The small chain still exists, and still serves the Pirate Pack, but of course, is much more expensive than almost 40 years ago.

Oh yes, and they had decent adult fare as well .......... such as the most scrumptious, and fresh, shrimp sandwiches (with fries).

When she could behave there, we moved up to other family restaurants, including one that served Greek and pizza dishes ....... we were eating there by the time she was 3.

I always had some paper and pens in my bag so that she could draw (or play hangman as she got older!) ....... and she was never ever allowed to run around.

I have been disappointed some times when eating out with them and our grandson ......... his father seems unable to stop winding him up when in a restaurant, and the child's voice starts getting louder and louder, and then he gets told off for shouting :-|

They do remove him from a place if he gets too noisy, and he is given a calm-off period outside.

Daughter apparently carried him out kicking and screaming one time .......... he was about 3, food was delayed arriving, and he was hungry, so everything just kicked off.

AnnCardiff.
I hope you enjoy Menorca. It´s a beautiful island.
I have lived here since 2005, am married to a Spaniard & we are pensioners.
We avoid the resorts as much as possible between May & October.
Have to say the British children (& their parents) are among the worst behaved, but the French, Germans & Italians can do their share.

thanks - not been there before - staying in the old capital - begins with C and ends with A!!!!

Reminds me of a time when my mum was visiting and she complained that the bus was always full of noisy talkative school kids when she was coming home from shopping in town in the afternoon around 4 o'clock.

She seemed to have overlooked the fact that this was their homecoming time and perhaps she should plan her shopping trips to finish somewhat earlier.

I find a couple of shots from a cattle prod usually calms them down!
All Supermarkets and public facilities should supply them for the use of miserable old gits like me. ;-) ;-) ;-)