I had an wonderful time with my family today, except that there was an obnoxious family who almost completely ruined it. I have written a letter I plan to post in our local newspaper to address the issue, but before I do, I would like some feedback from you, if you dont mind. AN OPEN LETTER TO RESTAURANT PATRONS WITH ILL MANNERED CHILDREN I hope you enjoyed your meal today. You should be grateful that I said that, since your adorable, but ill mannered child just about ruined mine. I was dining with out of town family and my husband in a very nice restaurant that caters to a mature crowd…not to kids running around and screaming. I wonder how you could possibly enjoy your own meal, with Junior acting up. Any real parent would have removed Junior from the restaurant and taken their meal to go, or used some other appropriate discipline. What business do I have telling you about how to raise your kid? The same business you have letting your kid ruin our meal. Do you know that my mother and I almost became widows today because our husbands tried to talk to you, but you are incredibly intimidating. Maybe that’s the secret. If you intimidate people, you get what you want. I guess for you what you wanted was to enjoy your meal and not care about other people or what your kid does. What do you hope to accomplish by being a parent who doesn’t care what your child does in public? Are you teaching them that they don’t have to follow rules? What are you going to do if they get suspended or expelled from school or even arrested? You taught them the behavior that got them there by not training them when they were young. Are you teaching them that if they are obnoxious enough, they can get whatever they want? Are they going to use that to steal video games, and are they learning reality when they think they can be obnoxious to a potential employer and get a job? It may not seem this way now, but someday, with repeats of today’s performance, they will most likely get the lesson. You don’t love them. You don’t love them enough to teach them proper behavior because you are lazy and they don’t really matter to you. Teaching and discipline (not necessarily spanking) are part of love. Without a rod and staff (good morals, role models, and repeated consequences appropriate to the behavior) there is no real comfort or safety, nothing to cling to. When the hurricanes of real life hit your child, without you teaching them, there will be no anchor to keep them safe. You never gave that to them because you couldn’t be bothered to teach them how to behave in public. If you do love your kids, then I suggest you teach them well and keep them safe. Restaurant experiences should start at a place where there is a designated area for kids, and if they behave well during the meal, they can be allowed to go play afterwards if equipment is provided. Being a parent is the 2nd easiest job to get…a little play goes a long, long way…but, it is also the hardest one to do right.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 23:57:52 +0000
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