I hate your kids!!

[Saltheart]

Would you like to go to Chateau de Fancy Restaurant with us Saturday night? Yes that would be nice We want a quiet night so no kids allowed Oh , we want to bring the kids Sorry , no kids. Maybe we can go to Burger King with the kids another night. Too bad you can't make it Saturday. Bye!

[FishermanTim]

Order the most expensive meals you want and then tell them that the tab will be split 6 ways, not 4, and that they have to pick up 4 portions. If they protest, or start with the "but they're just kids" speech, tell them that since they have come to (probably) every dinner with them that they will be considered part of the paying party.

(Of course there's always BK or Mc D's.)

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Lost 2 preemies... that explains why they don't discipline their children and refuse to go anywhere without them. I'm not saying it's an excuse for being inconsiderate and to allow your kids to piss everyone off, but it does explain why. Unfortunately, their past experiences will probably result in them raising entitled little brats.

I am not sure that it explains it. Some people just can't say no, or they have different expectations for their kids. We have good friends with kids the same age as ours. The dad will not and has not ever said no to either kid. They even make their own bed times. They are 6 and 3 and it has been that way since day one. Kid wakes up at midnight and parents will sit up til 3am while the kid watches tv until they fall back to sleep. One time at our place, the older kid (3 at the time) had the salt shaker in her mouth. Dad would not take it away or even let mom tell her to take it out of her mouth. Next day we realized the kid went home with our salt shaker. Pretty sure that marriage is not cut out for the long hall

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by PaulS

You hit the nail on the head.

Years ago, I didn't know him very well - only from church. They had just moved into town. He had had a brain tumor and she was in the hospital with premmie twins. One snowy night, after visiting her, he was coming home and he had a small car accident and hit his head. He had no family in the area, and shouldn't have been driving so he called me to take him in to go see his Dr. in the middle of the night. After we get home, one of the premmies past away, so we go back to a different hospital and I'm in the room for a few hours w/the wife (on meds.), him and the deceased premmie waiting for the family and our priest to get there. A few days later, the other premmie past away also. So b/c I was there and stayed, etc. the whole family (parents, sisters, etc) really loves me (at a bday party I can ask for a beer and people want to drive to a store to get one for me ) and I don't want to get someone pissed at me.

PaulS, do you have children?

Your friend didn't lose two "preemies", he lost two children and a huge chunk of his heart. That might understandably change how he values his surviving children. It is likely that he sees his family as an extension of himself, a part of him. He wouldn't likely go to dinner without his nose or his left leg, why would he go without his son and daughter? I'm not saying it is right, indeed probably not, but it is for him.

Your wife seems to understand and accept this. Sounds like you married a classy woman. Trust her instincts. I guarantee you that for every person in the restaurant that is bothered, there are 10 who are smiling inside and enjoying the scene.

[justplugit]

I don't mind seeing kids in a restaurant as long as they don't
misbehave. A lot of fun to watch.
What I can't understand is where the parents get the money
to take the kids with them out to eat. Got to cost them a fortune.

I can understand with 2 people working and not having a lot of time
with them, they want to be together, but take them to the park or
museum or another million fun places that cost very little and save
the $ for their education.

My wife and I rarely went out to dinner when the kids were growing
up and through their college years. We'd either go to a few local watering holes
and dance or get a hot dog and go for a ride up in the mountains.
Just getting out was the fun part.