Do you feel like people stare at you when your in a resturant with your kids!!!!!

Tanya - posted on 02/08/2009

diffenitly,i tottaly feel the same i have 2 daughters my youngest one is 2 1/2 and my old'st is 4 when we go out to dinner they can sometimes act up, but that is just kids for you!:) i hate it when people stare,i find it rude and annoying,sometimes i feel like sayin something to the people that stare but i don't and just let fly over my head! !:)

Becca - posted on 02/08/2009

I think it really does depend where you eat out, I feel bad that I still do become annoyed if people bring young children to unsuitable 'adult' dining places and they run riot because there is the expectation that if you go to dine at these places that it's peaceful and pleasant. However being a mummy I'm also aware that you really can't control the wee ones all the time and the best you can do is plan and hope for the best.
I think the difference is where you go- At Maccas or a family restaurant it would be expected and I think it would be really rude of people to stare or make comments- That's where families go! However at a more upmarket restaurant I would be quite annoyed if kids were there causing a fuss.
I can see both sides of the coin but generally I wouldn't let it bother me, just wait til they have kids... :)

Rebecca - posted on 02/08/2009

I think you're right Ajay, it does boil down to boredom. We used to go to sizzlers or pizza hut all you can eat when we went out to dinner, so I could get her some food straight away and that kept her happy! She would get a bit grumpy towards the end of the meal, but that's where colouring books came in handy. The good thing about sizzlers and pizza hut is that they have a salad bar and pasta, so you're not feeding them junk food.

Andrea-Jayne [AJay Jimajay] - posted on 02/08/2009

children [young children especially] usually act out if they get bored. i find that my 2 year old is really good at the start, but after waiting about 20mins for out food she will get quite restless and want to get out of her chair and walk around/climb on the table!

if its at al possible, id order our food and then go for a walk and come back roughly when its going to be ready, or if you can do that, bring some entertainment, like a colouring book and crayons, a favourite toy or something. playing [quiet] games usually helps, which would be good for your 2 year old, like naming the pictures of food on the menu, while your husband entertains the youngest one.

on the whole people staring at you situation, try not to go anywhere too formal while the kids are so young, like go to a family orientated restaurant, [where you fill find most kids are less behaved and running around like lunatics, if you can bear it] and these places wil most likely have some form of entertainment. this way there will be lots of parents and nobody will stare you out if your child gets a bit upset.

anyway, people cant expect under three year olds to be perfect little angels, i mean come on, sitting and eating for a long period of time must be pretty dull for them!

Danialle - posted on 02/08/2009

Yes, I have a 7 month old who is usually well behaved. We just started putting him in a highchair though and feeding him some table foods, he is a really loud eater and grunts MMMMMMMMMMM while he's eating. It is really cute and funny, but we get looks. He also is learning to hold onto food and drops a lot of it. I just ignore them and assume they never had kids or they were perfect.

Renee - posted on 02/07/2009

I understand completely how you feel! It depends on the restaurant we are at what my reaction is. If we go to a loud or family based one I let them be. Say we go to a nice steakhouse I will remove my 3 year old to the restroom or outside and do the VERY stern talk. The one year old is generally well behaved but if he cries I will take him outside for a few to make him happy then come back in. I don't feel like people are staring at us I KNOW they are! If they have a problem with children they may take themselves to a 21 and up place!

Rebecca - posted on 02/07/2009

Yes!! I feel the same way. But kids will be kids! Let the people stare! Just enjoy your time out with your family and if anyone shoots any rude looks your way, just ignore it! Strangers are not worth getting embarassed for. :)

Elizabeth - posted on 02/07/2009

Yes!! I know how you feel...mine are 8,6 and 4 and we try to go out and do things as a family.  We "warn them" before getting out of the car but it doesn't last very long :)  It's the oppisite in our home..I'm the one who usually gets embarrassed and angry when people stare...(because we know what they are thinking..)  Don't worry about though...kids are kids :)  I keep telling my kids Im going to start video-taping them so they can see just how "crazy" they were...mine are older so it's kind of expected of them to behave (yeah right!!) Don't worry about what others might be thinking...if they have kids then they will understand. :)

Rebecca - posted on 02/07/2009

I know exactly what you're saying! I always make a point of throwing someone a smile when they're trying to contain a child's temper tantrum in public. I know what it feels like to have people staring at you.

I was like your husband, terribly embarrassed by it, but now I think along the same lines as you. Everyone who has kids would have to deal with a similar experience to what we're going through. What really gets me is when you hear people saying " I wish that woman would control her child"

I try to make a point of treating my daughter the same way at home as when we go out. So if at home she hits someone with a toy and I take it away from her, I do the same thing while we're out. It's alot easier to do this when you detatch from other people's reactions.