Kids and their terrible behavior in public

This week my family went out to dinner to celebrate my brother’s birthday. We were eating our meal and talking amongst ourselves when all of a sudden we heard a piercing squeal and a loud thud from the table next to us.

The children behind us were fighting at the table and repeatedly slamming things. Their parents did not say a word to stop their children. The parents did not even attempt to stop or correct their behavior. This continued until the family finished their meals.

I was horrified at this and I wish I had brought earplugs.

This seems to be a new trend in life … parents letting their children do anything they want, wherever they want.

I remember being younger and going out to eat with my family. My father did not tolerate any kind of bad behavior in private, much less in public with people watching.

When we went out to eat, my siblings and I were always on our best behavior. If we even started acting up, my father would give us “the look” and we quickly stopped whatever we were doing. I remember people passing by us on their way out of a restaurant and leaning in to tell my parents that they had well-behaved children.

My siblings and I were not perfect children by any means and we often tested the waters. However, when my parents put their foot down, we knew better and stopped.

I know not every parent allows his or her child to run wild in public, but these days it just seems that many people do not teach their children how to behave in public.

It is not a bad thing to teach your child that there is a time and place for everything. The time to run wild and scream is saved for playtime, not dinnertime.

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