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Malcolm Morrison's avatar

I don't care if there are very young kids in a restaurant. The only thing I mind is when a small child is screaming, yelling and jumping up and down on the furniture - and the parents pretend nothing is happening. That tends to ruin dinner for everyone in the vicinity of that family. Otherwise, it's a good thing to bring kids to a restaurant - part of the exercise in teaching good manners.

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PJ Alexander's avatar

Last year, my partner and I were out for a very special anniversary dinner at a nice restaurant in Annecy, France. We were a bit shocked to be seated next to a young-ish couple with both a 3-year-old and a small dog. My first N. American reaction was a bit of an eye roll, like 'what are we in for?' However. The dog didn't bark, was better groomed that us, and was given a lovely water bowl by the waiter. The 3-year-old was quietly playing at his seat, while the parents ate and drank respectable amounts of alcohol. When the 3-year-old did start to fuss at about 9:30pm, his dad basically told him en français 'we're in a restaurant so behave'--and he mostly did. At that point, our sympathies were more with the kid! Like, isn't it bath and bedtime maybe, and it's totally legit he's fussy? But the whole experience was refreshing. Kids and dogs allowed, but the social understanding is that everyone knows how to behave so we can all enjoy ourselves.

And yeah, sometimes babies cry. I've been on planes or next to people in restaurants where my impulse was to volunteer my arms and entertainment skills for a while, so the parents can get a break. But that too seems to be frowned on in N. America.

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