Do Kids Really Belong In Nice Restaurants?

On Sunday night my sisters and I almost took five little kids out to dinner at a linen table-clothed restaurant. We had been at a parade all day so none of us felt like cooking but we were starving and figured it would be a nice treat to go out together.

The place we were headed is around the corner from my house. They have a $7 children’s menu, coloring stuff and plenty of high chairs, but it is fairly upscale. And by the time we got our crew into the cars, it was nearly 7 p.m. (daylight savings threw us off). The whining and teasing began immediately and it hit me that this was a terrible idea that would result in a stressful eating experience—not just for us, but for the other restaurant patrons. And so I put the kibosh on the plan and we headed back into my house to order takeout.

My sisters didn’t necessarily agree with me but they know I am hyper-aware of my kids (and by extension any kids at my table) annoying other people in restaurants. And given how late it was, they relented. What if there was a couple there who had paid good money for a babysitter so they could have a nice night out and then got seated next to our motley crew? Perhaps I care a little too much about what other people think of my kids’ behavior (my sisters think I do) but I have always been this way, for better or worse. I also take food pretty seriously and I like to enjoy my meals (if I’m paying $27 for an entrée I don’t want to have to get up in the middle of it to wipe a butt). I assume other people do, too. Which is why we get a babysitter—or cook at home. It’s not that my kids are monsters or don’t know how to behave in public it’s just that they’re, well, kids (6, 4 and four months to be exact).

Call me old-fashioned but I think there is a time and place for kids to be at the “adult table” and I don’t think it is all the time and any place. I want them to understand that “fancy restaurants” are a special treat, not something they are entitled to. And when they do get to go out, they will dress and behave accordingly. Electronics will not be involved. My husband and I went out to dinner last week at one of the best restaurants in our area (i.e. there is no children’s menu and entrees actually do cost $27). We were seated next to a couple and their two elementary school-aged kids — both were in tee shirts and both were playing on iPads. They didn’t make a peep and certainly didn’t bother us but I couldn’t help wondering what was the point of bringing them out? They literally didn’t speak the entire time.

I understand that this question depends on a bunch of variables: the type of restaurant, the ages of the kids, the time you’re going out, the reason you’re there (who knows, maybe that couple I mentioned above had a sitter cancel at the last minute.) I try hard not to judge others on this but it is one area that I feel very strongly about when it comes to my own family. And I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Do you take your kids out to eat? Is it a special treat or a regular occurrence? What type of restaurants do you go to? Does it bother you when you see kids at nice eating establishments? Let’s discuss!

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