kids in restaurants
le...@spamdeath.nbi.com
The thread about childfree sections in restaurants reminded me of an
argume-- er, a discussion I had with a co-worker once about kids in
resturants.
Terri had two kids, one was about three I believe, the other about 18
months. One day Terri came into work snorting and pawing her hooves
over the fact that she had been "mistreated" at a restaurant the night
before.
Apparently Terri and her husband had gone out to dinner and, being
unable to afford both dinner and a babysitter, had taken the kids
along. Terri has a short fuse, and her kids had apparently inherited
it, because they were "cranky" (her word) all evening.
Apparently they were "cranky" to the point that other diners
complained and the manager asked Terri and her husband to find a way
to quieten their children, either in the restrooms or outside. (This,
of course, being the perceived mistreatment Terri was so upset about.)
Being young and snotty at the time (as opposed to old and snotty, like
I am now), I just shrugged my shoulders at her story and told her that
I sympathised with the other diners. I've had plenty of otherwise
pleasant evenings spoiled by young children in inappropriate places.
I didn't relish the thought of spending $30, $40 or $50 for a nice
meal only to have to listen to babies squawling and toddlers
screeching.
Terri went ballistic. (Okay, I admit to a little bit of yanking her
chain, but I was so desperately tired of her endless Mommyisms that I
just couldn't resist.) She said it wasn't FAIR that she couldn't go
anywhere she wanted to with her kids, that why should SHE suffer by
never being able to go anywhere just because she couldn't afford a
babysitter? Her rights to a nice evening out were just as important
as someone without children, actually she deserved it more because she
was a Mother (you could just hear the capital M).
Obviously I think this is horse puckey. If I brought in, say, a
cassette of a kid screaming and played it at full volume I would well
expect to be asked to cut it out or hit the pavement. Why should
bringing along the real (as opposed to the Memorex?) be any different?
As to someone deserving something simply because he or she is a
parent, well I might say free therapy would be in order, but the
license to ruin MY meal in a restaurant (or film in a cinema, or
anything else) is not anything anyone should expect. To me, the idea
simply shows a supremely self-centered attitude and indifference to
the comfort of others.
I was raised to believe that if you can't afford to tip well, you
can't afford to go out to eat. Maybe that should have "or if you
can't afford a babysitter" added to it.
Leigh
leigh at nbi.com
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I wish spammers were sorry for the inconvenience.
Chris Petit
le...@spamdeath.nbi.com wrote in article
<688jc6$9he$1...@viper.america.net>...
> As to someone deserving something simply because he or she is a
> parent, well I might say free therapy would be in order, but the
> license to ruin MY meal in a restaurant (or film in a cinema, or
> anything else) is not anything anyone should expect. To me, the idea
> simply shows a supremely self-centered attitude and indifference to
> the comfort of others.
The problem is you are assuming a once-wonderful
thing called "common decency," which implies a minimal level
of caring for others. But some (most?) parents, it seems,
forget entirely about common decency once the sproglet
pops out. And they assume, since they are Parents, the world
should let them do WHATEVER they want---after all, their
screaming, smelly baby doesn't bother THEM, so why should it
bother other people?
Geoff Miller
le...@spamdeath.nbi.com writes:
> She said it wasn't FAIR that she couldn't go anywhere she wanted
> to with her kids, that why should SHE suffer by never being able
> to go anywhere just because she couldn't afford a babysitter?
I got into a huge knock-down, drag-out flamefest with the misc.kidders
about this sort of thing a few years ago. I pointed out that the rest
of us weren't consulted about their decision to spawn, and that we should
therefore not have to endure the consequences of their parenthood. I
also gave them a not-very-well-received lecture about personal respon-
sibility and consideration for other people. Jesus, they were pissed!
ObKid: I went to the dentist's office this afternoon. I seem to have
a knack for arriving in the waiting room just before breeders with
sprogs in tow, and today wasn't an exception. Not two minutes after
I'd sat down and focused on a copy of _Aviation Week_, in walked Mommy
with a little blonde girl of about six. No problem at first. But
then the kid picked up a magazine and started reading it. Out loud.
Slowly and haltingly. Mommy, of course, had her nose buried in a
copy of _Better Homes & Gardens_ and was completely oblivious to her
little darling's noisemaking.
Another entry from my quotes file:
"What is it with you namby pamby pinko commie faggot bastards in
misc.kids? Just what the fuck is _wrong_ with you people?"
-- Jon McCulloch
Geoff
--
"It's a naive domestic burgundy without any breeding, but I think
you'll be amused by its presumption." --James Thurber
Chris Petit
Geoff Miller <geo...@netcom.com> wrote in article
<geoffmEL...@netcom.com>...
>
> I got into a huge knock-down, drag-out flamefest with the misc.kidders
> about this sort of thing a few years ago. I pointed out that the rest
> of us weren't consulted about their decision to spawn, and that we should
> therefore not have to endure the consequences of their parenthood.
Geoff, you forgot that once the pussfruit pops out,
the world REVOLVES around those parents---at least in what is
left of their minds.
Bill Cosby said it best in his hilarious skit: "Kids have
brain damage." I'd like to add a corillary: "Kids CAUSE brain
damage, making their parents oblivious to the aggravation
their pussfruit causes everyone else."
What I find equally ironic is that, although they will
be stone deaf to aggravation their pussfruit causes, they are
HAIR TRIGGER about ANYTHING done to THEIR PRECIOUS
BAY-BEE. :-P
Can we say "Parents: Another Whining Victim of
the 90's"? :-)
> I also gave them a not-very-well-received lecture about personal respon-
> sibility and consideration for other people. Jesus, they were pissed!
You are expecting these people to act like their
precious BAY-BEES aren't the center of the universe, and
that the parents respect other people.
For most "parents," that ain't gonna happen as you
found out.
Noel Fong
Chris Petit (mmys...@badspm.ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: Geoff Miller <geo...@netcom.com> wrote in article
: <geoffmEL...@netcom.com>...
: >
: > I got into a huge knock-down, drag-out flamefest with the misc.kidders
: > about this sort of thing a few years ago. I pointed out that the rest
: > of us weren't consulted about their decision to spawn, and that we should
:
: > therefore not have to endure the consequences of their parenthood.
:
: Geoff, you forgot that once the pussfruit pops out,
: the world REVOLVES around those parents---at least in what is
: left of their minds.
:
: You are expecting these people to act like their
: precious BAY-BEES aren't the center of the universe, and
: that the parents respect other people.
I remember a former co-worker (a sanctimonious bitch) who when she was
pregnant got to the lunch catering truck as they were about to leave for
the day. There was another co-worker there, a man. On the ice was *one*
remaining carton of orange juice. They both saw it at the same time, and
she looked at him and said "You aren't going to deprive the baby, are
you?"
Where is my handheld microwave when I need it?!
Noel
Rabbit
> I got into a huge knock-down, drag-out flamefest with the misc.kidders
> about this sort of thing a few years ago. I pointed out that the rest
> of us weren't consulted about their decision to spawn, and that we should
> also gave them a not-very-well-received lecture about personal respon-
> sibility and consideration for other people. Jesus, they were pissed!
I come to this newsgroup because I know, for the most part, I can bitch
and not be castigated by parents. They expect the same. You're
surprised they were pissed?
Rabbit
morgans1@outoutdamnedspam
On 30 Dec 1997 14:22:11 GMT, ez00...@dilbert.ucdavis.edu (Noel Fong)
wrote:
>I remember a former co-worker (a sanctimonious bitch) who when she was
>pregnant got to the lunch catering truck as they were about to leave for
>the day. There was another co-worker there, a man. On the ice was *one*
>remaining carton of orange juice. They both saw it at the same time, and
>she looked at him and said "You aren't going to deprive the baby, are
>you?"
*snork* Oh my - I would have reached out, opened it, and taken a BIG
swig complete with visible backwash.... then probably offered it to
her. If her fucking fetus "requires" orange juice, let the walking
incubator bring it from home. But then, she probably enjoyed using the
sprog as a weapon to get HER way - too many stupid women do, IMO.
Deprive the baby, my fat pink ass.
--
Mari E. Morgan, morgans1 AT mindspring DOT com
"...ever get the feeling that the story's too damn real
and in the present tense?"
Yes, that's a spamblock. Replace it with mindspring.com to email me.
morgans1@outoutdamnedspam
On 30 Dec 1997 17:23:23 GMT, dj...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Andrea
Luttgen) wrote:
>> If her fucking fetus "requires" orange juice, let the walking
>> incubator bring it from home. But then, she probably enjoyed using the
>> sprog as a weapon to get HER way - too many stupid women do, IMO.
>
>Mari, didn't you know that pregnant women aren't supposed to lift/carry
>anything that's heavy? :-) How can you then expect this poor thing to
>carry a juice carton all the way from home?
Oh. I forgot. After all, I don't have baaaaaybeees and so obviously am
an idiot minus anything remotely resembling brain cells or female
hormones. ;-) I wonder if I can get an exemption from carrying my own
8-oz. bottles of <insert frugal beverage> for med-swallowing and bully
people into relinquishing theirs because hey, I'm sick and that makes
me SPECIAL. (Now pardon me while I barf... even meant sarcastically
that was way too damn far over the top!)
>And if there wasn't a fridge
>anywhere in the office, the juice would be warm by lunch time - and Baybee
>explicitly needs _cold_ juice. :-)
*snort* Riiiiight. Guess no one with a used uterus ever heard of
thermoses or freezer packs (or even freezing the damn juice carton -
left at room temp, by lunchtime it's nicely cold, and in an insulated
bag often still has crystals of ice in it by quitting time). And we
wonder why so many kids are so damn stupid...
Chris Petit
Colleen Condron <cond...@osu.edu> wrote in article
<34aa0bfa...@nntp.service.ohio-state.edu>...
> On 30 Dec 1997 02:33:58 GMT, "Chris Petit"
> <mmys...@badspm.ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> > The problem is you are assuming a once-wonderful
> >thing called "common decency," which implies a minimal level
> >of caring for others. But some (most?) parents, it seems,
> >forget entirely about common decency once the sproglet
> >pops out. And they assume, since they are Parents, the world
> >should let them do WHATEVER they want---after all, their
> >screaming, smelly baby doesn't bother THEM, so why should it
> >bother other people?
> >
>
> Oh, I dunno if you should limit lack of consideration to just
> parents....the whole damn world is growing pretty inconsiderate, IMO.
> It's turned into some weird win/lose thing....if I alter my behavior
> out of consideration for your feelings, you win and I lose....and we
> can't have that now, can we?
I think you're right. It is a truly sad thought though,
that people think life is a perpetual competition. I prefer to
refer to this decade as the "F-ck You 90's" since that
appropiately expresses the words most people express
towards each other, verbally or otherwise.
Makes me feel old, but I can remember when people
were somewhat decent to each other. Then again, another
sign of my getting old (the big 2-6) is when I LIKE getting
clothes from people on Xmas. :-)
Chris Petit
Andrea Luttgen <dj...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote in article
> anything that's heavy? :-) How can you then expect this poor thing to
> anywhere in the office, the juice would be warm by lunch time - and
Baybee
> explicitly needs _cold_ juice. :-)
Isn't it truly AMAZING that bay-bee only needs
what Mommy wants? I don't often hear of a baby needing,
say, raw eggs, if Mommy doesn't want them.
I guess smoking Mommies think they're "smoking
for two" eh? :-)
Noel Fong
Andrea Luttgen (dj...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) wrote:
:
: > On 30 Dec 1997 14:22:11 GMT, ez00...@dilbert.ucdavis.edu (Noel Fong)
: > wrote:
: >
: >>I remember a former co-worker (a sanctimonious bitch) who when she was
: >>pregnant got to the lunch catering truck as they were about to leave for
: >>the day. There was another co-worker there, a man. On the ice was *one*
: >>remaining carton of orange juice. They both saw it at the same time, and
: >>she looked at him and said "You aren't going to deprive the baby, are
: >>you?"
: >
: > *snork* Oh my - I would have reached out, opened it, and taken a BIG
: > swig complete with visible backwash.... then probably offered it to
To quote Beavis n' Butthead, "Cool. HehHehHeh."
: > her. If her fucking fetus "requires" orange juice, let the walking
: > incubator bring it from home. But then, she probably enjoyed using the
: > sprog as a weapon to get HER way - too many stupid women do, IMO.
:
Indeed, this was a power play on her part - the lunch truck was only there
from 11:30 am - 1pm, and she arrived at 12:55pm. If getting juice for the
sprog2be was soooooooooooooo important, why didn't she go to the
truck earlier?
Noel
Geoff Miller
Rabbit <rab...@hotstar.net> writes:
> I come to this newsgroup because I know, for the most part, I
> can bitch and not be castigated by parents. They expect the
> same. You're surprised they were pissed?
Of course I was. That's not a valid comparison, and here's why.
Some people come in here and castigate the readership for not
wanting children -- for having a quality that provides this
forum's whole reason for being.
I, on the other hand, wasn't in misc.kids to get on people for
merely being parents. There's no reason I would've been, since
despite not wanting children myself, I have nothing against
parenthood per se. I was reading the newsgroup out of curiosity
when I saw someone display a self-centered attitude that I
disagreed with rather strongly.
As I'm in the habit of doing, I expressed my opinions and
explained my reasons for feeling the way I did. Those reasons
were based on simple common courtesy, and transcended the other
person's parental status, so they were hardly an attack on the
mere status of being a breeder. But the breeders immediately
circled their wagons; they were so hyperzealous about the very
idea of parenthood, that any assertion that everything parents
could possibly do wouldn't automatically be right and proper
was enough to send them into low Earth orbit.
One of the things I remember suggesting was that parents should
be thoughtful and considerate enough not to inflict their progeny
on the rest of the world (at least, in places like restaurants
and movie theaters) until such time as the children are old
enough to behave themselves and not disturb other people. So
someone asked, incredulously, "Do you mean you'd expect me to
just _stay home_ for awhile, simply because I have a kid?" Yup,
that's about the size of it, I said. I wasn't consulted about
my point of view re: your wanting to spawn, so why should I
have to suffer the results of your popping some crotchfruit?