I am a parent and now grandparent. Common sense will tell you that small kids have no place in fine dining establishments as neither the parents nor other diners will be able to enjoy their eating experience with a kid acting up. There plenty of family restaurants where you can take kids. However, I have fond memories of my parents taking me out for the first time to an old time fancy steakhouse in Omaha when I was about 12. I wore my sport coat and tie and my mother coached me about which fork to use for my salad and the proper way to hold the knife. I felt very grown up and was on my best behavior. Decades later my wife and I ate at that same restaurant and it brought back a lot of good memories.
Many years my spouse and I were traveling for the first time with our baby who was about 7 months.
We stopped at the hotel then went to the downtown for earl dinner. We were starved and walked into the first resturaunt and were seated and the baby was placed in a high chair.
Then we looked around and realized we were in a very fine dining place. Do we leave? The server said they could serve certain entrees quickly. We took a chance. The restaurant was almost empty.
However it filled quickly.
As our entrees arrived the baby fussed. We were ready to pay and leave. The server and the owner came to our table and asked whether they could take the baby and show her off to the staff. Were finished our meal and four that two people and some balloons were used to keep the baby laughing and quiet at the server station.
They saw our exhaustion and embarrassment and were kind. It was 35 years ago.