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In North Carolina an online petition was started last year to establish child-free restaurants — the petition loosely compared dining with children to dining with cigarette smoke....

If you go to "family restaurants" then you will dine with families which typically means loud children. If you go to more expensive restaurants then you will usually see few, if any, children and the ones you see will typically be better behaved. (the well-to-do parents won't tolerate the little darlings embarrassing them in public)

I wish that were true. In my experience, some of the wealthiest folks have the worst kids, and they bring them to the expensive restaurants. Some of the farmers in our area tend to have the best-behaved kids--we sometimes go to a place that serves good food for a low price, a real no-frills kind of place, and are seldom bothered by screeching little monsters.

But go to the "in-spots" in Norman or OKC--well, bring your earplugs, and prepare to have kids running into you, spilling food on you, and parents glower at you when you indicate you don't like it.

"If you go to "family restaurants" then you will dine with families which typically means loud children. "

The fact that it's a family restaurant doesn't make it okay to let little Johnny run amok and annoy the other patrons.

"...the well-to-do parents won't tolerate the little darlings embarrassing them in public."

My parents weren't well-to-do, and they would never have tolerated bad or rambunctious behavior us in public.

the well-to-do parents won't tolerate the little darlings embarrassing them in public.

Neither will this low-brow beer-swilling Freeper. All four of my children behave in public, or understand that they really should have.

There's so many things that are right about it, it's hard to list them all.

You are very wrong.

Family friendly does not mean to let the little ones go wild.

A family friendly restaurant is an adult situation. A McDonald's with a play land is a kids park.

I demanded my kids use adult manners (napkins, patience etc). My kids learned very quickly that I could not deny them the bathroom in restaurant's. So, of course, I gotta go was the call. In this case, my wife (for the girl or i accompanied them. the bathroom was NOT play land.

When my kids were growing up, I insisted on adult manners in adult situations. When one threw a fit in the local store, I firmly brought him out to the car and we sat in the car until Mom finished shopping. and then another reminder when we got home. the next day, a reminder of what happened last trip. Firm, consistent and demanding was my policy.

If a child wanted to see something in the store, he (she) asked me if it was ok. Generally I said OK, but if it was breakable, Id hold it for them.

they paid for their own items with the clerk, using politeness and thank yous. They carried their own items out to the car and they felt like such hot s***s having made a purchase. Of course, if one of the kids misbehaved, he (she) got nothing while the others had toys. You pay for the consequences of your actions.