Posted on 11/14/2005 5:51:48 AM PST by Cagey
Parent Says Restaurant Offers Kid Food, So It Should Cater To Kids
"We were surprised at how many times we would see children really out of control," McCauley said. "And we actually had people leaving the bakery because the children were so out of control."
So, he put a sign on the door at kids' eye-level, asking children of all ages to use their "indoor voices."
"We thought it was just a friendly reminder to people that when they come here, just be considerate of the people around them. We had no idea the kind of controversy that was going to explode out of this," McCauley said.
But some parents who spoke with NBC5's Natalie Martinez took immediate offense to the sign. The angry mothers said there are plenty of places in the Andersonville neighborhood where they can take their kids, even if they're acting out.
"I've e-mailed friends and said, 'Just so you know, this man has a sign up. I know there are lots of other options, and I'd encourage you not to go there,'" parent Kate Bremmer said.
When she spoke with Martinez, Bremmer and her kids were picking out goodies at a Swedish bakery, where all kids are welcome.
"Our custom has been to offer a cookie to every child that comes into the store for as long as I can remember," said Kathy Stanton-Cromwell, the co-owner of the bakery, which is just a few doors down from A Taste of Heaven.
Stanton-Cromwell said the cookie serves as "a good calmer" for kids who are acting up.
Bremmer said A Taste of Heaven "is not a five-star restaurant," so she thinks it should cater to kids, not the other way around.
"They offer ice cream cones and cookies and lots things that kids love, and therefore, I don't think that they should make such an issue of it," Bremmer said.
Other parents enjoying lunch with their kids at A Taste of Heaven were more diplomatic.
"I have mixed feelings about it. It's a little off-putting," one mother said.
Linda Wallace, also a mother who eats at A Taste of Heaven, said she thought McCauley was "sort of brave" for putting up the sign.
"It did cross my mind that he might offend some people," she said.
McCauley said he loves kids, although he has none of his own. He said he has no immediate plans to take the sign down.
But we can't hurt their wittle feelings.
Heck, the butt for a board, the board for a butt.
"The kids in line at checkout screaming at the tops of their lungs hitting mother... "
And then rewarded with candy to make them stop.
I actually told some woman that she was the worst mother I had ever seen after a grocery store encounter.
So does a swat on the a$$ from Mom or Dad.
Expecting that parents teach their children that there's a time and place for everything is kid-unfriendly???? Sorry, but I've had my fill of going somewhere for coffee or lunch and dealing with screaming kids running around and their parents not wanting to be "authority figures".
I agree. The real oxymoron is when someone laments the lack of corporal punishment in the schools and then the suffix it with "but don't let them touch my kids."
I think it is the former - moms with no control. I can recall grocery shopping when my two children were still riding in the grocery cart. We'd hear loud, boisterous, and often rude children in another aisle and look at each other knowingly. Well behaved children are made, and a blessing.
I watched a kid at a local mega mart scream at her mom "I hate you" the other day; I almost came unglued. What kept me back was realizing it's the parents fault; they are raising their children today for how they will be tomorrow.
And even more frustrating is the parents that stand there and plead with them to "please stop" or something similar.
Dear Natalie - It's not all about you. If it offends you that a business owner expects customers to behave in his establishment, then by all means take your business elsewhere. I'm sure there are lots of places where they welcome self-indulged yuppies whose children behave like they were raised by wolves.
They are NOT kid "unfriendly." They just want decent behaviour. If the kids want to act up, take to Mickey D's and run 'em through the playplace!!!
I like the sign. Children could be injured by any number of hazards in a restaurant if they aren't under control and behaving. And on the other hand, I was nearly knocked down by a child running in a coffee shop, thanks to the stranger behind me who kept me from falling. I had hot coffee in my hand, thank heaven it spilled on the floor and not on the child.
I was very upset one night when we went to dinner with her daughter and the grandchild was acting out. Threats were made about this punishement or that, and ultimately, the mother gave in and the brat had won.
I think it rolls downhill. Kids watch their parents. If they see a mother being disrespectful or argumentative (NAGGING) to her husband, guess what the kids will do to the mom? Same with the dad; if the dad is abusive and not supportive to the wife, guess who will rebel against the parental authority later? It's not cookie cutter or the same in every case, but I think the parent's have a lot to do with it.
If I lived nearby, I'd go out of my way to do business with this place. I kept my kids under control when they were little and I expect other parents to do the same.
I see nothing wrong with the sign (except for the fact that the store owners were driven to put it up by the bad behavior of some kids and their parents).
This does not seem out-of-line to me. Is there more to the story?
Maybe next to the number dispenser near the door they should have a duct tape dispenser...
I'd guess the owner stood his ground, resulting in the 'angry' boycott leader, who probably cursed and yelled at him (and in front of her child) for 'offending' her and her child, then went on her mission of destruction.
She seems a perfect example of an 'adult child'. They're raising more of the same. Her kid(s) will be even worse, led by example. Few people stand up to this type, so they think they're in the right (the logic: nobody's disagreeing with me, so everyone must agree with me). More American rot, from lack of caring cultivation.
Excellent point! And, what's wrong with not wanting kids acting like ild animals in a store? While I think the sign could have been worded a bit more tactfully, good parents are not offended.
A character on one of my favorite tv shows said it best: "That's what's wrong with this country - you Americans are all afraid of the children!"
Children of ALL ages SHOULD behave in public - that should be a given across society and people should not have to be reminded of it.
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