On Saturday night my husband and I opted for a romantic dinner at a quaint and intimate neighbourhood restaurant. As we entered we were unexpectedly greeted by two families in the front section with young children. We exchanged looks (is it too late to leave?) but decided to stay.
This was quite timely as I had just finished reading an article in Toronto Life magazine on this exact issue; babies taking over the city. Truth be told I don’t know how I feel about this issue as I can easily relate to both sides. More and more young couples are having babies in the city and refusing a life in the suburbs (this is my future category) while others decide not to raise a family and remain in the city to lead a chic downtown lifestyle. Can the two co-exist?
My answer is yes…with proper etiquette.
Before we had been served our Cabernet Sauvignon one of the babies started to scream and cry. Within five minutes the family was packed up and out the door (probably headed to Swiss Chalet). “This simply isn’t going to work tonight,” the mom explained to the waitress, “she’s tired and hungry…I’m sorry”. With that the family was gone and the crying of the baby had been silenced before it had become highly annoying.
My husband and I continued our delightful dinner filled with laughter and amusing conversation. Then we were briefly interrupted when the 3 year-old daughter of the remaining family waddled by our table to the kitchen. She wanted to personally thank the chef for her yummy meatballs. She was very cute, yet still distracting. Upon ushering her child out of the restaurant the mother turned to us and apologized for the noise disruption.
On both accounts I was pleasantly surpised at the level of etiqutte these parents displayed at the restaurant. Apologies were given to both the staff, and to us, for noise disturbances which I was quite thankful for. In closing, politeness and manners were shown all around and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening - although next time I’m going to order the meatballs!
The trouble is, Megan, many parents DON’T teach their kids proper etiquette nor do they practice it themselves. I was at Perigee in Toronto last year and saw a little girl watching Dora the Explorer while her parents and their friends were dining. In this case, the kid should have been left home with a sitter. I have also heard screaming children at movie theatres, usually movies that they shouldn’t be seeing in the first place (really, what kind of parent would take a kid to see Knocked Up?).
IMHO, parents shouldn’t take children to nicer restaurants until they’re at least 4 or 5 years old. At that time, they should have (hopefully) at least somewhat perfected their table manners and behaviour. But I don’t really know if parents teach proper table manners anymore. I know many people in my age range (late 20s-early 30s) who don’t know or don’t care to practice what they learned. But then again, that’s a whole other topic.
I’m in agreement with Cynthia– I feel parents should not take young ones to fine dining establishments until they are old enough to sit and enjoy the evening at the table!!
That is why there are family restaurants–like Swiss Chalet and MacDonalds. This is where the early etiquette stage is set–
Parents- here is your opportunity to start bringing manners to the table!! You have to harp on the subject for a long, long time before it sinks in!!– Then, well before the fine dining– you graduate to Kelsey’s and Jack Astor’s!!—
I really don’t know how parents can really enjoy themselves at a fancy restaurant with junior in tow??
Nor do I really understand why they feel they have to have the young one tag along??
As a proud father I enjoy taking my family out for dinner and I agree that Swiss Chalet is a better fit for young families; however, my Wife disserves a nice meal too!
It is not so cut and dry to say that young families should not or cannot enjoy a nice meal at a higher end restaurant.
Is it really that much of an inconvenience that you hear a baby cry while you eat? The world is full of other people and simply by going out for dinner you must interact with others; maybe someone should come up with on-line dinner dates – This way you can stay in your own world without the need to interact with others!
I think the meatball story is cute and when taken lightly it really doesn’t require an apology.
To Proud Father:
Yes those of us whom choose to go out to dine, should understand that we need to interact with society. But as people that want to enjoy a dinning experience that doesn’t include small children, those parents need to be AWARE OF THEIR CHILD CAUSING A FUSE IS RUDE!! It is an inconvience when at days end you want to wine and dine without the noise of a disruptive and maybe tired child. Higher end restaraunts are for a quiet adult enjoying experience. The babysitter allows for the Mom & Dad to enjoy their time out without being intrusive to other diners. Would you take your children to an R rated movie or to a bar filled with adults…? So why to a restaurant that obvioulsy is for elegant dinning. Some parents need to remember we can do things without our children present and as a adult we should be able to without the intrusivenes of an unruly child or crying baby. We all have our times when that is what we tend to but not at a fine dinning restaraunt PLEASE!!