The women this child was with should have stopped this child’s behaviour long before you spoke to him.

The two women who brought him in should have done something when he started running around. I think it would have been better if he’d complained to management but I also know that sometimes if a stranger tells a child off they’re likely to listen even if for a little while. I’d say next time, just walk out if you don’t have your order already (and haven’t paid yet) and find somewhere else to celebrate.

He could have complained to the staff and shouldn’t have taken matters in own hand.

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  • • Ellen replied
    • 09 Apr 2023 , 7:58 am

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  Also he shouldn’t have screamed and certainly shouldn’t have told the boy to have him wait outside alone if he doesn’t behaves to scare him off

No, not reasonable. Since having kids I have newfound sympathy for some parents of kids at public dining spaces. You could start by trying to ask the mother to limit their child’s running if he is in other people’s way and frame it as a safety issue. If they refuse then I would probably suggest talking to the restaurant’s manager to intervene.

He had no right. He should bring it up with staff and take it from there.

Agree with the comments. I wouldn’t tell a strangers kid off

If he had said those things calmly, I’d say he wasn’t unreasonable. Screaming isn’t reasonable. And I’m a little concerned that he didn’t realise he was screaming…

Yelling at a child you do not know is inappropriate unless it is to save something bad from happening, or if they hurt you and it’s reflex etc. Having said that, being a mother of four, I have had quite a few strangers admonish my children over the years, and when done in the correct manner it was actually quite helpful. I also had some grumpy people do it that got a response out of me (worst one is the older generation who say they would smack their child and put them in line. Hello, that behaviour can result in all kinds of dire consequences these days!)

Ooh, I don’t think you every really know how you’re going to react until you’re in that situation. And it can depend on so many things eg. the environment, what you’re going through on that day, etc. It is tricky, but yes I think bringing it up to the staff to manage and then hoping that they will.

Definitely tell staff to deal with it respectfully, it’s never ok to tell a child off that isn’t yours

I believe he should have asked staff to manage the situation for him

It would have been best if he had complained to staff and let them deal with it.
I 100% understand his anger and frustration though. Just because your kid doent bother you does not mean that everyone else in the World wont be bothered by them. There are rules for being out in society and you can not run with “Its ok by me so everyone else has to suck it up”….. If you want people to like your children as they go through life then do the best by them and teach them manners and how to behave in public places. In resturants (including McD’s) You do not run around, you sit at the table, you use your manners and you do not shout.

I have 3 young kids and teach them manners so find it annoying when other children are not being so. But yelling at another’s child isnt ok…approach the management is best

It’s really annoying when you go out to a restaurant and parents don’t keep their children under control or have any consideration for other people trying to enjoy their meal. I would have been cross but would have got the staff to speak to the Mother to avoid this kind of outcome.

Yelling at the child was probably wrong but I can honestly understand why you were so frustrated. The mother should have put a stop to the behaviour well before it got to that point.

Yelling or touching would be wrong but a stem this behaviour is not OK in this setting is fine! It takes a village to raise well rounded and respectful children! The guardians should have stepped in long before it got to this though…

I would have approached staff and asked them to deal with it.

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  • • mom93821 replied
    • 03 Apr 2023 , 5:52 am

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  Exactly! It is common sense to get management to deal with other customers.

If he was yelling, then definitely in the wrong. If he spoke calmly albeit a little loudly due to the noise level, i personally don’t think so.

Don’t care how my day i going. I wouldn’t tolerate yhat sort of behavior from my children in any restaurant ant any age.

I’ve had a mum get upset because I used a calm but firm voice on her much older boy who shoved my 2 year old over. She stated that I shouted at her son. She was even telling him he was a good boy and hugging him whilst crying (he didn’t cry at all until she took him inside.) She told the person running the place I shouted at her innocent little boy and I was even asked to apologise. Funnily no apology to me or my child who was shoved over for no reason. She then tried to blame my child for not liking her boy. Then acted as though mine was the aggressive one and kept moving her younger (but probably the same age as mine) child away every time mine went near them!

A firm voice was what was needed or calling out to the mum to come and grab her child. Screaming at him was wrong and your friends admitted to it.
Having said that the women should have corralled the boy. Him wondering around quietly reading shouldn’t have bothered you, but him running and screaming is totally annoying. I have two young special needs children (ADHD and ASD) and I wouldn’t accept that type of behaviour. I would keep them as calm and quiet as possible and even take them outside, if they couldn’t calm, before changing my order to take away. When my eldest child was little we never went anywhere or ate in as we knew there’d be screaming. But that was when the child was under the age of two!

Sounds as though nobody was at all interested in stopping the child from being an absolute nuisance and at his age he would have definitely known what he was doing was wrong. Seems he was trying to get attention and only howled when the attention he got wasn’t what he expected. Many were in the wrong here, not just the man who yelled at the child. Restaurants once upon a time had colouring in or something for the child to do while waiting for the meal – maybe that should be brought back again, as it seems no-one wants to discipline children anymore.