Drawing the Line

The children, three of them ranging in age from 7 to 12, were jumping up and down at the table, running and laughing loudly around the restaurant while the parents sat calmly, oblivious to the apparent disruption. After finishing his meal, the oldest, began to roller skate around the table, holding on to the backs of the chairs for balance. At this point, the couple at the next table looked in awe at the father acting as if his children were acting well behaved. This chaos would not have been such a big deal if the restaurant was Chuck E. Cheese. This happened to be a four star establishment, where a three course meal, wine, and tip were in the neighborhood of $80. Parents should not bring children to nice restaurants because patrons are paying good money for a relaxing evening and many children cause disturbances. Parents need to take children to kid-friendly places like Chuck E. Cheese.

A nice restaurant could be considered Ruth Chris Steak House where the cheapest plate starts at $25 and that would be without a drink and dessert. Then, there is a restaurant called Jerry’s Seafood; a seafood platter without any beverages begins at $35 per person. Also, a favorite of many, the Cheese Cake Factory, where you cannot leave without having one of the many flavors of cheese cake that start at $9. When people choose to come out and spend this type of money, they expect to have a nice, quite relaxing evening out; they want to enjoy what they are paying for. Parents should be courteous of others and not allow children to come out or refrain from bringing them to nice restaurants altogether.

Many children are unruly, loud and inconsiderate of others, because there sits a young girl, about 9, watching a portable DVD player with headphones on; at the other table a child is standing on the seat of the booth staring at and reaching toward the patrons at the neighboring

table and, the young couple across the room with a toddler who is experiencing terrible twos, having temper tantrums and crying hysterically; the parents try to console the child at the table instead of excusing themselves from the table and