Thanks bud, Scott from the Herald did one on a waiter in Ponsnobby yelling at his two year old, kids are kids. Why are adults (some of them) becoming upstart little brats over what they (normally) do? Weirdos..

I'm with you on the food choices on the kids menu!! It does seem to be all processed and deep fried stuff - which my kids do like, but really, how can you introduce them to dining out as a special occassion with well cooked/healthy food not being an option. Remove the fried stuff people and offer small kids size portions of the adult choices - you will be surprised at what children eat if the easy option is taken away.

The author then handily recommended that babies could be fed in the restroom.

Well would the author like to eat their dinner in the toilet? As for me and my children we eat in the dining room, that includes those still on the boob and if it offends someone thats ok, nobody ever go hurt from being offended.

That's so great that they have retracted it. The thing that got me though is just, how many times have you actually been in a 4 or 5 star restaurant with this sort of thing happening? Cos they weren't just talking about steak houses and cafes. I think people just magic up a lot of this resentment out of nowhere - or based on one or two incidents. People without children can be annoying to be around in just as many ways as people with children!

I sort of agree with the article and I have 3 children under 5. I always think that when you go out and pay money to enjoy food, why should you have to put up with the misbehaviour of other people's children. It can be very unpleasant and poos smell like poos, irrespective of how small a bottom (someone changed their child under a table at a cafe I was at a few weeks ago). I always make sure my children are well behaved (within reason), I bring colouring books and toys, and I go at a time that is quiet. The best restaurants are ones that are accepting of children.

The Press in Christchurch ran a competition a couple of years ago for the best kids menus - the restaurants went all out & did great things like rice rolls with dipping sauces, small portion sizes of pasta, mini & fun arrangements of seafood & veges. Most found the menus were so popular, they kept them after the comp ended.

It's not just parents with strollers that get annoyed at the small amount of space in restaurants. I was out for dinner on Friday with a friend (who's about 5'10"), we were cramped into a little table behind a column, and it turned out that the space between the table & the column was the main thoroughfare for a couple of other tables. We had waitresses and customers tripping over us (my friend had stretched out her legs as we'd just been rock climbing, she pulled them back under the table pretty quickly), I had my head butted up against a shelf and we were close enough to take part in the conversations at 3 other tables.

How considerate of Xander to shut his door! That's O for Orsum =)

It also annoys me that most things seem to be deep fried for kids. Although, the new owners of the Mayfly in Lumsden have started offering mini roasts for kids, which is fantastic!

I agree with Ryan though, too many adults are forgetting that they too were once kids, and that kids WILL BE KIDS. There is a huge diff between a kid being a kid and a kid being an uncontrollable, misbehaving brat. I had a guy have a go at me when eldest was 4 months old, cos I was playing with her and she was giggling. I turned around and said, it's better than her screaming and crying. Admittedly, I was icy when I said it, but it shut him up. And Donelle, I do, and will continue to, feed my 10 week old at the table. She's hungry damn it! If people dont like it, THEY can go eat THEIR meals in the restrooms!

@Charlie: "There is a huge diff between a kid being a kid and a kid being an uncontrollable, misbehaving brat."

So true. Don't assume that all children are brats. If you're going to judge them, judge them on their *behaviour*, not their age-- and then do the same for the adults. Children are people too; there's not a magical "adult world" and "kid world", we're all in it together, people!

please please please, unless its mcdonalds or some cheep and nasty restaurant leave your babies and toddlers home, we don't pay 35 bucks a meal to smell soiled nappies and listen to kids screaming, its time for a law change allowing restaurant owners to declare themselves child free and while we're at it they should do the same with shopping malls!

* Go early before it's too busy. * Don't bother if they're tired. * Discuss expected behaviour ahead of time. * Be prepared to leave (or go sit in the car for five minutes) if it's just not working.

I fully agree with your 4 suggestions above. We have actually turned down dinner invites (where our daughter was more than welcome) because we knew the place would be packed and busy and we know our daughter well enough to know that packed+busy=loud-daughter.

We have cancelled dinner plans at the last minute (having informed the inviters that this is a possibility when we first accepted the invite) because our Princess decided that she didn't need an afternoon nap, but at 6pm it's obvious that she did! We always allow for this possibility.

Presently she's too young to fully comprehend, "Mummy & Daddy are taking you out, we expect you to behave, or else we will leave." But, we are hoping she'll be there soon enough!

Your last suggestion is one that a lot of parents just don't bother to adhear to - leaving before dessert or until they've had a cuppa coffee to wind up the evening.

I fully understand that kids are kids and they make noise. I fully understand that once my daughter reaches a certain point it's time for us to leave or else we'll end up screaming at her ourselves. Other parents seem to have no shame & end up yelling at their kids.

Going home would just save a lot of stress for everyone. There's no shame in admitting defeat and heading home. Get over yourselves. Sheesh.