A Woman Confronts the Mother of Noisy Toddlers in a Fancy Restaurant and Gets Called Selfish

Fine dining is supposed to be more than just a tasty meal. Top-notch service, classy decor, and a special, cozy atmosphere should all be included in the price tag. But sometimes, unexpected things happen, and we get more than we bargained for. This is exactly the case for one of our readers, who is left feeling confused by the entire experience.

Bright Side received an email from a woman who confronted the mom of a noisy kid in a nice restaurant. And she’s been wondering since then if what she did was okay or not.

Hey Marlene! We’re glad that you reached out to us. After hours and hours of discussion, we at Bright Side came up with the following tips:

• We understand why you were upset, and we think many people would react the same way you did. On the other hand, we believe it’s better to speak to the child’s parents first, in a calm, quiet voice, if possible. Yelling at a stranger’s kid usually only triggers negative reactions and deepens the conflict.

• Everyone should be entitled to enjoy their leisure time without being annoyed or disturbed by someone else’s inconsiderate behavior, and you had every right to ask to speak to the restaurant’s manager. This is especially true if it’s an upscale place that takes its guest’s requests seriously. If the answer was unsatisfactory, you could have left and informed the manager or the owner that you were not happy with their service.

• Yes, you talked to the staff, but it was already too late. Instead, you should have asked them for help early on. Maybe you should have also clearly requested that they talk to the kid’s parents or to move you to a different table. This way, you would have avoided confronting the kid directly and causing the mom to call you out.

• Sure, kids are loud, that’s a fact of life, and it’s the parents’ responsibility to at least try and keep them somewhat quiet in public. But, for whatever reason, this isn’t always the case. We can never know for sure what they are struggling with and if they’re having a particularly difficult day. So we should try to practice patience and compassion before complaining and raising our voices.

• You shouldn’t have assumed that the restaurant is not kid-friendly just because it’s upscale. Some classy restaurants still allow small kids during certain hours. It’s always a good idea to double-check the rules when making a reservation.

• So in conclusion, don’t feel bad about being annoyed. We are sure that most people would feel the same way. However, maybe you should’ve done a better job at controlling your emotions and not snapping at the kid.

Let’s hear what the rest of our readers think. Do you have any advice for Marlene? What would you do if you ended up in a similar situation?