Or sanity

Because you can't exactly leave your baby in the car alone?

No, but you CAN hire a baby sitter or eat at home.

So because they have a baby they shouldnt be allowed to go out, and not waste money on a babysitter? As long as it is a family restaurant, and the baby isnt crying the whole time, bothering other patrons, she has every right to be there.

Yes, that's pretty much what it means. Any parent certainly has the RIGHT to take their baby just about anywhere they want, but that doesn't mean they should do it. My entire immediate family never went to a restaurant until the youngest of we children was 4 years old, and I recently learned why. Some friends and I went to a restaurant with their 2 year old and 1 year old. The entire time we waited for our food was spent entertaining and pacifying the children so they wouldn't cry, make a fuss, run around, or generally disrupt the peace of other diners. Then when our food came we had to shovel it into our mouths as quickly as possible so we could leave before the babies had a melt down. They are generally well behaved children and weren't disruptive to others, but their mere presence was disruptive to us. We couldn't even enjoy ourselves. I don't know why they bothered. It's much more pleasant being with them and their children in the private setting of their home where the babies can be babies and where the two year old can simply be put to bed if she acts out. And when babies DO start screaming and crying in the middle of a quiet restaurant, it's highly disruptive to others, even if it's only for a few seconds before their whisked outside by their parent. It's become such a problem, many restaurants are actually banning children below a certain age.

Ugh, I know, 62. One time I went to a movie and a woman was sleeping while her baby was screaming and crying in her arms. After a few minutes, someone finally went and informed management and the woman was escorted out. We were all given a coupon to see our next movie for free. I thought that was the most inconsiderate parent I'd ever heard of, but this FML really takes the cake! Oh and "*they're whisked away" Stupid Swype.

Oh good Lord #58 children exist! Get over yourself! Yes, a parent not even trying to console their screaming child in a movie theater is not good parenting. But don't insinuate that when other people have kids that they should always keep their children at home, because heaven forbid that children require a lot of attention and they might make YOU uncomfortable. Seriously, you really think any parents first concern is the potential discomfort of other people? They're probably always going to be concerned about their child first. So while this FML shows a case of extremely rude and bad parenting, it doesn't mean that children should be banned from public places. If you don't want to "deal with" children then don't go to family restaurants or anywhere else where children are bound to come in abundance. I really do not understand people who are prejudiced against children for doing normal things children will do, like crying and whining. When the parent just let's the bad behaviour continue, then it's the parent's fault, not the child's. It's not like they chose to be born to shitty parents.

It depends on the child.... My daughter is a year and a half old... We can take her out to dinner, and she will happy sit there the whole time, smiling at people, saying "hi" occasionally... Enjoy some food and hang out for a bit. She's definitely not a typical kid her age that has a lot of meltdowns and can't sit still for a while. We got lucky. Having said that... I used to feel that parents should leave their kids at home until we had one... Now I realize how entirely stupid it sounds and that there's a reason the majority of people who say it are young and/or have none of their own. There is no possible way to leave your kids at home ALL of the time. Especially if you plan to still live a somewhat normal lifestyle. Sometimes, parents have to bring kids with them places, like public transportation, places to eat, stores, airplanes ETC. It is every bit as insensitive to say that parents shouldn't take their kids anywhere as it is for parents to pull stunts like this FML. There are two sides to every coin. Neither side is completely right in this case.

I never said anything about stores and public transportation. Just restaurants and movie theaters. I realize that parents have to bring their babies with them when they go shopping or travel. I don't take issue with a baby screaming in a place I can easily leave. I don't think it's too much to ask to get a baby sitter for your kid when you're going out to enjoy yourself. I don't understand why you'd want to bring your baby to a restaurant anyway. I feel like parents would enjoy themselves more if they left their children at home too. And "family restaurant" is such a vague term. Do you mean anywhere that has a children's menu? Because that's just about everywhere. And those meals aren't meant for babies and toddlers either.

Also, my opinion isn't exclusive to those who are childless. Many parents agree with me. You know why? Because it's extremely annoying when you take the time and effort to get a baby sitter so you can enjoy a night out without your children, only to be confronted with someone else's screaming child in the restaurant of your choice. Ever think of that?

It still holds true that if you don't want to be "bothered" by children, don't go to a family restaurant. Expecting people to pay for a baby sitter every time they go out to eat is ridiculous. Unless it's a date night, why should they have to do that? If you're going to make the time and effort to hire a baby sitter so you can go out without your kids then you can also make the effort to go somewhere that you're unlikely to find children after certain hours. It's not a problem if the instant a child starts to throw a tantrum their mom or dad scoops them up and removes them from the situation until they've calmed down. It's only a problem when they make no move or don't do anything to calm their kid down. And again, that's not the child's fault, it's the parents. Like I said before, children exist. They will be taken to family restaurants. They will whine and complain and even cry sometimes. That doesn't mean they should be banned from any kind of restaurant simply because a bunch of adults can't deal with a few seconds of crying.

I'm not talking about young children, just so you know. I'm talking about toddlers and infants. I think there are some places they just don't belong, even if they're appropriate places to bring children who are a few years older. When you have a child, your life changes. That's just the way it is. Is it really that important to go out to eat so often that hiring a sitter every time becomes a terrible hassle? If you don't want to deal with that, then don't have children. And no, of course I don't blame babies for their behavior, because you're right, it's not their fault because they can't help crying and fussing, but that's all the more reason not to take them places where a reasonable level of peace and quiet are expected. That's like taking a bull into a china shop, and when he starts breaking things saying, "Oh, don't mind him. He's a bull. He can't help it," and then leading the bull out of the china shop. Obviously if I did that, I'd be a giant douche for bringing the bull into the china shop in the first place, even if I handled the situation once it arose. Not that great a comparison, because that's a pretty ridiculous situation that would never happen, but you get my point. Anyway, like I said, I think it's better for everybody, parents and other diners, to just leave their babies at home when they want to go to a restaurant, because it's more enjoyable for everybody. Parents don't have to keep the baby quiet or cut their meal short when the baby acts out (seriously, why would you want to deal with that?) and other people don't have to plug their ears at the shrill cries when they're trying eat and enjoy a conversation. No, I don't have to go to restaurants either, but guess what? Neither do parents with babies. They can't expect the rest of the world to simply not go to restaurants they like on the off chance that someone else will create an unpleasant experience by brining a noisy baby there. Your baby is your problem, not mine. Sorry, but we'll just have to agree to disagree.