Pretend you’re out on a date at your favorite restaurant with your partner or significant other. All of a sudden, you notice a child start to scream a few tables over. It goes on and on with no end in sight — what would you do?
This is precisely the situation Redditor Wrong_Ad_3951recently found herself in. She politely asked the woman to excuse herself while her son calmed down, and in doing so — ignited the young mother’s fury .
Recently, Reddit user Wrong_Ad_3951 and her boyfriend were out at a restaurant enjoying a nice meal.
Wrong_Ad_3951 said the restaurant they were dining at wasn’t exactly a Michelin Star-calibre establishment, but by no means was it a Chuck-E-Cheese, either.
While they sat and waited for their server to arrive, Wrong_Ad_3951 noticed a young couple with three small children sitting a few tables over. The oldest, she said, couldn’t have been older than 10, while the youngest she guestimated was around 2-years-old.
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Out of nowhere, the toddler started to become noticeably agitated.
“While me and my boyfriend were enjoying our meal, the youngest child began SHRIEKING , for a reason that I can’t fathom,” Wrong_Ad_3951 said. “When I say shrieking I’m talking about the ear piercing type that is physically painful.”
This went on for 10 whole minutes, with seemingly no end in sight. Soon after, Wrong_Ad_3951 lost her patience and got up from the table to go and speak with the parents.
” I walked over to the family’s table, and asked if someone could take the child outside until it calms down, since people are trying to enjoy their food,” Wrong_Ad_3951 explained.
The way she figured, both she and her boyfriend (as well as everyone else in the restaurant) had paid good money to enjoy a meal out on the town. Therefore, they shouldn’t be forced to contend with a child throwing a temper tantrum in public.
“The mother got really pissy at me, saying that her son is only a child and that I need to show some compassion.”
Wrong_Ad_3951stood firm reiterating once again that the mother and child were in a public space.
Everyone in the restaurant was paying for the privilege to be there. She told the mother that if she was unable to get her son to quiet down, then the polite thing to do would be to step outside and excuse herself for a minute or two.
After Wrong_Ad_3951 walked away and sat back down, she noticed the mother had called over a member of the staff to her table.
“She proceeds to tell them that I was rude to her and that I’m making her uncomfortable.”
Thankfully, one of the other patrons who witnessed the exchange quickly came to Wrong_Ad_3951’s defense. They also conveyed to the wait staff how the mother had been allowing her child to scream and shout while everyone else in the restaurant was trying to eat their meal.
Not long afterward, the family got up from the table and left — but not before shooting Wrong_Ad_3951 an incredibly dirty look.
When Wrong_Ad_3951 got home, she decided to tell her friend all about her terrible dining experience.
Much to her surprise, her friend sided with the young mother! She went on to chastise Wrong_Ad_3951 for being insensitive and reminded her just how difficult being a parent actually is.
“I told my friend that they chose to have kids , and, as such, they need to parent them better,” Wrong_Ad_3951 said matter-of-factly. My friend didn’t seem to like what I said in the slightest.”
The vast majority of Reddit users in the AITA thread seemed to agree with Wrong_Ad_3951.
A user who goes by the handle halfwaygonetoo wrote, “While being a parent IS difficult, there are still courtesies that need to be followed. Those courtesies include removing a child from a public place if they are not behaving, crying or screaming.”
If those without kids would show just a little more compassion, and if those with kids could reciprocate with just an ounce more consideration — our world would be a much more accepting space. Remember, we’re in this together.
