Being a Parent means being an adult, mm'kay?

I'm not a parent, but I don't think that means I've given up the right to complain about how other people's kids behave in public.

After all, I was a kid once, and certain things were expected of me.  I needed to be quiet, not silent, mind you, but quiet.  I was required to keep my food on the table, refrain from spilling if at all possible, and I had to say "Please" and "Thank You" to the wait staff.  Even to the person behind the counter at McDonald's

So it irks the holy crap out of me when people these days refuse to discipline their children for acting out in a restaurant.

It's pretty simple:
--If you can't trust your young child to behave acceptably in public, don't take them out.  Even a normally well-behaved child who is tired. 
--If your child gets loud, take them out.  The waitstaff will be more than happy to watch your belongings while you're outside if you have to leave the table altogether for a few minutes.  There's a big difference between a 30 second outburst and a 10 minute screaming jag.
--Make sure your kids know what is expected of them and be willing to give them consequences.  I knew I sure as hell was gonna sit in the car if I acted out.
--Manners start at home.  Use your everyday dining experience to teach "please" and "thank you" and how to use utensils properly.

In this op-ed piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, mother of 2 Wendy Heath takes the manager of a "family" restaurant to task for asking them to leave after her 2 year old pitched a fit.

The response has been huge.  And nearly all of it siding with the manager.  This prompted another column in the AJ-C, defending Ms. Heath's outrage.  Read the column, and the responses to it.

Some people will just never understand.
h/t McGehee