What if you were told that you couldn’t bring your baby into a restaurant? I came across this video on today.com where one local business owner in North Carolina says she has decided to ban screaming babies from her restaurant. I must admit I would have shouted “Hallelujah” a couple years ago. But, times have changed. I think if your a parent, you’ll understand.
Sometimes it’s not always easy to calm a baby down. I kid around with my hubby all the time by saying, “WE’VE BECOME THOSE PEOPLE.” You know, the ones with the screaming child who seems inconsolable. For instance, we took our daughter to the beach for a boardwalk stroll, as I mentioned in my previous post. She was fine when we got there, but lost it a half hour later. She cried for what seemed like an eternity. We were a couple miles away from our car, so it’s not like we could have just hopped in and drove home.
Sure enough we got some cold stares, and there were some who smiled as they walked by. Believe it or not, those smiles and friendly waves hello actually helped to calm her down a bit. But, that was only temporary. This is what I had to do to get her to stop crying.
A mama’s got do what a mama’s gotta do. I don’t always nurse in public, but sometimes I have no choice. It may not seem like it, but we had plenty of privacy. My hubby took this quick pic while standing guard. There were people walking by, but they didn’t see a thing. The bushes also blocked all those possible inquiring minds. After I nursed her, she settled down.
Anyway, getting back to this restaurant owner. I think it’s important to understand that it’s not always easy for parents. Sometimes we want to be able to go out and enjoy a nice meal. We can’t always find a sitter and if you’re a working mom like me, you know that any time spent with the littles ones are extra special. I would never see my child otherwise. Let’s face it, babies cry all the time. Maybe they’re not feeling well, they could be tired, they may need changing. Whatever the reason, it’s important to understand that we have it hard sometimes. So the next time you see a screaming child at a restaurant or anywhere for that matter, give a friendly smile and try to understand that it’s hard for us parents too. Shame on these business owners who are willing to ban babies from their place of business because they may cry a little, or a lot.
Weather Anchor Mama
This is crazy…they are going to end up loosing a lot of money! Everyone has kids, is an aunt/uncle or grandparent and like to eat out. Babies that cry are not abnormal, it’s just a part of life.
As a parent, what bothers me most are the parents who do NOTHING while the child is crying. Talk to them, soothe them, nag or preach on how that is not the right way to behave…but do SOMETHING!! I think most people understand if you’re doing your best to calm the kids down.
I agree! It’s happened to all us parents at some point. We usually have to walk our little one around for a bit and that usually calms her down.s