"Screaming or non-screaming?"

[vakkotaur]

I was not asked the title question, but I might as well have been. On the first of October a law regulating indoor smoking went into effect in Minnesota. Last night I experienced one of its effects.

Before the radio club meeting, I went to the nearby Mexican restaurant and was seated in what had been the smoking section. Surprisingly, it didn't have the lingering smell of a place that had been a smoking area. It did have booths with tall backs and, unlike the part of the restaurant that had been the non-smoking area, it was mostly empty.

The crowd in the room I usually sat included a couple family gatherings. At least one included a screaming tot. The screams of which I noticed, but they were so attenuated that my reaction was a passing thought of "I'm glad I'm not in there." as I ate.

Comments

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I've often thought that restaurants should have "children" and "no children" areas for just that reason. Unfortunately, I'm just as sensitive to women screaming into their cellphones or people shouting at each other across the table. It must be true that Americans are becoming more and more deaf.

[thecanuckguy.livejournal.com]

Why is it that most blogs I read about nowadays have mentioned screaming tots as a peeve? (kinkyturtle comes to mind, of course).) Despite being the father of two of them, I do feel y'all's pain, but I also can't exactly leave the kid outside to tantrum whilst I dine.

I hope this doesn't come across as anything but a genuine question, but do you have any suggestions for us parents of kids who could or could not go off at a moment's notice so that we can make things easier for our fellow diners (and, frankly, us as well. You think you're uncomfortable? Try living with it!)

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I think it was best summed up by the line, "Too many people with kids, too few parents." While the odd explosion is also annoying, the real problem is the folks who do not even attempt to anything about it and let it drag on and on.