Americans may be incredibly divided, but most of us can probably agree on one thing.
Nobody wants to sit next to the crying baby out in public.
Related: Beloved fashion brand makes a bold move to take on Starbucks
Whether it’s on a plane, out shopping, or in a restaurant, many of us have experienced that all-too-familiar sensation. We realize there’s a very young child next to us, and he or she is growing fussy, are gearing up for the tantrum of a lifetime.
And we’ve got the privilege of being trapped right next to him or her. Front row seats to the colicky concert.
For many parents, crying jags are an unavoidable part of child rearing (both for the baby and, in many cases, for the parents), particularly in the early stages. Lack of sleep, unexplained moodiness, and the sheer intimidation of being responsible for an entirely new life can bring about some feelings.
The only thing we can really do when you’re in seat 27B and a baby starts crying in seat 27A is turn our noise cancelling headphones up and take pity on the parent that has to navigate the aisles through turbulence and judgmental stares to change a diaper in the world’s smallest airplane restroom.
But there comes an age when public temper tantrums are less acceptable, right? Perhaps that’s another thing we can all agree on.
Restaurant has perfect solution for unruly children
While there isn’t a set age limit at which children should be able to contain their emotions — at least in public — one restaurant has enacted a particularly crafty solution to the issue.
Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in Blue Ridge, Georgia had a recent brush with a bad bout of guests. They are what the eatery calls “adults unable to parent.”
As a now-viral screenshot of Toccoa’s menu displays, the restaurant forewarns its customers that it will charge “$$$” (an un-set monetary amount) “for adults unable to parent.”
A gathering of friends and family with 11 children ages three to eight dined at Toccoa in October. After the meal finished, when some of the children went down to the restaurant’s waterfront, Toccoa’s owner walked over to the table to inform them of the fee, leveling a $50 surcharge for their kids’ allegedly unruly behavior.
“He has the menu in hand and he’s showing us where it talks about the fee,” one parent recalls. “At first I thought he was gonna compliment us and be like, ‘But you won’t be charged because your kids were so well-behaved.”
Not the case. The owner informed the family that the children were being “too loud,” and “running around outside.”
“He got in our faces and told us that we belonged at Burger King and not at his restaurant. We asked to speak to the owner and he said he was the owner. I looked around the restaurant and everybody was frozen watching this show he was putting on. He was yelling,” the parent continued. “It was alarming.”
View the original article to see embedded media.
A Today poll revealed that 60% of respondents agreed with a restaurant’s right to enact a surcharge for unruly children.
As for Toccoa, a spokesperson for the restaurant said, “We’re not going to comment on a policy we’ve had for years. We just want to live in the woods and cook.”
