Parents often have a hard time controlling their kids in restaurants, but these parents didn't even try. Instead, they egged on their progeny's bad behavior, which caused the staff untold headaches and drama. These parents ought to be put in time out for what they let their kids do!
(Content has been edited for clarity)
No One Tried To Stop The Baby With A Knife
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“A family came in and they had a baby with them, I’m guessing she was a 1-year-old. I had to stop this baby from putting a knife in her mouth, TWICE. The second time I went over, I just took it away. The mom didn’t stop her, the dad didn’t, none of the siblings did. They didn’t say anything when I took the knife away either. I should’ve taken the whole dang baby away.”
Even The Cops Didn’t Want To Put Up With Her Bull
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“One mom and her two kids were eating at our diner, and both of the kids were misbehaving. They were running around, stealing other people’s fries, yelling, etc. She didn’t even notice them; she just kept texting or playing on her phone. Other customers started to complain, and the manager had to come out to ask them to leave. That’s when she called the cops, claiming the staff was harassing her. The police came, took our side, and then forced them to leave. The manager later asked the officers to involve child services in the matter. A couple of days later, the husband came in and apologized on behalf of his wife and her behavior.”
After The Second “Accident,” That Family Was Banned For Life
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“It’s a Sunday morning. We are an Italian pasta place, and I’m serving tables with one of my best friends. It’s just us two and our manager in the morning since we don’t do much business for Sunday lunch. We have a family of regulars who had been troublesome in the past. They always sit outside and the week prior, the 6-year-old kid whipped his junk out and peed on the ground. We politely asked them to make sure it didn’t happen again and washed the ground with a hose. They came in a lot and luckily no other customers were outside at the time.
So the family came in, and I look at my friend and say, ‘I’m not serving them. You take them, and I’ll close lunch for you.’ He agrees. He drops off bread and water to the table, then he starts a conversation with the parents and makes some small talk. That’s when he starts to hear something. Then his leg gets warm. This little kid whips his junk out and is peeing on the ground again. This time, though, it isn’t just on the ground, it’s on my friend’s pants and shoes. He runs back in with the most confused and angry look and tells our manager. The manager runs outside, sees a puddle at the table, and tells them to leave and never come back.
The mom later goes on to write a horrid review online about how we aren’t family friendly, and kids have accidents. Your kid PEED ON OUR STAFF.”
Their Dad Was In Complete Denial About Their Bad Behavior
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“I have had parents change their children’s diapers ON THE TABLE. But what got me was when a toddler took off his pants and diaper and just walked around the restaurant naked. The mom noticed but didn’t do anything about it. She just let him wander with his dong out.
There’s also a guy that brings in his two young girls periodically, and we all hate them. Their mom left suddenly, so I know he wants them to be happy, but he lets them do whatever they want. They fight loudly with each other every time over every single thing; they yell at us when their food isn’t out a minute after ordering; they’ve run into the kitchen to yell about where their food is; they’ll cry if one of them gets a slightly larger cookie than the other. But the reason I hate them is because one time, they wrote their names on the bathroom wall in crayon and when the bartender asked why they did it, they claimed it wasn’t them. It was their names, and they were the only children in the restaurant at the time, but their father said that he didn’t think it was them. And then the next time they came in, they did it again. They’re the worst.”
Who Encourages Their Kid To Steal Like That?
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“I had just started walk away from one of my tables when I got the feeling I’d just dropped money, but I couldn’t find it. As I was looking for it, I commented to a fellow waitress who was passing by that I felt as if I dropped money. Eventually, I figured the best thing to do was to step down into the aisle a little so I could get a broader view.
As I turned around to look back at the area, I saw the parents pointing to a small bundle of cash under the table beside them (the one I had been standing at while I searched) while their kid was crawling on the floor towards it. Mind you, this kid was probably 8 or 9 years old, old enough to know that taking someone else’s money is wrong. I immediately dashed there and snatched up it before he could reach it, making a small comment about having thought I had dropped something. Then the kid snapped his fingers in disappointment while the parents said something along the lines of, ‘Be faster next time,’ and ‘You should have waited until the waitress wasn’t there to grab it.’
I was floored! Luckily, they immediately left the place, but that was the craziest thing I ever saw a parent encouraging their kid to do. Parents and kids have been rude or messy, or a mix of both and all in between, but to encourage your kid to steal?”
The Kid Was Trying To Do The Right Thing, Then His Dad Got Involved
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“I worked at a place that had peanuts available for customers to chow on while waiting for their order. Believe it or not, the cleanest and most thoughtful peanut eaters were children. Inherently many were already picking up their own mess or using a cup/tray for litter. I was sweeping the dining area when this kid saw me and said, ‘Hey, I help!’ while showing me his tray full of peanut shells.
Enter this piece of crap dad. He grabbed his kid’s tray with a, ‘No buddy, we do this (tosses all the shells five feet across the tiled floor) here,’ as he wiped crumbs off on his Dockers like it was no big thing, even with me busting my bum to clean just feet away from him.
That kid looked so embarrassed at even that young of an age, but I gave him the nod that I knew he was a helpful little guy. Man, I hated that job sometimes.”
She Only Served Them Once, But She’d Never Do It Again
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“Two younger moms (part of that religious cult where women don’t typically work and wear blue jean skirts, all women tend to be on the heavier side, have long hair, no makeup, don’t talk if husbands are present, but man will they sound off on you and get super bossy when they’re alone) were regulars at my restaurant along with their families. Like almost every single day regulars, and these people were always demanding.
It was a lunch shift, and they came in with their two very young boys. I’d guess they were no more than a couple of years old at the time. As I was taking their order, the boys each took a sugar packet from the caddy, ripped them open, and poured them in the napkin basket. The basket held the big rectangle napkins and sani-hand wipes. They were my first customers at that table, and the boys ruined that basket and all its contents.
The moms caught me staring and told the boys in a meek tone, (because they’re male), to stop making a mess. No one tried to grab the unused packets, no one tried to grab the basket from them, they just watched as the boys continued to grab more, and tore everything open. Then they looked back at me like, ‘Why are you still here? Enter my order.’
I walked by later on, and the women were laughing, and the boys were coloring on the booth with their crayons, the moms periodically just verbally telling them to stop. I noticed the sugar caddy was empty and the war zone from all the fallen sugar packets and wet naps all over the table.
For some reason, and I can’t remember where they got it, some older people came in and had a mini-birthday party, but someone gave these little miscreants chocolate cake. After the family left, it looked like someone had diarrhea and it exploded all over the whole booth.
I refused to wait on that family ever again. I had to clean that booth entirely by myself – and it took me forever.
Oh, and they tipped me $1. A freaking dollar. I distinctly remember them saying they wish they could have tipped me more, and promised to come back when they had more money to give me a little more – never did. They sat there nearly my entire shift, too. They were my official first dose of server frustration in my early waiting career stint.”
It Was An Antique, But That Didn’t Stop This Kid From Ruining It
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“Over the summer, I worked at a place that had a ‘Wild West’ vibe to it. One of the decorations we had was an old vintage piano that they had managed to keep in good condition for lots of years. One day, I was working the breakfast shift and all of a sudden, I heard the piano playing loudly. There were signs on the piano telling people NOT to touch it, so I quickly ran over to see this little (6/8-year-old) SMASHING THE KEYS! He was legitimately hitting the keys full force. I tapped the kid on the shoulder and politely told him to stop even though I was furious because it was a beautiful instrument. I looked over to the child’s parents, and they didn’t even look at him or me. They just kept eating. I’m pretty sure that kid damaged the action on the keys, and it can’t play anymore.”
It Was A Beautiful Garden, Until He Got His Hands On It
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“In college, I worked at a trendy hipster type place. We had a killer brunch that was always a zoo, especially on our patio. Adjacent to the patio (separated by a small fence) was a vegetable and herb garden which the kitchen used.
Some idiot lady had a group of six or seven people, including one kid. The adults were too busy getting wasted on pitchers of mimosas to notice the kid had run off and was in the middle of the garden, stomping on the tomatoes and ripping the herbs straight out of the ground. I had to run over and scold him.
When I finished scolding the kid and dragged him back to the table to tell his mom what he had been up to, she barely acknowledged me except to order another round.
I told the chef what had happened and he blacklisted them from that point on.”
They Were Damaging Property, But Their Mom Couldn’t Care Less
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“When I was a waitress, this couple came in with their two kids (aged about four and five). The kids took the silverware and were scratching our wooden tabletops with it. I came over and asked the parents to stop them, and the mom said flippantly, ‘Oh, it’s okay. They’re allowed.’
NO, they are not. This isn’t your house!
I also watched a kid walk up to our flower pot and dump her entire ice cream, container and all, in the pot. I opened the front door and said, ‘HEY! Pick that up!’ The kid shamefacedly picked up the gross, smooshed up ice cream and put it in the trash can that was, I kid you not, five feet away.
About 10 minutes later, the mother came into the restaurant, already furious. ‘Did you yell at my daughter?!’
This little old lady sitting at a table got up and got right in her face. ‘Don’t you talk to her like that!’ Then she just went off on the mom about her bratty kid throwing ice cream in our flowerpot. It was amazing! I thought I was about to see a senior citizen throw fists with a soccer mom!”
The Parents Thought Letting Him Run Around The Restaurant Would “Tire Him Out”
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“The parents had been letting him tear around the restaurant to ‘tire him out’ while they were eating. I made several comments to them about it not being particularly safe for him to be running, full speed, around a busy restaurant on a Friday night, but they blew me off each time. So a little later, I was carrying a tray jack in one hand and a large tray full of food and drinks in the other hand. As I was approaching a corner, he came, full speed, around the corner and all I had time to do was flinch in a manner that wouldn’t lead to me dropping a tray with a 40-pound load on top of this little prick. The flinch happened to put my knee in line with his face and he hit me. I didn’t drop anything, so I just continued to the table, dropped off the food, and then went to find a manager to go talk to the inattentive parents.”
“Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes”
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“Years ago, I had guests who were completely ignoring their kids and just let them run around like maniacs through our space. Two of the kids decided playing on the railing to a three-step incline would be a good idea and as I was in the middle of dropping food to the table, one of the boys slipped off the railing and face planted. This little brat split his head wide open; it was freaking gnarly. I’m not talking just a cut either; his skull was cracked. There was blood everywhere, and it was pandemonium. The kid was freaking out and screaming, people at different tables jumped up, and one person got sick. The family scooped him up and started running for the doors as no less than five people called 911.
The best part? I froze. I saw it all happen. I was at this family’s table. And the dad, this crazy sucker…he was in the middle of asking me a question about the food in my hands when the kid bashed in his face. The dad looked over at him, then back at me, then he jumped up and got in my face to yell at me, ‘WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY KID!?’ It was absolutely insane. After that, it’s all a bit of a blur. One of the adults stayed behind to settle the bill. I’m sure he was ok, and to my knowledge, nothing ever came of it, lawsuits and the like. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
This Is Why You Don’t Bring Kids To A Bar
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“On Superbowl Sunday, a man runs inside, and when I ask how I could help him, he replies that he is checking if our restaurant was kid-friendly. It isn’t; I work at a dive bar near a college that is chaotic, but we do have a small kids’ menu and one highchair. Since it is dead due to the game, he decides it will work.
So this man, his wife, and two kids come in and grab a seat. It starts off well enough as they order drinks and then food. The kids are chatting me up and asking me crazy questions, but I indulge them. However, as the family waits for their food, the kids start getting antsy, start screeching, then start fighting each other with silverware. Okay, fine. If the kids hurt each other, that’s not on me.
So I drop off the food, and when I come back to check on them, it is complete chaos. One kid is licking ketchup off of a plate, the other is under the table slinging noodles everywhere, and the parents are happily eating away without a care in the world.
I pre-bus as soon as they finish a plate and even steal the ketchup to minimize the damage, but the kids move on to dumping odds and ends into their to go cups and then proceed to poke holes in the cups.
There is crap everywhere, and to make matters worse, they stay well after the bill is paid, letting their children scream and play in the slop pile they created on the table.”
Sugar Caddies Have All Sorts Of Cooties
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“I had a person watch their child open the sugar packs one by one and pour them on the table and say, ‘You shouldn’t do that,’ but not stop them. They did this to the entire sugar holder, and then the mom asked me for more sugars which she then let her brat continue to open and pour out.
Another time, I watched a woman let her small infant dump all 40 or so packets onto the table and then start playing with them with the little dude’s drool/snot covered hands. She claimed she would put them back. About five minutes later, she grabbed a couple to make herself some sweet tea. I was having one of ‘those’ days, so I said something. ‘Would you want to use those knowing an hour ago another infant with drool covered hands was playing with them?’ She had that deer in headlights look like she had never thought past the fact she could put them back and they would then magically be ok.”
The Baby Was Fine Half The Time, But The Other Half Was A Different Story
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“Way back when I waited tables, I had a family of regulars that came in every Sunday after church. About half the time, there were no problems, but the other half, their toddler would throw a tantrum in her high chair and turn into a tornado of eggs, oatmeal, and anything else she could grab.
I honestly couldn’t believe the parents.
They didn’t take the kid outside and just ignored the kicking and screaming, and they didn’t stop the kid from chucking food all over the place. It took a good ten minutes to scrape all the gunk up off the floor after they left, it looked like a bomb went off and you could see the debris circle around the high chair.
I always wanted to strangle the little turd, but eventually, she grew out of it.”
They Let Their Kids Treat The Table Like Their Own, Personal Jungle Gym
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“I worked at a little place on a pier with outdoor tables. The tables were big, heavy, and made out of cement. A group of parents were letting their kids treat the open table next to them like a jungle gym, crawling over, under, around. As if that wasn’t bad enough, one of the children had a knife in their hands. Instinct took over, and I walked over, took the knife out of the kid’s hand, then handed it to the mother. I didn’t say a word or make a sound, but my point was received, and she just responded with ‘Sorry.’ I didn’t even speak, I just turned and walked away.”
These Soccer Moms Couldn’t Give Two Craps About Their Daughters’ Rudeness
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“So a bunch of stupid soccer moms and their stupid soccer daughters from some stupid soccer team came in around lunchtime. There were around 10 girls, between 10-12 years old, and their moms (so 20 total). The moms and girls got separate tables. And let me tell you, these girls acted like a bunch of 3-year-olds. Screaming, swearing, getting fingerprints on the glass, spilling drinks and not cleaning them up, leaving chips all over the table… just being a mess in general. The moms, of course, were just minding their own business, not giving a crap about their daughters’ rude behavior. It took like 15 minutes and three of us to clean up their booth when they left.”
