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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOwner of Portland diner defends yelling at screaming child
The owner of a Portland diner is defending comments she made on her Facebook page about yelling at a 2-year-old child for crying, screaming and disrupting her customers dining experience. The encounter happened Saturday.
Darla Neugebauer, who owns Marcys Diner on Oak Street in downtown Portland, was unapologetic for her actions both on Facebook and in an interview with WCSH-TV.
Neugebauer wrote in a Facebook post that she snarled at the girl, who had been crying steadily for more than 40 minutes while her parents talked. She said the parents ordered three full-sized pancakes for their child, which on a busy Saturday takes a while to cook. Neugebauer claims the parents ignored the child, even after the girl was served the pancakes.
When Neugebauer returned to cooking food for other customers, she claims the toddler started crying again. That is when she returned to their table.
MORE: http://www.pressherald.com/2015/07/19/owner-of-portland-diner-under-fire-for-yelling-at-screaming-child/
Speak to the parents, leave the kid out of it.
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)Doubling down is always worse than the original problem.
Ask the parents to leave (with the toddler) if the disruption is costing you other business. Or install a special 'parents with screaming toddler' booth in a corner, with soundproofing around it.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)Orrex
(63,291 posts)Almost as bad as Wolf Blitzer reading straight from CNN's twitter feed.
Good night, and good luck to us all.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)This is NEWS. "Good luck to us all" is right.
lpbk2713
(42,775 posts)Just had to be.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)Armed with powerful lungs, sharp little baby teeth, and no conscience whatsoever.
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)They should have been asked to leave
3catwoman3
(24,133 posts)...for themselves in a lot less than 40 minutes.
Novara
(5,876 posts)Seems to me if parents are ignoring a screaming child for 40 minutes, the restaurant owner is within her rights to try and get the kid to shut up if the parents won't. It must have made the dining experience for everyone else there hellish.
Remember when parents used to care when their screaming kid disrupted the peace in public venues?
ProudToBeBlueInRhody
(16,399 posts)And been embarrassed for it.
Nowadays, everyone lives in their own bubble, and fuck everyone else.
pnwmom
(109,025 posts)TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)Two is enough for me, and I'm an adult.
Deadshot
(384 posts)In fact, the owner was well within her rights to throw them out and she should have.
woodsprite
(11,941 posts)the parents to take the child out of the situation - whether it's a restaurant, church service, waiting room, funeral, etc.
We did it as parents. Sometimes it was bad enough that hubby and I had to take turns, but we did it. I'm not and old fuddy-duddy (my youngest just turned 15), but if you can't control or deflect the situation, then remove the child until they've calmed down -- don't just sit there and ignore them. Sure, it's not convenient and may not be what you really want to do, but it's part of parenting. As my daughter would say "Suck it up, buttercup!"
I would have understood the owner's reaction if she acted that way with the parents, but a mean stranger yelling at a 2yo is just going to upset the kid more. On the other hand, the parents sound like they're clueless.
deutsey
(20,166 posts)I agree with everything you say here.
aikoaiko
(34,186 posts)This is in Portland, Maine, FWIW.
Igel
(35,390 posts)And the 2-year-old should have just been taken outside or entertained. "We brought toys" but apparently decided to let them do the parenting.
Or maybe the toys was for the irritating child, not the 2-year-old.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)snooper2
(30,151 posts)LOL
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)ProudToBeBlueInRhody
(16,399 posts)I am sick and tired of parents who think everyone else has to just "deal with it" because they've gone deaf from their little booger monster screaming and crying 24/7.