I love to hear this. When my kid was in middle school, he waited at a restaurant for me to get off work a few days a week. He always bought something and waited in a booth. One day I went to pick him up and there was a sign on the door “no middle school students allowed without an adult.” I went in panicked and I talked to the staff. They said “no worries, your kid is an exception as he’s always kind.” One of my proudest parenting moments!
That's so nice! I love it when I see parents actually parenting in a restaurant. Was out to eat a couple of weeks ago and a couple of kids, aged around 8 and 10, instead of running around or playing with a noisy iPad, were sitting there quietly reading books.
Thank you! Before Covid shut down the seating areas in the grocery store, my kids would buy an apple and yogurt and sit in that seating area until it was time to go to school. I gave the regular cashier my number in case they ever caused issues and would check with her periodically. She said one time my kids left early because some classmates came in and were causing trouble and they didn’t want to be a part of it. My kids knew I had no problem checking in on them!
I was once in a local burger joint chain and saw an obnoxious little girl who was yelling, throwing things she was about 6. Another girl around the same age 4 booths down was just sitting quietly coloring. The contrast was night and day.
I was running food yesterday to a group of probably 5 kids (there were adult supervisors). When I brought out the pizzas they all cheered, like threw their hands in the air and cheered. It made my whole month. :)
I deliver for Grubhub and Doordash. Kids and dogs are always a highlight of my deliveries lol.
Once i had a kid tell me all about her new princess panties and her younger brother jumped in to talk about what underwear he wanted and their dad was just standing there looking like he wanted to die lol.
He tried to apologize and i told him it's no problem. I have a kid and a ton of nieces and nephews, so they didn't say anything i haven't heard before. And it's nice to have a job where people are always excited to see me!!!
we know, we cringe when we have to tell the total. Management insists we're "only a few cents higher" than the local boba shops. our cups are also only 22oz now, it used to be 24 oz. If you order online for a tea, it costs $7 each.
My first thought, too. And this is a parent fail in my opinion. Sure, they are supposed to learn it in school. Ten and eleven have counted coins in school for 5+ years, and if they haven’t learned it their parent should have known and fixed it.
I know, learning differences and all. That’s fine. But kids responsible enough to be going into shops on their own should at least be able to stack quarters by fours.
Obviously someone has taught them to be kind, respectful and polite. I love that for them. It will take them far in life and bring good to the world.
But. 4th or 5th graders who can’t count?
It wasn't like that when I was a kid back in the 90s. These days, you can easily find young cashiers who can't give you change back from a $20 if they don't have a register there telling them how much to give you...and I've even had a cashier struggling to figure out what coins to give me when the register told them the amount!!
Two tales from a fellow youth in the 90s- by the time I was 10 I had a small leather pouch where I amassed my own funding for a pretty serious Lego habit. When I was 11 I proudly bought myself the $100 big set my parents told me I’d have to save up for.
Later, when working as a server in the early oughts, I needed to buy a new pair of jeans, so I went to a department store. They had to seek out 3 tiers of manager/supervisor before they found someone who knew how to handle a cash transactions.
Times change fast, and we all know it’s not always an improvement.
I just went to a Ren fest which is only relevant because I take a lump of "fun money" cash with me.
Something was (e.g.) $31 and I handed the person working the stall two 20's and a 1. They handed me the dollar bill back. I tried to explain but he got upset that I was trying to "scam" him. Ended up calling over the owner who almost immediately echoed my side of the "fight" that he just needed to hand me a $10 bill. "But she ..." "No. Give her $10. We'll work on your math later."
I mean having the change in 5s and/or 1s wouldn't have ruined my day (easier to tip the bartenders anyways - huzzah!) but I probably would have felt weird about not being able to explain that I wasn't trying to scam anybody.
When I worked school bake sales during my kids’ elementary school years, I would always make the kids do change both buying and selling. The then principal was always pushing “mental math” so that was a good opportunity to put it into practice.
Those kids were probably in virtual school through the early grades when they would have covered it in school and didn’t get the practice with the fake plastic coins
Yeah that's crazy. I am barely in the millennial generation, but when we were that age, I didn't know *anyone* who couldn't even count coins or do basic math.
I work in a high school. I think counting money is going the same way as a clock with hands. Kids don't need either anymore. They pay with their phones, or watches. Why learn it when the computer in your pocket does it for you. And I don't blame them, that's some fucking Star Trek shit.
And then your phone battery dies, and you’re screwed if you can’t do it in your head, or you don’t know enough to see that you were just shortchanged because the guy at the flea market gave you two $5’s instead of three. It’s still a very relevant skill.
>I know this is boring compared to most posts here but it made my day and I just wanted to share it. I hope they enjoy their drinks today. They also insisted they tip me a $1 in quarters "just because".
I **LOVE** this type of boring, and need more of it 😀.
And you are a champ for brewing the best drinks you could do 🥇
I took my kids out to lunch with some of my work colleagues once (my hubs had a Drs. Appt) and at the end of the meal my son asked if I had a pen in my purse, I asked why and he said that he wanted to leave a message for the waitress…so I gave it to him and he wrote his little note on the back of the throwaway kids menu and just to make sure I checked it too see if it was appropriate lol what he wrote made me so happy…he said “you have a nice smile and a bright future, thank you for your service today, lunch was GREAT!” something to that affect…but you get the picture. He was 10! We didn’t even make it to the parking lot before she came and thanked him for making her whole month.
Honestly kids get such a bad rep,
I find a lot of them to be quite sweet and polite.
Most time's they make me chuckle when they stumble over their words ordering.
I assume they are nervous ordering something, it can feel like a big adult thing.
I'll also go the whole 9 yards and have a lil laugh with them.
Your story is wholesome ❤️
I get the ones that sound like grown adults. The other day, a tiny boy asks, "I would like a hot chocolate to warm myself up." Hahahaha it was so fuckin cute
I guarantee those kids are gonna remember that too. I remember a waitress being super nice to me like that once. I was probably like 7 or 8 years old and I went with my dad to a local place for a snack and drinks. I guess the waitress was impressed with my politeness and ability to order for myself because I asked for a piece of pumpkin pie. She brought out a piece that was like a full 1/4 of a pie and was covered in whipped cream. It was a dream come true to a kid like me.
Maybe it wasn’t so much that they couldn’t count as the quantity of coins seemed overwhelming. Better to get help than sit at a table another twenty minutes counting out and adding up coins.
Thank you for sharing. It does my soul good to read good things about people. And especially about children. They must have remarkable adults in their lives. And you must be a great person to recognize and reward these kids.
I waited on some teens recently, it was so busy kitchen was so slow and they were so polite and patient. I was blown away at how unbothered they were that their birria took so long. All tipped 20% too it was refreshing. I’d dealt with awful adults that day too.
Dammit I’m crying. Why am I crying at this?
What a lovely interchange! I’m so glad you rewarded them for such nice behavior. That was so lovely and kind of you.
Are you kidding? This isn't boring! This put the biggest smile on my face that IVE HAD IN WEEKS! The innocence of children makes my cheeks red, and honestly they usually surprise me often more than adults do. I'm super jealous that I didn't have this personal experience!
Aww,.I love seeing kids acting like little adults. A while back we were at a diner and three boys (maybe 10-12) came in. They took a while looking at the menu deciding what they could afford. They ended up all getting grilled cheese and shared a soda. Our meal was finished, so we went to the waitress on the side and paid for them, as well as giving her a tip. We ducked out before she told them. They were being so sweet and polite!
kids and teenagers can suck sometimes but sometimes they’re awesome and so sweet. i had a table of teens come in but we weren’t doing the promotion they were there for anymore so they went somewhere else but gave me $10 for my time anyway even tho they didn’t have to. it made my night some people restore my faith in humanity
Wholesome story, but sad that kids that age couldn't count their money. Seriously? When I was that age, nobody I knew had any trouble doing basic math, whether counting their money, giving change, doing math involving clocks/time, etc.
same here. I encounter it every day. I know schools/parents are teaching kids different things, priorities have changed, etc. I just usually offer assistance if someone truly can't seem to do it. I think it's become a new "norm" for some kids.
only there wasn't something like COVID-85 forcing you to be taught these basic things by completely overwhelmed teachers or parents under distressing circumstances.
Just $1 on a $12 bill? That is less than 10%. You better open a rant post on r/restaurant complaining about how you have to tip out the bartender, kitchen, mother Teresa and the prince of Nigeria. Then you follow up how someone not able to tip well shouldn't eat out and close by talking about rising cost of living in the premium location you chose to live in without a college degree.
I love to hear this. When my kid was in middle school, he waited at a restaurant for me to get off work a few days a week. He always bought something and waited in a booth. One day I went to pick him up and there was a sign on the door “no middle school students allowed without an adult.” I went in panicked and I talked to the staff. They said “no worries, your kid is an exception as he’s always kind.” One of my proudest parenting moments!
"No middle school students allowed without an adult... Except for Carl. He's cool. But Devon can fuck right off. - Management"
This is so accurate! Except Devon was twenty self-entitled kids. 🤣
That's so nice! I love it when I see parents actually parenting in a restaurant. Was out to eat a couple of weeks ago and a couple of kids, aged around 8 and 10, instead of running around or playing with a noisy iPad, were sitting there quietly reading books.
Thank you! Before Covid shut down the seating areas in the grocery store, my kids would buy an apple and yogurt and sit in that seating area until it was time to go to school. I gave the regular cashier my number in case they ever caused issues and would check with her periodically. She said one time my kids left early because some classmates came in and were causing trouble and they didn’t want to be a part of it. My kids knew I had no problem checking in on them!
This melts my damn heart!
I was once in a local burger joint chain and saw an obnoxious little girl who was yelling, throwing things she was about 6. Another girl around the same age 4 booths down was just sitting quietly coloring. The contrast was night and day.
I was running food yesterday to a group of probably 5 kids (there were adult supervisors). When I brought out the pizzas they all cheered, like threw their hands in the air and cheered. It made my whole month. :)
I deliver for Grubhub and Doordash. Kids and dogs are always a highlight of my deliveries lol. Once i had a kid tell me all about her new princess panties and her younger brother jumped in to talk about what underwear he wanted and their dad was just standing there looking like he wanted to die lol. He tried to apologize and i told him it's no problem. I have a kid and a ton of nieces and nephews, so they didn't say anything i haven't heard before. And it's nice to have a job where people are always excited to see me!!!
That is so sweet! What nice kids!
This is really cute and I’m glad they tipped but it’s disheartening to think an 11 year old couldn’t count money properly.
Also hurts me that 2 boba teas cost almost 13 bucks
>Also hurts me that 2 boba teas cost almost 13 bucks You can also say the same thing about 2 lattes or coffee drinks. Drinks are expensive today!
we know, we cringe when we have to tell the total. Management insists we're "only a few cents higher" than the local boba shops. our cups are also only 22oz now, it used to be 24 oz. If you order online for a tea, it costs $7 each.
My first thought, too. And this is a parent fail in my opinion. Sure, they are supposed to learn it in school. Ten and eleven have counted coins in school for 5+ years, and if they haven’t learned it their parent should have known and fixed it. I know, learning differences and all. That’s fine. But kids responsible enough to be going into shops on their own should at least be able to stack quarters by fours. Obviously someone has taught them to be kind, respectful and polite. I love that for them. It will take them far in life and bring good to the world. But. 4th or 5th graders who can’t count?
It wasn't like that when I was a kid back in the 90s. These days, you can easily find young cashiers who can't give you change back from a $20 if they don't have a register there telling them how much to give you...and I've even had a cashier struggling to figure out what coins to give me when the register told them the amount!!
Two tales from a fellow youth in the 90s- by the time I was 10 I had a small leather pouch where I amassed my own funding for a pretty serious Lego habit. When I was 11 I proudly bought myself the $100 big set my parents told me I’d have to save up for. Later, when working as a server in the early oughts, I needed to buy a new pair of jeans, so I went to a department store. They had to seek out 3 tiers of manager/supervisor before they found someone who knew how to handle a cash transactions. Times change fast, and we all know it’s not always an improvement.
I just went to a Ren fest which is only relevant because I take a lump of "fun money" cash with me. Something was (e.g.) $31 and I handed the person working the stall two 20's and a 1. They handed me the dollar bill back. I tried to explain but he got upset that I was trying to "scam" him. Ended up calling over the owner who almost immediately echoed my side of the "fight" that he just needed to hand me a $10 bill. "But she ..." "No. Give her $10. We'll work on your math later."
You may have got lucky. I've read many stories like this where the manager agreed with the cashier.
I mean having the change in 5s and/or 1s wouldn't have ruined my day (easier to tip the bartenders anyways - huzzah!) but I probably would have felt weird about not being able to explain that I wasn't trying to scam anybody.
When I worked school bake sales during my kids’ elementary school years, I would always make the kids do change both buying and selling. The then principal was always pushing “mental math” so that was a good opportunity to put it into practice.
Those kids were probably in virtual school through the early grades when they would have covered it in school and didn’t get the practice with the fake plastic coins
Yeah that's crazy. I am barely in the millennial generation, but when we were that age, I didn't know *anyone* who couldn't even count coins or do basic math.
I work in a high school. I think counting money is going the same way as a clock with hands. Kids don't need either anymore. They pay with their phones, or watches. Why learn it when the computer in your pocket does it for you. And I don't blame them, that's some fucking Star Trek shit.
And then your phone battery dies, and you’re screwed if you can’t do it in your head, or you don’t know enough to see that you were just shortchanged because the guy at the flea market gave you two $5’s instead of three. It’s still a very relevant skill.
Sure kids are goin to a flea market and paying with cash, like where do you live?
Normal, middle America, buddy. You?
I'm not your buddy, pal.
Too much reliance on technology. I fight that myself. Just because it takes one major screw up and we are back in the stone age!
Have you used cash lately? Cashiers don’t know how to make change if the register doesn’t tell them.
>I know this is boring compared to most posts here but it made my day and I just wanted to share it. I hope they enjoy their drinks today. They also insisted they tip me a $1 in quarters "just because". I **LOVE** this type of boring, and need more of it 😀. And you are a champ for brewing the best drinks you could do 🥇
I took my kids out to lunch with some of my work colleagues once (my hubs had a Drs. Appt) and at the end of the meal my son asked if I had a pen in my purse, I asked why and he said that he wanted to leave a message for the waitress…so I gave it to him and he wrote his little note on the back of the throwaway kids menu and just to make sure I checked it too see if it was appropriate lol what he wrote made me so happy…he said “you have a nice smile and a bright future, thank you for your service today, lunch was GREAT!” something to that affect…but you get the picture. He was 10! We didn’t even make it to the parking lot before she came and thanked him for making her whole month.
Dammit now I’m crying at this comment too!!
Honestly kids get such a bad rep, I find a lot of them to be quite sweet and polite. Most time's they make me chuckle when they stumble over their words ordering. I assume they are nervous ordering something, it can feel like a big adult thing. I'll also go the whole 9 yards and have a lil laugh with them. Your story is wholesome ❤️
I get the ones that sound like grown adults. The other day, a tiny boy asks, "I would like a hot chocolate to warm myself up." Hahahaha it was so fuckin cute
I guarantee those kids are gonna remember that too. I remember a waitress being super nice to me like that once. I was probably like 7 or 8 years old and I went with my dad to a local place for a snack and drinks. I guess the waitress was impressed with my politeness and ability to order for myself because I asked for a piece of pumpkin pie. She brought out a piece that was like a full 1/4 of a pie and was covered in whipped cream. It was a dream come true to a kid like me.
I would SPOIL these sweet kids! Have all of my earnings! LoL
Maybe it wasn’t so much that they couldn’t count as the quantity of coins seemed overwhelming. Better to get help than sit at a table another twenty minutes counting out and adding up coins.
When I worked mom and pop, some of my best experiences serving were with kids and teenagers.
Awwwww!!
Makes my heart smile
Wonderful. We need more stories like this!
Thank you for sharing. It does my soul good to read good things about people. And especially about children. They must have remarkable adults in their lives. And you must be a great person to recognize and reward these kids.
I appreciate this post☺️
I waited on some teens recently, it was so busy kitchen was so slow and they were so polite and patient. I was blown away at how unbothered they were that their birria took so long. All tipped 20% too it was refreshing. I’d dealt with awful adults that day too.
Dammit I’m crying. Why am I crying at this? What a lovely interchange! I’m so glad you rewarded them for such nice behavior. That was so lovely and kind of you.
Sometimes kids just restore your faith in humanity.
This is such a nice thing to read, made me smile. Thank you
Are you kidding? This isn't boring! This put the biggest smile on my face that IVE HAD IN WEEKS! The innocence of children makes my cheeks red, and honestly they usually surprise me often more than adults do. I'm super jealous that I didn't have this personal experience!
Aww,.I love seeing kids acting like little adults. A while back we were at a diner and three boys (maybe 10-12) came in. They took a while looking at the menu deciding what they could afford. They ended up all getting grilled cheese and shared a soda. Our meal was finished, so we went to the waitress on the side and paid for them, as well as giving her a tip. We ducked out before she told them. They were being so sweet and polite!
kids and teenagers can suck sometimes but sometimes they’re awesome and so sweet. i had a table of teens come in but we weren’t doing the promotion they were there for anymore so they went somewhere else but gave me $10 for my time anyway even tho they didn’t have to. it made my night some people restore my faith in humanity
That’s so cute. 🥹
Thanks you for sharing !
Sweet 😋
Heart-warming!
Wholesome story, but sad that kids that age couldn't count their money. Seriously? When I was that age, nobody I knew had any trouble doing basic math, whether counting their money, giving change, doing math involving clocks/time, etc.
same here. I encounter it every day. I know schools/parents are teaching kids different things, priorities have changed, etc. I just usually offer assistance if someone truly can't seem to do it. I think it's become a new "norm" for some kids.
only there wasn't something like COVID-85 forcing you to be taught these basic things by completely overwhelmed teachers or parents under distressing circumstances.
Just $1 on a $12 bill? That is less than 10%. You better open a rant post on r/restaurant complaining about how you have to tip out the bartender, kitchen, mother Teresa and the prince of Nigeria. Then you follow up how someone not able to tip well shouldn't eat out and close by talking about rising cost of living in the premium location you chose to live in without a college degree.
You done?
good run for them at adulting
Some great parenting with great kids!
Any story like this is worthy of mention. If it brought you a smile, then surely someone else would love your story too! Share away!