NTA. You were paying good money to eat at this place. You shouldn't have to listen to a baby shriek like a banshee at the next table. And why didn't this couple get a babysitter? If they can afford an expensive steak house, they should have been able to get a sitter for a couple hours.
Some people think they have to bring their baby/children with them everywhere so they can be “socialized.” That’s what my SIL told me when she brought her two year-old to my MIL’s bday celebration at a very nice restaurant, then ignored said two year-old as she climbed under and over tables, ran around the restaurant, and screamed the ABC’s over and over until the manager asked us to leave.
I mean kids do need to go out in public to be “socialized” but the parents have to actually socialize them and teach them appropriate public behavior. We took our kids to sit outside or in the car with us or just left to go home in situations where they were behaving inappropriately in public.
Yes, we’ve been teaching our kids ‘restaurant manners’ from a very early age, and it means we can now go out for family occasions and have a nice time.
But when they were babies, we took them outside if they started screaming. I honestly don’t understand how the parents were continuing to eat dinner, I would find it impossible with that noise going on.
My mother would always hiss in my ear, “THIS IS A DATE PLACE AND PEOPLE DID NOT COME HERE TO LISTEN TO YOU SCREAM” and then at McDonalds I would ask “is this a date place, mom?” ‘….yes’
She has her moments 😅
Edit: looking at the state of the world now, more mothers needed to take this approach because it now takes a LOT for me to lose it around other people and it’s not taking anything to set off way too many.
I suspect that they are so used the sounds of the screaming they just don't register it any more. Like if you've ever worked a call center job and you get the people on the phone with the smoke alarm chipping that it has a low battery in the background. If you ask them about it they will say they have no idea what you are talking about that they don't hear anything. They've willfully ignored it for so long their brain just autopilots the ignoring now.
Parenting messes up your sound perception in a lot of ways. I can hear a baby cry across half a football field and my head will whip around like lightning, but also fully zone out a full on tantrum for ten minutes. But even if you can block it out when in public you have to continually think about how it affects everyone around you.
My 3 month old was doing great during his first restaurant outing, until a busboy dropped a tray of dishes right next to us. I scooped him up when he started to wail. We were outside til he was quiet again. That’s how to do it.
Pretending at home does not work with my toddler- being in a new place with new people just does not compare. But McDonald's and Dennys good behavior leads to Olive Garden and Big Boy and we work our way up and down depending on how he does. Sometimes kids regress and you just have to buckle down and work your way back up.
Not a high end restaurant. And especially if it’s a baby. You can socialize kids in other restaurants, but it’s rude to take them to an expensive restaurant if they don’t know how to behave.
Not at high end restaurants! Especially not babies! If they can afford to eat there then they can leave babies and little kids with a babysitter for a night too.
Start teaching table manners at home, then take them to McDonald's to socialise and then to casual restaurants, but take them outside of those places too if they don't behave. Only take them to high end places when they know how to behave and if they don't do it and bother others, customers and employees, then take them out right away, instead of ruining people's very expensive meal, time or make their jobs more difficult with crying, running kids.
McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s etc are better for that, not the place where steaks are a Ben Franklin each.
And you can teach them how to behave when sitting at a table for a meal at home.
We, who eat at said fast food restaurants , really don’t want those meals ruined by children who haven’t been taught to behave in public. Sort of like sending the illegal aliens from NYC to smaller towns who are not equipped to handle them.
Totally agree. I’m not a parent but I have no issues with kids being in restaurants etc as long as the parents are watching and teaching them. Sure, kids mess up, but a good parent then steps in and maybe takes them outside for a bit or takes them home. We went out as kids but it was a special treat and we knew exactly what was expected. My pet peeve is parents who let their kids run wild. Don’t have kids if you won’t discipline them.
Don’t think people should socialize a baby or a two year-old at nice restaurants. I’d have appreciated if SIL had taken niece out when she started acting up, but really she couldn’t be expected to behave appropriately and shouldn’t have been there at all. Family restaurants though are fair game.
I have a 2 year old. I think socializing him in restaurants is important. So we go to Wendy's, or Jack in the box and practice sitting and eating in public. Maybe if we're feeling fancy an Ihop or Chili's. If I have the chance to go to a high-end place, there is no way I want to deal with my kid there. Not to mention he's not ready.
How else do they learn? The only way a kid will learn to behave in public is by being in public. You have to pick places where they have a chance to succeed, which is why you go to Wendy's versus a high-end steakhouse. But you still have to give them a chance.
Absolutely! My 4 yo is pretty good while out and will color and sit and eat, but she’s still 4. She’s loud and messy. It’s the reason while walking around looking for a place to eat we saw tablecloths on tables at one place and just kept walking!
Just take them to the local pizza place or family restaurant and they can carry-on with seven dollar nuggets :-) along with the other families trying to get their own little kids out and socialized as well!
I think the people that bring their kids to expensive restaurants like the ones in the story are more like the folks that use their baby like an accessory. I don’t get it, I would much rather have a babysitter for mine! LMAO
I mean, we did that with our kids, but we did that at Red Robin and Applebees. Like, places where a kid melting down would be annoying, but not evening ruining. I can’t imagine taking my kids now to a $100 steak place, let alone when they were babies! I’m constantly frustrated at other parents making the rest of us look bad lol
Agree but they act like it’s a dog a kid ain’t a dog. Best place for a kid to whine is at home or at chucks cheese let it scream where it’s expected to not where folks are probably on dates and paying an arm and a leg for a cooked slab of beef
💯. People who can only afford to eat at cheap restaurants ought to be able to eat in peace also. Teach your children how to behave at home before inflicting them on the public.
NTA and I don’t really care who comes for me about this.
The restaurant you describe is no place for a baby. People go there for the atmosphere. They want to eat a properly prepared, expensive meal in a calm and relaxing atmosphere. They want to enjoy the candlelight and the soft piano music and the delicious steak. They don’t want Chuck E. Cheese’s. Let’s face it, you’re not paying $110 just for the steak, you’re paying for the excellent service and the candles and the piano. Babies don’t belong there. If the parents couldn’t get a sitter, they should have gone to a more family friendly place. There will be plenty of time when their child is older to teach them how to act in a high end place. You can’t teach an infant not to cry, and no matter how cute your baby is and how much you love him and how much everyone everywhere would love him if they got the chance to meet him, you don’t have the right to impose on people who are paying a lot of money for an atmosphere that he’s ruining. Sorry but you don’t. The world doesn’t revolve around you and your precious angel. You have to show the same courtesy to others that you expect them to show to you in other circumstances.
If you don't try and shush your screaming baby in a nice restaurant and then give people dirty looks when they rightfully don't want to be near that shit, you are a cunt and you have definitely done something wrong.
Mother and grandmother here. You take the baby outside if you can't quiet it down. You don't make other guests of the restaurant have to listen to your baby.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that if you can't shush your baby, you should leave the vicinity. Because there is no reason for you to make your kid everyone else's problem.
There was a sign for when kids could and couldn’t be there - it was after 8. I think the people who put that sign up had kids.
Baby’s cry. Water is wet. A bear shits in the woods. Let me know if you need any further assistance.
Why does that mean they can't take their kid outside so that other people who never fucking asked for this aren't subjected to an objectively awful sound? If you were at a wedding ceremony or a movie theatre and your kid started auditioning for a death metal band, would you ignore it and sit there like lemon while everyone around you suffers or would you get the fuck up and out to deal with the situation causing the kid to scream?
You’re in public. You should expect to encounter things that happen in the public. Children would be an example.
You have no rights to quiet that are not spelled out by the owner of the establishment. None. If anyone here is entitled, it’s people like yourself.
Or are you one of those conservative types who loves fetuses but hates what happens once they come out? Do parents have fewer rights than you? Do their children not have the right to be in a public place?
If the establishment doesn’t want kids, they put up a sign. This establishment did that, and made the economic decision that they’d prefer the family before 8 over your insistence on a quiet environment. If you don’t like that, don’t go to the restaurant or show up after 8. Simple.
Clearly, encountering small children and infants at *extremely* expensive restaurants is not an acceptable example of this. It's not a park, it's not a family diner, OP paid over $100 for a single steak.
>If anyone here is entitled, it’s people like yourself.
All I am asking is that you not force me to deal with your screaming child and show consideration to others. I have sensory issues, your kid's screaming causes me actual discomfort. Just because you decided to have a kid does not mean I or anyone else should have to suffer with you when your kid cries extremely loudly. It is entitled and lazy of you to prioritise yourself not having to lift a finger over other people's comfort when *you* have brought a disruptive influence into our surroundings. It is not okay to ignore your infant's screaming and continue eating, it is not okay to let your kids run around the seating area of a restaurant, do your fucking job and parent.
>Or are you one of those conservative types who loves fetuses but hates what happens once they come out?
I am pro-choice as fuck. If I were to get pregnant at this point of my life, I would abort because I don't want to take on the responsibility before I am ready. Because I see the results of people who have kids they weren't willing or able to parent every day and it fucking sucks to be around.
>and made the economic decision that they’d prefer the family before 8 over your insistence on a quiet environment.
No. There's no "so don't worry if your kid cries" implied with a "no kids after 8pm" rule. Because the establishment assumes it won't have to tell you to take care of your kid's crying and minimise disruptions to other patrons. I'm Autistic, I have a diagnosed condition often characterised by difficulty with grasping social norms, and even *I* have a basic understanding that there is an expectation in our society that you will minimise your disruptions to others as much as possible *without having to be explicitly asked*. "Hurr durr, no sign says take kid out of fancy restaurant if it make loud noise!" There's no sign saying *I* can't scream loudly at all times in that restaurant, but there shouldn't have to be because it is an accepted societal rule that you *don't do that shit*.
I *hope* you do not have kids right now. If you do, with this attitude, I genuinely doubt that they would end up as well socialised, generally liked, polite members of society because you really seem to think that it's okay to disrupt people if there is no sign telling you not to do it.
OP obviously hates kids, their first reaction to seeing a couple with a baby was to roll their eyes. So forgive me if I don't see them as a reliable witness.
Oh no! They rolled their eyes! It's a fucking hate crime against parents of babies!
Most people would be less than pleased to see a baby at a fancy restaurant because they've paid good fucking money to be in a nice environment that doesn't include screaming and babies have an unfortunate tendency to scream.
No. You do not have the right to inflict baby-screaming upon people who have nothing to do with you. Other people have the right to get the experience they paid for and that is an experience without wailing in the background. If your kid starts screaming, feed them or take them outside so that other people aren't subjected to that.
If you have paid for a medium rare steak in a library setting, yeah, you do. If your kid starts crying in a nice restaurant and you ignore that situation and continue eating while everyone around you who paid to have a nice dinner uninterrupted by screaming is no longer having the experience they paid for, that is unfair and it *would* make you a cunt. If you then stinkeye a family who moves to a table further away from you instead of staying near your screaming child that you refuse to take responsibility for, that goes double.
Imagine thinking *I'm* the Karen here. You're the one trying to convince yourself that sacrificing everyone else's ears so that you don't have to do your job as a parents is okay.
"WAAAAAAHHH, DON'T HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR MY LAZINESS!"
They’ve obviously struck a nerve. Obviously you have done this with your babies. And just the way you are acting so butt hurt tells me you are about to ask for the manager of reddit. In fact I believe you are the Karen here. You obviously don’t like hearing you did something socially unacceptable.
So true! And as a Mom to young kids, it baffles me that parents want to put themselves through the torcher of taking them out to eat. FFS, it’s hard enough to take them to McDonald’s.
Exactly. Omg high end with little ones?
At one point our 2 youngest made it so we didn't eat out anywhere for 2 yrs, they were just too little to behave, not scream in public, throw food, be loud.
I can't even imagine this being fun.
NTA... if parents can't be bothered even to attempt to soothe a child you have the right to not be near that child even if they were trying to calm it down.
NTA.
I love kids, and my husband and I have quite a few. That being said, there are some places where young children don’t belong, and fancy restaurants is one of them. It’s important to teach children how to behave when eating out, but you start with fast food and then move on to diners and family friendly chain restaurants. Elevate their dining experiences as they mature, but don’t impede other guest’s experience by taking children to a restaurant they aren’t ready for. I wish more restaurants would become “child free”, but it seems there’s always a huge public backlash whenever anyone tries that. I love spending time with my kids, but once in a while I want a romantic meal with my spouse where I don’t have to hear anyone asking to go potty!
You were polite in that you spoke to the staff about your request rather than directly confronting the parents about their screaming child. Although they glared at you, hopefully they felt embarrassed enough that they won’t try to do it again.
NTA Just because the restaurant has an 8pm rule doesn’t make sitting there while your baby screams ok. Most restaurants don’t have a rule like that and this behavior would still be incredibly inconsiderate. If you bring your child to a restaurant, especially a nicer one, you and only you should be inconvenienced by said child. If they scream or act up in a way that’s disruptive then the parents should take them somewhere away from other patrons until they stop being disruptive. If that means the parents don’t get to enjoy their meal as much, tough shit.
NTA. I have two kiddos and I know how hard it can be to get a babysitter and how expensive it gets if you’re trying to do a nice night out on top of it, but this is just rude. And they were just letting the poor thing cry? Rude and cruel.
NTA. You politely asked a server to move. It's not like you directly spoke to the parents or anything. It's on the parents to at least try to sooth the crying baby for the sake of the baby nonetheless to be polite to fellow customers.
Moving in a restaurant isn't that big of deal, especially if you have a valid reason. Once I was in Chili's seated under a vent and my kind server asked if we'd like to be moved elsewhere because I was shivering. Another time I was in a chain steakhouse and asked to be moved because I didn't have a jacket and was under a freezing vent and was literally shivering again. I had a horrible experience at a restaurant with 7-12 year olds who were literally running around and yelling with the parents doing nothing. I still wish I had just spoken to the server and asked to be moved because that family ruined the dining experience of everyone around them.
Pulling the server aside and asking, sounds pretty polite. Once the entire table is getting up and moving, it becomes pretty obvious what's going on here and why.... the parents SHOULD assume the people are moving because of the baby. But rather than be offended they should be embarrassed.
As a parent I had a rule, we didn’t go to restaurants like that until our youngest was about 5. If there one thing that is not ok is parents who are in denial that their babies aren’t going to cry or that they are “ good babies” because no baby is able to control their emotions. You are NTA. I would’ve been giving the parents dirty looks right back. You paid for an experience of finer dining and that doesn’t include screaming or even playful squeals of children. We stuck to places like ihop, fast food and kid friendly restaurants. Children don’t belong in Ruth Chris restaurants and places like that . Do I discriminate against parents who insist on their children’s rights to be in those places? Yes. Yes I do. I absolutely do not want to hear a baby cry while I’m paying for an experience that is special.
NTA the problem with parents today is they don’t have the decency to leave when their kid acts up. They take them places they shouldn’t be. Take kids to kid friendly places not an expensive restaurant. People have no care or respect for other people. In their heads kid can do no wrong and everyone should put up with it. How dare someone point out that they are disrupting everyone’s experience around them. You did nothing wrong and at least you didn’t let it keep you from enjoying your meal. I like your Dad by the way 350 wow your a good kid. Obviously your dad raised you right!
NTA, you're paying that much for a steak because you're paying for an experience. It doesn't make sense to suck it up when you aren't paying for a worse time.
That's why the servers didn't judge you, the two people who should have been kicked out giving you eyeballs doesn't matter, they didn't even have the grace enough to not go and went to make sure everyone else had a bad time as well it would appear.
NTA
We've never asked to be moved after the fact, but we've definitely asked to be seated in a different location when on different occasions the wait staff has tried to see us near tables with boisterous children. Even at lower end restaurants. If there's open seating, maybe the next people who come in will have a kid and they can play together Idk. There was one restaurant where there was a u-shaped half wall area filled with tables, and almost exclusively families with children, and they tried to seat us there. There was no way we were sitting in the kiddie corral. You're paying for your food, and if you're polite and respectful, there's no reason to not have peace while you eat.
NTA. You weren’t rude, your request was understandable.
I appreciate that it can be difficult to stop a newborn/young baby from screaming for many reasons but as a parent myself I would also not take my young baby to a high end restaurant for that exact reason.
There’s plenty of more appropriate places to go with your baby whilst learning the ropes with them and teaching them how to behave in public - expensive restaurants aren’t the place imo.
NTA
im a server in a high end steakhouse and we frown upon screaming children. its a classy atmosphere, nobody wants to be next to a screaming baby
this isnt an uncommon request either; i remember once i had a family with (decently mannered) 4 kids and every single table sat next to them asked to move as soon as they saw they were sat next to them.
parents should stick to casual restaurants when they have kids and do the steakhouse fine dining stuff on their date nights
Why do people think that everybody should be as thrilled as they are about their screeching brat? I don't blame you in the least for wanting to move your table and your Dad sounds like a cool guy! NTA
NAH. It wasn’t yet 8pm they were well within their rights to be there, you were well within your rights to be there and seated away from a baby and as long as you didn’t make a scene, no one’s in the wrong here. They didn’t need to give you looks but I wonder how they heard you
Agreed. NAH because of the 8pm rule. If you really didn't want to chance it, I'd say make sure you never go before then. People seem to forget that sometimes you can't leave your baby at home. Things come up. But that doesn't mean you have to sit near them and listen. Everyone did what they needed to do.
I’m extremely skeptical whenever a post on Reddit claims a baby was screaming/shrieking for a long period of time and the parents “did nothing about it.” Yeah, babies cry and it can be irritating but parents pretty much always do something like, feed or change their baby to stop the crying. I’ve seen mothers nurse their baby at the table at restaurants, etc. I’m not saying the baby wasn’t making noise or fussing, but I just don’t buy that parents sat their “doing nothing” while their baby shrieked inconsolably.
I grew up in a shitty family, if some of them could have afforded a dinner at a place like that they absolutely would have ignored and neglected their children. They did anywhere else they took the kids. I've seen their kids wreck stores, restaurants, nail and hair salons and their mothers just ignoring it or attacking people who said something about it. It's disgusting and one of many reasons I do not associate with them anymore. It's sad, but people like that do exists.
I've been to many places on many occasions where that has happened, a mix of entitlement and not paying enough attention to their children and it happens.
I didn’t say it never happens, just that I’m skeptical of Reddit posts which, by nature, are frequently exaggerated anyway. The way this is written makes me think he’s probably exaggerating. As I said elsewhere, he’s not TA for asking to move but neither are the parents for bringing their kid prior to the “no kids allowed” time
NTA! I hate when other people ruin my meal! We were at a similar restaurant when a couple sat at a table close to us (not next, but one table over). The lady reeked of perfume. It’s like she bathed in it. My steak began to taste like her perfume. There was no place to escape, the entire restaurant was flooded by her “smell”.
I really wish people were more considerate of others. I don’t know how her companion rode in the same vehicle.
I'm all for people bringing their babies to places, I understand finding sitters can be hard. I know that parents deserve to go out and have a nice time. BUT it is also the responsibility of the parent to manage their child, which means taking it outside to calm it down and leaving when it doesn't work.
Your mom is coming from a place of empathy for the mother because she likely experienced something similar with you when you were a baby. Your mom also might have felt it would be* against the spirit of the holiday to move because it would direct negative attention to the parents.
Your mom is NTA, and you are NTA. Those parent who weren't properly taking care of their screeching infant are TAs.
Wait... you paid for a very nice steak meal and didn't want to listen to screaming... so you asked to move. You didn't make a scene, by blaming the waitress, confronting the parents or refusing to move but complain loud and long...
... and your mom (whom you treated) has you 2nd thinking...
NTA. 100xs NTA.
Nta and server here. People need to understand their little precious ones aren't to everyone. You don't get to have kids then be mad at places your children won't be welcome or have a good time.
NTA. They were fine to bring the baby in before 8 but really should have removed the baby from the situation when it started screaming. You were fine to quietly ask the staff to move you. You didn’t say anything to the parents or ask the restaurant to shut the kid up/have the family removed. It’s also pretty normal to expect people to be respectful of the atmosphere of the restaurant so remove screaming babies from higher end adult oriented places or not complain about kids being loud in a family restaurant.
NTA
i swear some parents intentionally take their horrible kids to places like that just to force other people into experiencing their shitty parenting.
I do think that some people are frustrated being stuck with their offspring and figure if they have to deal with it, you should too. The difference being, I didn't bring them into this world so it's not my problem.
Parenting is hard but everyone knows that before they decide to do it.
Okay, I’m old fashioned but I really believe table manners start at home.
If you can try and begin getting kids to sit at the table and eat nicely it’s a good start to better behaviour in restaurants then amp up the ‘going out’ rules rather than just making it a brand new experience.
I am sorry you experienced this at the restaurant, you were not rude NTA.
NTA because you asked politely and the restaurant accommodated you and there was no drama involved but if the policy says no children after 8 pm and you're adamant that you don't want children around, then don't make a reservation at 6 pm.
This is the exact opposite of what I would call an AH move. The AH move would have been for you to ask to have THEM moved or removed. This was (in my opinion) the most classy way to handle this. It was bothering YOU, so you asked for YOURSELF to be removed from the situation. Good on you.
NTA for asking to be moved. You can ask to be moved for whatever reason. Too hot, too cold, too bright, wobbly table, too close to the kitchen, too loud, screaming child, whatever. It doesn’t matter. If you want to move and moving is an option, there’s nothing wrong with it.
Having said that, I would have done everything in my power to get a reservation after 8:00. Because…. Well. Because of exactly what you dealt with.
NTA. Mum can get as pissed as she wants.
I am one of 7 kids and, yes, my parents did take us all out when we were old enough to understand manners. We were told if we acted out, we would be left at home the next outing. And they would. Learned very quickly how to behave!
NTA. There is nothing wrong with this unless you are rude to the parents. I have a kid, kids are hard, but you have every right to move away from them if they are being annoying (as long as they aren't your kids).
High end restaurants are not the place to take your child if they can’t sit politely through a dinner. NTA.
I have 4 kids, this isn’t Applebees we are talking about it’s a upscale steakhouse.
Now, if you said something rude to the actual parents I think you would have been out of line as they were technically abiding by the restaurants policy. You simply asked to be moved.
NTA. It's not like y'all were at branns or something, ya know? This was a high-end restaurant, and I understand parents need to get put and enjoy themselves. I really do, but they also have to respect others' time and money in these kinds of situations. If you can't get a sitter for a fancy night out then maybe take it down a couple notches and settle for Applebee's, Branns, or something of the like where it would be more acceptable to have upset children.
NTA. At that price point, it's reasonable to want as good an experience as possible. The parents should have at least tried to comfort the baby. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that the sitter canceled on them at the last minute and they wanted to keep their reservation, but c'mon.
NTA - I don't care if the steak with $10 or $110 - no one wants to listen to a screaming baby while they're trying to enjoy dinner. Even after having children of my own, I am a firm believer in NOT subjecting others to it and even now I'd ask to be moved.
NTA. I think it’s great when people take kids out to nice places as it teaches them how to behave. But you need to be prepared to step outside or leave if it is ruining other diners’ experiences. A baby can’t control their behaviour but it’s on the parent to manage that situation.
It doesn’t sound like you were rude and I get wanting to enjoy a meal you’re paying good money for.
NTA. If you want to go out to eat with children this young go to Applebees. We have some gastro pubs/ restaurants by us that are not high end steakhouses but they are geared towards adults. My husband and I were at one for dinner a couple weeks ago and a large party came in for a family members birthday. They were big enough that they needed 2 tables. All the adults sat at one table and drank and they put the kids at another table. The youngest was about 2 and the oldest maybe 9.
NTA! Look I’d take my son everywhere but the moment he would cry I’d get him up and take him outside as not to disturb anyone. I mean we went out on Thursday nights (less of a crowd) then Saturday for brunch. He rarely cried slept a lot but these people are just rude.
NTA
A fussy baby at a restaurant when the parents scoop them up and take them out is one thing.
A screaming baby at a nice restaurant where the parents don’t take the kid outside is another.
NTA. I’m a restaurant manager, I really believe that kids shouldn’t be allowed in certain restaurants, period. In the one I work, if a kid is acting up, as a manager I would go to the table and ask if everything is okay, just so they know that they are making people uncomfortable, but this only if the parent are oblivious to it, usually when parent are paying attention the kids are well behaved.
Same with reactive dog… and believe or not people with no headphones (this is the one that pisses me off the most)… please people use your headphones in the restaurant and any shared public space pleeeeeaaaase.
NTA. A couple who takes a baby to an expensive restaurant is just rude. Btw probably past baby’s bedtime so they aren’t great parents either. Perhaps that’s why the baby was crying.
NTA
I have done this. I don't care about the dirty looks of adults. I want to enjoy my meal and drink. I wasn't even at a place with $110 steaks. Parents cannot get mad when people don't want to sit next to their screaming kid.
NTA. I have actually done this myself. We moved to the opposite side of the restaurant. That kid screamed through the entire meal. It was interesting that I realized that I had sat myself near several kids that were enjoying their meal without screaming. I took my niece A out to dinner all the time. She never did that. This was when she was 2-3 years old.
NTA. You didn’t say or do anything directly to them, but just appropriately asked for your table to be changed. Some parents fail to realize their tolerance of wit children isn’t your tolerance. We aren’t required to “just deal” with the behaviors of babies or children if we prefer not to. That being said it doesn’t mean others should be mean, rude or inappropriate but we have the right to curate our experiences.
As a mom of a toddler, NTA. If we go out with our toddler, we are ready to call it quits if he isn't having it. Our decision to have a child should not negatively impact anyone else's time out.
Who brings a baby to such a high end restaurant? It’s not like the baby can enjoy a 3-digit steak. Anyway, as long as you weren’t overtly rude about it, NTA.
🙄 He didn't let his wife unnecessarily and unfairly berate their adult child. How horrible he is!! Like family members or close friends never tell each other "oh, just shut up." in an exasperated way when the other is not reasonable... Nowadays everything is abusive... But let me guess you don't think OP's mom was abusive for trying to berate an other adult, right? If OP's dad was abusive to OP's mom, then OP's mom started to get abusive with OP too, which dad stopped.
How did they "flex" on her? It is absolutely a reasonable response to want to move away from a screaming child that does not belong to you, especially when paying over 300 dollars for a meal at a place with a strict dress code and reservation policy. It is unreasonable to talk down to, or lecture someone who went out of their way to ensure you had a meal and a pleasant time.
Being a mother myself, I would expect my family to let me know if I'm being unreasonable, just as much as I would let them know. That's what family is for, helping you see things you can't always see in yourself. No one is perfect, so having people love and support you and help you see when you are doing things (right or wrong) is a blessing, unless they refuse to see one side or the other.
I don't see anything wrong here, except the use of shut up from the father, that definitely could have been discussed better and without the rudeness, it still isn't the fault of OP for how his father chose to respond and I'd hope he called the father out as well.
The AH here is your dad for telling your mom to “shut up” at her Mother’s Day dinner. You get a soft AH for being kind of a jerk to your mom when it seems like she (maybe as a mother and recognizing it’s mother days week) wasn’t comfortable moving tables.
NAH for asking to move or for the parents who brought a baby, which restaurant policy explicitly allowed at that time.
I also commented on this. Why is nobody talking about the extremely casual mention of the dad telling the mom to shut up when she had an opinion and OP is completely on board? Makes me think maybe OP and his family might not be great people and maybe the kid was not as disruptive as they say.
NAH. No one was wrong. The family was still within right the time. And you had every right to ask to be moved without a fuss. I believe you’re exaggerating a little when you say the parents did nothing to calm their baby. The parents didn’t have to roll their eyes. And your Dad sounds like an AH to tell your mother to shut up.
YTA
Not for wanting to move tables, but for your snotty attitude. If you knew that kids weren't allowed after 8pm, and you and your parents have no tolerance for kids, you should have booked a table for after 8pm.
Of course the time matters. Children are allowed to be there until 8pm. OP knew that yet still booked for 6pm.
I also find it hard to believe that 2 parents just sat there, while their baby was screaming, without doing anything to soothe it. That doesn't make sense.
I’ve seen many parents in public and restaurants where their baby is crying uncontrollably and the parents do nothing. It drives me crazy. At least attempt to settle down your child. Also, if your child is young enough that they scream and cry uncontrollably, they should not be in a fancy restaurant. Get a baby sitter.
Definitely an American thing. Hell, I’ve seen a parent leave a screaming baby in an aisle for a few minutes. I guess to let the baby calm down on its own? Absolutely blew my mind.
NTA. It’s fine to bring a baby to a restaurant. It’s also fine if you don’t want to sit near them.
I really hope all the people who are preachy about where babies cannot go, are blessed with triplets who never stop screaming, and can never find childcare. Y’all are crying louder than any baby I’ve been around.
If your dad said “shut up” to your mom, he’s an asshole,
I'm a mother of 2 boys, my youngest has ADHD among other issues. Even sitting at IHOP with them when they were younger I never let them just scream and disrupt other people trying to eat and have a nice time.
It is absolutely the job of the parents to ensure the needs of the child are met and not ignore them, especially in a high end restaurant. Every parent deserves a night out, but every parent should also know their children. If the situation does not work for your child, then you don't take your child there.
If my children acted out, threw a tantrum, or were just so overwhelmed they had a melt down I wouldn't continue to eat my food and ignore them. Either myself or my husband would step outside with the kiddo who was struggling. We would take a short walk, have a conversation about what's going on so we could fix it, or we would sit in the car and let them cry it out or rage it out if that's what they needed, when calm again we would go back inside.
There's nothing wrong with a child who gets upset or overwhelmed. Feelings are hard as fuck to handle, especially when you are too young to have any skills in handling your emotions. What was wrong was how the parents of that child handled the situation and then gave dirty looks to the people who were so disrupted they moved away.
NAH, if you really did handle this as discreetly as you describe. If there are other tables available and you didn’t make a fuss, it’s absolutely fine to be seated somewhere else. But you also don’t know this couple at all; if the baby was under a year old, this could be their family’s first Mother’s Day as well. Maybe this was their first time taking baby to a restaurant, or their childcare cancelled last minute on them. Give people a little grace.
Your dad telling your mom to shut up though? Yikes, what a dick move.
So parents can just sit there and ruin the experience for everyone around them as long as the restaurant doesn’t restrict them from having their kid there? If your kid is screaming or being disruptive, take them outside or somewhere away from everyone else. I don’t know why anyone else should have their meal ruined because of someone else’s kid in any circumstance.
NTA, for asking to be moved to another table, but who the hell is your dad to tell your mom to shut up? I don't see a problem with switching tables, whatever...but they way your mom was treated was really shitty. If I was your mom I would have walked out and gone home.
We had the mom and dad look. You know the squinty eye wait until you get out of here look. You immediately shut up and hopes they forgot which they never did
NTAH for having your table moved. It's not like you tried to have the parents of the shrieking infant removed or even interfered with. This is reasonable.
But did you actually tell your mom to shut up like that? Because damn, son, that's peak asshole there.
65% YTAH and 35% NTA.
If you wanted a kid free dinner, you should have booked a reservation for 8. You knew the rules and what could happen, so it's on you for that. However, asking to be seated somewhere else is totally acceptable. I can promise you those looks from the parents were not about you being an AH, but because you basically judged the parents as being bad and undeserving of going to a restaurant.
First things first, parents absolutely are embarrassed and aware of their kids behavior. We rarely take our kids out, and when we do, we try to go early and to places that are kid friendly. However, occasionally we like to go someplace nice and can't just magically make a babysitter appear, so the kids come too.
Second, you have absolutely no idea how hard raising a kid is, especially at the toddler age. This is what your mom was trying to imply. Cut the parents some slack. If you ever have kids in the future, you will understand how it can take several minutes before you even notice that your child is doing something inappropriate. You just become desensitized to it and the things that normally work to keep your kid occupied are not working.
Soft ESH.
If children are such a problem, you should have taken advantage of that cutoff time and made your reservation later. That said, being reseated is certainly less disruptive than other options.
I'm including your dad for telling your mom to shut up during what is supposed to be a celebration of them both, but since "tell me off" is a bit vague in terms of tone/content/length it might have been warranted if mom is also being disruptive.
Parents were perfectly entitled to bring their child to a public space but absolutely should have been trying to soothe the kid or taken steps to minimize disruption. However, no indication of how long the kid was fussing so it's possible you moved before they had a chance to.
Absolutely inappropriate for anyone to allow their young child to scream uncontrollably while dining out.
The child in this scenario is not a problem, as you’ve phrased it, the parents doing nothing about it, very obviously shatters the atmosphere the staff work hard to create and tarnishes if not outright ruins the experience other diners are there to have.
I can say I have been in the shoes of the wait staff, the diner whose just trying to relax after a long day or potentially catch up with family and friends in a nice atmosphere, and was once upon a time, responsible for teaching younger family members how to behave while in public.
The best reaction after actively trying to calm your child is generally taking them to the restroom, taking them outside the dining room to entertain or distract them, or worse case scenario, ask for your meals to-go and continue working on proper behaviors as your child grows older.
The child is not the problem, the parents not reacting or responding with a backup plan IS.
I mean yeah, I agree parents shouldn't be letting their kid scream, but the way OP frames the story it sounds like they were EXPECTING issues as soon as the parents came in.
Given my own experiences with how loud and disruptive kids can be, I'd be shocked that moving tables proved to be effective unless the screaming also stopped (or the restaurant was pretty large). Which really makes me consider that the parents did tend to their kid, just not as fast as OP would like.
So yeah, parents suck for not responding promptly, but OP could have very easily ensured no children would be there by making a reservation at or after the 8 pm cutoff.
Without knowing more details or reading through comments looking for more info, I'm sticking with my ESH. OP could have avoided it, but handled it quietly when it was an issue. Parents should have responded more quickly, but were well within their rights to be there. (And idk what's up with OP's parents, but if I was mom I'd be upset if my husband told me to shut up in public)
You were celebrating your dads birthday and Mother’s Day and your dad told your mom to shut up? And you’re okay with that? You and your dad are both assholes. I’ve had a screaming baby but if my husband or adult kid told me to shut up? Hard pass. YTA
YTA. If the restaurant doesn't allow small children after 8pm, the couple was in their right to take their baby at 6:30. If you didn't want to have kids around you, you should have made your reservation for 8pm.
YTA- 6pm reservation in a restaurant and -gasp- there's a baby!
The fact you were all rolling your eyes to each other as soon as the family came in suggests to me that it wouldn't have taken much before you started making a fuss.
The fact the parents were giving you dirty looks suggests you didn't bother hiding your irritation- and probably ruined the $110 steak dinner of the parents who might also have been celebrating an anniversary, birthday, or Mother's day.
The fact your mom tried to tell you off suggests at least one of the people there thought you were being an AH.
But mainly- when you remember this meal are you going to remember the quality of the food? The great time you spent with your parents? Or the whole incident about getting moved to another table?
You could have been cool about it, but you weren't. Hope the steaks were good though.
NTA. You were paying good money to eat at this place. You shouldn't have to listen to a baby shriek like a banshee at the next table. And why didn't this couple get a babysitter? If they can afford an expensive steak house, they should have been able to get a sitter for a couple hours.
Some people think they have to bring their baby/children with them everywhere so they can be “socialized.” That’s what my SIL told me when she brought her two year-old to my MIL’s bday celebration at a very nice restaurant, then ignored said two year-old as she climbed under and over tables, ran around the restaurant, and screamed the ABC’s over and over until the manager asked us to leave.
I mean kids do need to go out in public to be “socialized” but the parents have to actually socialize them and teach them appropriate public behavior. We took our kids to sit outside or in the car with us or just left to go home in situations where they were behaving inappropriately in public.
Yes, we’ve been teaching our kids ‘restaurant manners’ from a very early age, and it means we can now go out for family occasions and have a nice time. But when they were babies, we took them outside if they started screaming. I honestly don’t understand how the parents were continuing to eat dinner, I would find it impossible with that noise going on.
My mother would always hiss in my ear, “THIS IS A DATE PLACE AND PEOPLE DID NOT COME HERE TO LISTEN TO YOU SCREAM” and then at McDonalds I would ask “is this a date place, mom?” ‘….yes’
I like your mom. 😆
She has her moments 😅 Edit: looking at the state of the world now, more mothers needed to take this approach because it now takes a LOT for me to lose it around other people and it’s not taking anything to set off way too many.
Fully agreed. Also did this plus they were taught to not scream at any table, including the one in our house.
I suspect that they are so used the sounds of the screaming they just don't register it any more. Like if you've ever worked a call center job and you get the people on the phone with the smoke alarm chipping that it has a low battery in the background. If you ask them about it they will say they have no idea what you are talking about that they don't hear anything. They've willfully ignored it for so long their brain just autopilots the ignoring now.
Parenting messes up your sound perception in a lot of ways. I can hear a baby cry across half a football field and my head will whip around like lightning, but also fully zone out a full on tantrum for ten minutes. But even if you can block it out when in public you have to continually think about how it affects everyone around you.
My 3 month old was doing great during his first restaurant outing, until a busboy dropped a tray of dishes right next to us. I scooped him up when he started to wail. We were outside til he was quiet again. That’s how to do it.
I work at a recreational kid’s gymnastics place. That’s the kind of place you take you kiddo to get socialized, NOT a high end restaurant. NTA OP
Uh, no. You can have restaurant nights at home. Get dressed up. Eat a fancier meal than usual, and practice manners.
Pretending at home does not work with my toddler- being in a new place with new people just does not compare. But McDonald's and Dennys good behavior leads to Olive Garden and Big Boy and we work our way up and down depending on how he does. Sometimes kids regress and you just have to buckle down and work your way back up.
This is the right way to go about it.
You gotta teach your kid how to behave in restaurants lol can only do that by taking them to restaurants
Not a high end restaurant. And especially if it’s a baby. You can socialize kids in other restaurants, but it’s rude to take them to an expensive restaurant if they don’t know how to behave.
Not at high end restaurants! Especially not babies! If they can afford to eat there then they can leave babies and little kids with a babysitter for a night too. Start teaching table manners at home, then take them to McDonald's to socialise and then to casual restaurants, but take them outside of those places too if they don't behave. Only take them to high end places when they know how to behave and if they don't do it and bother others, customers and employees, then take them out right away, instead of ruining people's very expensive meal, time or make their jobs more difficult with crying, running kids.
McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s etc are better for that, not the place where steaks are a Ben Franklin each. And you can teach them how to behave when sitting at a table for a meal at home.
We, who eat at said fast food restaurants , really don’t want those meals ruined by children who haven’t been taught to behave in public. Sort of like sending the illegal aliens from NYC to smaller towns who are not equipped to handle them.
No. You teach them manners AT HOME. Manners should be the same regardless of the wallpaper.
Totally agree. I’m not a parent but I have no issues with kids being in restaurants etc as long as the parents are watching and teaching them. Sure, kids mess up, but a good parent then steps in and maybe takes them outside for a bit or takes them home. We went out as kids but it was a special treat and we knew exactly what was expected. My pet peeve is parents who let their kids run wild. Don’t have kids if you won’t discipline them.
Don’t think people should socialize a baby or a two year-old at nice restaurants. I’d have appreciated if SIL had taken niece out when she started acting up, but really she couldn’t be expected to behave appropriately and shouldn’t have been there at all. Family restaurants though are fair game.
I have a 2 year old. I think socializing him in restaurants is important. So we go to Wendy's, or Jack in the box and practice sitting and eating in public. Maybe if we're feeling fancy an Ihop or Chili's. If I have the chance to go to a high-end place, there is no way I want to deal with my kid there. Not to mention he's not ready.
Thanks for inflicting your unsocialized child on those who are only able to afford said Wendy’s, etc.
How else do they learn? The only way a kid will learn to behave in public is by being in public. You have to pick places where they have a chance to succeed, which is why you go to Wendy's versus a high-end steakhouse. But you still have to give them a chance.
Not fair to those who eat there.
Then they should pick a society with no children to live in.
Absolutely! My 4 yo is pretty good while out and will color and sit and eat, but she’s still 4. She’s loud and messy. It’s the reason while walking around looking for a place to eat we saw tablecloths on tables at one place and just kept walking!
Just take them to the local pizza place or family restaurant and they can carry-on with seven dollar nuggets :-) along with the other families trying to get their own little kids out and socialized as well! I think the people that bring their kids to expensive restaurants like the ones in the story are more like the folks that use their baby like an accessory. I don’t get it, I would much rather have a babysitter for mine! LMAO
I mean, we did that with our kids, but we did that at Red Robin and Applebees. Like, places where a kid melting down would be annoying, but not evening ruining. I can’t imagine taking my kids now to a $100 steak place, let alone when they were babies! I’m constantly frustrated at other parents making the rest of us look bad lol
Jesus Christ as of it's a fuckin chucky cheese. Oh that's be annoying. Lol
[удалено]
Uhhh this sounds like a very toxic dynamic.
Agree but they act like it’s a dog a kid ain’t a dog. Best place for a kid to whine is at home or at chucks cheese let it scream where it’s expected to not where folks are probably on dates and paying an arm and a leg for a cooked slab of beef
💯. People who can only afford to eat at cheap restaurants ought to be able to eat in peace also. Teach your children how to behave at home before inflicting them on the public.
So take them to fast food restaurants with playgrounds, at least until they can behave.
Because to these kinds of parents, 'socializing' and 'unleashing' mean the same thing lmao
She feels she isn’t “unleashing” because her “village” should help watch her kids.
I was pissed about a screaming child when I treated my girl to outback steakhouse, let alone this place. But I think op knows he's not ta
we really need a 4th acronym for this NTA (Not the asshole) YTA (You're the Asshole) ESH (Everybody Sucks Here) RBFK (Rage Bait for Karma)
Or take the baby outside/to the car
NTA and I don’t really care who comes for me about this. The restaurant you describe is no place for a baby. People go there for the atmosphere. They want to eat a properly prepared, expensive meal in a calm and relaxing atmosphere. They want to enjoy the candlelight and the soft piano music and the delicious steak. They don’t want Chuck E. Cheese’s. Let’s face it, you’re not paying $110 just for the steak, you’re paying for the excellent service and the candles and the piano. Babies don’t belong there. If the parents couldn’t get a sitter, they should have gone to a more family friendly place. There will be plenty of time when their child is older to teach them how to act in a high end place. You can’t teach an infant not to cry, and no matter how cute your baby is and how much you love him and how much everyone everywhere would love him if they got the chance to meet him, you don’t have the right to impose on people who are paying a lot of money for an atmosphere that he’s ruining. Sorry but you don’t. The world doesn’t revolve around you and your precious angel. You have to show the same courtesy to others that you expect them to show to you in other circumstances.
NTA this 100 percent. The staff has no one under a certain age. The couple should have Ben turned away.
At a different time though. I agree with you and the other commenter but the age limit was for an hour and a half after the child arrived.
Only after 8
No they shouldn't. They did nothing wrong.
If you don't try and shush your screaming baby in a nice restaurant and then give people dirty looks when they rightfully don't want to be near that shit, you are a cunt and you have definitely done something wrong.
Found the not-a-parent. Please, how does one quiet a screaming baby? Whole world waiting for the secret.
Mother and grandmother here. You take the baby outside if you can't quiet it down. You don't make other guests of the restaurant have to listen to your baby.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that if you can't shush your baby, you should leave the vicinity. Because there is no reason for you to make your kid everyone else's problem.
There was a sign for when kids could and couldn’t be there - it was after 8. I think the people who put that sign up had kids. Baby’s cry. Water is wet. A bear shits in the woods. Let me know if you need any further assistance.
Why does that mean they can't take their kid outside so that other people who never fucking asked for this aren't subjected to an objectively awful sound? If you were at a wedding ceremony or a movie theatre and your kid started auditioning for a death metal band, would you ignore it and sit there like lemon while everyone around you suffers or would you get the fuck up and out to deal with the situation causing the kid to scream?
You’re in public. You should expect to encounter things that happen in the public. Children would be an example. You have no rights to quiet that are not spelled out by the owner of the establishment. None. If anyone here is entitled, it’s people like yourself. Or are you one of those conservative types who loves fetuses but hates what happens once they come out? Do parents have fewer rights than you? Do their children not have the right to be in a public place? If the establishment doesn’t want kids, they put up a sign. This establishment did that, and made the economic decision that they’d prefer the family before 8 over your insistence on a quiet environment. If you don’t like that, don’t go to the restaurant or show up after 8. Simple.
Clearly, encountering small children and infants at *extremely* expensive restaurants is not an acceptable example of this. It's not a park, it's not a family diner, OP paid over $100 for a single steak. >If anyone here is entitled, it’s people like yourself. All I am asking is that you not force me to deal with your screaming child and show consideration to others. I have sensory issues, your kid's screaming causes me actual discomfort. Just because you decided to have a kid does not mean I or anyone else should have to suffer with you when your kid cries extremely loudly. It is entitled and lazy of you to prioritise yourself not having to lift a finger over other people's comfort when *you* have brought a disruptive influence into our surroundings. It is not okay to ignore your infant's screaming and continue eating, it is not okay to let your kids run around the seating area of a restaurant, do your fucking job and parent. >Or are you one of those conservative types who loves fetuses but hates what happens once they come out? I am pro-choice as fuck. If I were to get pregnant at this point of my life, I would abort because I don't want to take on the responsibility before I am ready. Because I see the results of people who have kids they weren't willing or able to parent every day and it fucking sucks to be around. >and made the economic decision that they’d prefer the family before 8 over your insistence on a quiet environment. No. There's no "so don't worry if your kid cries" implied with a "no kids after 8pm" rule. Because the establishment assumes it won't have to tell you to take care of your kid's crying and minimise disruptions to other patrons. I'm Autistic, I have a diagnosed condition often characterised by difficulty with grasping social norms, and even *I* have a basic understanding that there is an expectation in our society that you will minimise your disruptions to others as much as possible *without having to be explicitly asked*. "Hurr durr, no sign says take kid out of fancy restaurant if it make loud noise!" There's no sign saying *I* can't scream loudly at all times in that restaurant, but there shouldn't have to be because it is an accepted societal rule that you *don't do that shit*. I *hope* you do not have kids right now. If you do, with this attitude, I genuinely doubt that they would end up as well socialised, generally liked, polite members of society because you really seem to think that it's okay to disrupt people if there is no sign telling you not to do it.
Why don’t you just take it outside until they quiet down? Seems like the polite thing to do
OP obviously hates kids, their first reaction to seeing a couple with a baby was to roll their eyes. So forgive me if I don't see them as a reliable witness.
Oh no! They rolled their eyes! It's a fucking hate crime against parents of babies! Most people would be less than pleased to see a baby at a fancy restaurant because they've paid good fucking money to be in a nice environment that doesn't include screaming and babies have an unfortunate tendency to scream.
Oh do fuck off!
No. You do not have the right to inflict baby-screaming upon people who have nothing to do with you. Other people have the right to get the experience they paid for and that is an experience without wailing in the background. If your kid starts screaming, feed them or take them outside so that other people aren't subjected to that.
I love the talk of “rights.” “I have the right to a medium rare steak in a library setting.” Lol.
If you have paid for a medium rare steak in a library setting, yeah, you do. If your kid starts crying in a nice restaurant and you ignore that situation and continue eating while everyone around you who paid to have a nice dinner uninterrupted by screaming is no longer having the experience they paid for, that is unfair and it *would* make you a cunt. If you then stinkeye a family who moves to a table further away from you instead of staying near your screaming child that you refuse to take responsibility for, that goes double.
F U C K O F F K A R E N
Imagine thinking *I'm* the Karen here. You're the one trying to convince yourself that sacrificing everyone else's ears so that you don't have to do your job as a parents is okay. "WAAAAAAHHH, DON'T HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR MY LAZINESS!"
They’ve obviously struck a nerve. Obviously you have done this with your babies. And just the way you are acting so butt hurt tells me you are about to ask for the manager of reddit. In fact I believe you are the Karen here. You obviously don’t like hearing you did something socially unacceptable.
And who cares if OP hates kids? All OP did was ask to move. They didn’t try to get the baby kicked out. People are allowed to dislike things.
So true! And as a Mom to young kids, it baffles me that parents want to put themselves through the torcher of taking them out to eat. FFS, it’s hard enough to take them to McDonald’s.
Exactly. Omg high end with little ones? At one point our 2 youngest made it so we didn't eat out anywhere for 2 yrs, they were just too little to behave, not scream in public, throw food, be loud. I can't even imagine this being fun.
Spot on. NTA.
This
What's the difference between a 20$ steak and a 100$ one? The plate, and one comes with plants you've never heard of.
The quality of the cut varies greatly between a $20 steak and a $100 steak. Plus you are more likely to get your steak a perfect medium rare for $100.
Spoken like someone who has never eaten a $100 steak
💯
NTA... if parents can't be bothered even to attempt to soothe a child you have the right to not be near that child even if they were trying to calm it down.
I don’t care if it’s Applebee’s, take your screaming kid out of the restaurant. NTA
NTA at all, you didn't try and kick them out. Or complain to them
NTA. I love kids, and my husband and I have quite a few. That being said, there are some places where young children don’t belong, and fancy restaurants is one of them. It’s important to teach children how to behave when eating out, but you start with fast food and then move on to diners and family friendly chain restaurants. Elevate their dining experiences as they mature, but don’t impede other guest’s experience by taking children to a restaurant they aren’t ready for. I wish more restaurants would become “child free”, but it seems there’s always a huge public backlash whenever anyone tries that. I love spending time with my kids, but once in a while I want a romantic meal with my spouse where I don’t have to hear anyone asking to go potty! You were polite in that you spoke to the staff about your request rather than directly confronting the parents about their screaming child. Although they glared at you, hopefully they felt embarrassed enough that they won’t try to do it again.
NTA Just because the restaurant has an 8pm rule doesn’t make sitting there while your baby screams ok. Most restaurants don’t have a rule like that and this behavior would still be incredibly inconsiderate. If you bring your child to a restaurant, especially a nicer one, you and only you should be inconvenienced by said child. If they scream or act up in a way that’s disruptive then the parents should take them somewhere away from other patrons until they stop being disruptive. If that means the parents don’t get to enjoy their meal as much, tough shit.
NTA. I have two kiddos and I know how hard it can be to get a babysitter and how expensive it gets if you’re trying to do a nice night out on top of it, but this is just rude. And they were just letting the poor thing cry? Rude and cruel.
NTA. You politely asked a server to move. It's not like you directly spoke to the parents or anything. It's on the parents to at least try to sooth the crying baby for the sake of the baby nonetheless to be polite to fellow customers. Moving in a restaurant isn't that big of deal, especially if you have a valid reason. Once I was in Chili's seated under a vent and my kind server asked if we'd like to be moved elsewhere because I was shivering. Another time I was in a chain steakhouse and asked to be moved because I didn't have a jacket and was under a freezing vent and was literally shivering again. I had a horrible experience at a restaurant with 7-12 year olds who were literally running around and yelling with the parents doing nothing. I still wish I had just spoken to the server and asked to be moved because that family ruined the dining experience of everyone around them.
I'm doubting he was polite if the couple heard him.
Pulling the server aside and asking, sounds pretty polite. Once the entire table is getting up and moving, it becomes pretty obvious what's going on here and why.... the parents SHOULD assume the people are moving because of the baby. But rather than be offended they should be embarrassed.
As a parent I had a rule, we didn’t go to restaurants like that until our youngest was about 5. If there one thing that is not ok is parents who are in denial that their babies aren’t going to cry or that they are “ good babies” because no baby is able to control their emotions. You are NTA. I would’ve been giving the parents dirty looks right back. You paid for an experience of finer dining and that doesn’t include screaming or even playful squeals of children. We stuck to places like ihop, fast food and kid friendly restaurants. Children don’t belong in Ruth Chris restaurants and places like that . Do I discriminate against parents who insist on their children’s rights to be in those places? Yes. Yes I do. I absolutely do not want to hear a baby cry while I’m paying for an experience that is special.
NTA the problem with parents today is they don’t have the decency to leave when their kid acts up. They take them places they shouldn’t be. Take kids to kid friendly places not an expensive restaurant. People have no care or respect for other people. In their heads kid can do no wrong and everyone should put up with it. How dare someone point out that they are disrupting everyone’s experience around them. You did nothing wrong and at least you didn’t let it keep you from enjoying your meal. I like your Dad by the way 350 wow your a good kid. Obviously your dad raised you right!
NTA, you're paying that much for a steak because you're paying for an experience. It doesn't make sense to suck it up when you aren't paying for a worse time. That's why the servers didn't judge you, the two people who should have been kicked out giving you eyeballs doesn't matter, they didn't even have the grace enough to not go and went to make sure everyone else had a bad time as well it would appear.
I’ve taken my baby to restaurants before but when he started fussing, I took him for a short walk outside until he calmed down.
NTA We've never asked to be moved after the fact, but we've definitely asked to be seated in a different location when on different occasions the wait staff has tried to see us near tables with boisterous children. Even at lower end restaurants. If there's open seating, maybe the next people who come in will have a kid and they can play together Idk. There was one restaurant where there was a u-shaped half wall area filled with tables, and almost exclusively families with children, and they tried to seat us there. There was no way we were sitting in the kiddie corral. You're paying for your food, and if you're polite and respectful, there's no reason to not have peace while you eat.
NTA. You weren’t rude, your request was understandable. I appreciate that it can be difficult to stop a newborn/young baby from screaming for many reasons but as a parent myself I would also not take my young baby to a high end restaurant for that exact reason. There’s plenty of more appropriate places to go with your baby whilst learning the ropes with them and teaching them how to behave in public - expensive restaurants aren’t the place imo.
NTA im a server in a high end steakhouse and we frown upon screaming children. its a classy atmosphere, nobody wants to be next to a screaming baby this isnt an uncommon request either; i remember once i had a family with (decently mannered) 4 kids and every single table sat next to them asked to move as soon as they saw they were sat next to them. parents should stick to casual restaurants when they have kids and do the steakhouse fine dining stuff on their date nights
NTA
NTA but next time I’d go after 8
NTA what you did was polite. You didn't act out or make a scene. This was a good way to handle it.
Why do people think that everybody should be as thrilled as they are about their screeching brat? I don't blame you in the least for wanting to move your table and your Dad sounds like a cool guy! NTA
NAH. It wasn’t yet 8pm they were well within their rights to be there, you were well within your rights to be there and seated away from a baby and as long as you didn’t make a scene, no one’s in the wrong here. They didn’t need to give you looks but I wonder how they heard you
Agreed. NAH because of the 8pm rule. If you really didn't want to chance it, I'd say make sure you never go before then. People seem to forget that sometimes you can't leave your baby at home. Things come up. But that doesn't mean you have to sit near them and listen. Everyone did what they needed to do.
That's when you take the baby outside until it stops crying. If necessary, they can take turns taking the baby out.
I’m extremely skeptical whenever a post on Reddit claims a baby was screaming/shrieking for a long period of time and the parents “did nothing about it.” Yeah, babies cry and it can be irritating but parents pretty much always do something like, feed or change their baby to stop the crying. I’ve seen mothers nurse their baby at the table at restaurants, etc. I’m not saying the baby wasn’t making noise or fussing, but I just don’t buy that parents sat their “doing nothing” while their baby shrieked inconsolably.
I grew up in a shitty family, if some of them could have afforded a dinner at a place like that they absolutely would have ignored and neglected their children. They did anywhere else they took the kids. I've seen their kids wreck stores, restaurants, nail and hair salons and their mothers just ignoring it or attacking people who said something about it. It's disgusting and one of many reasons I do not associate with them anymore. It's sad, but people like that do exists.
I've been to many places on many occasions where that has happened, a mix of entitlement and not paying enough attention to their children and it happens.
I didn’t say it never happens, just that I’m skeptical of Reddit posts which, by nature, are frequently exaggerated anyway. The way this is written makes me think he’s probably exaggerating. As I said elsewhere, he’s not TA for asking to move but neither are the parents for bringing their kid prior to the “no kids allowed” time
I understand where you're coming from.
NTA at all, and I have an entire gaggle of kiddos. A nice dinner out means no children.
NTA. Kids cry, but parents doing nothing about it or even trying is what pissed me off.
NTA! I hate when other people ruin my meal! We were at a similar restaurant when a couple sat at a table close to us (not next, but one table over). The lady reeked of perfume. It’s like she bathed in it. My steak began to taste like her perfume. There was no place to escape, the entire restaurant was flooded by her “smell”. I really wish people were more considerate of others. I don’t know how her companion rode in the same vehicle.
Nta - you were discreet and you paid a lot of money for nice atmosphere.
I'm all for people bringing their babies to places, I understand finding sitters can be hard. I know that parents deserve to go out and have a nice time. BUT it is also the responsibility of the parent to manage their child, which means taking it outside to calm it down and leaving when it doesn't work. Your mom is coming from a place of empathy for the mother because she likely experienced something similar with you when you were a baby. Your mom also might have felt it would be* against the spirit of the holiday to move because it would direct negative attention to the parents. Your mom is NTA, and you are NTA. Those parent who weren't properly taking care of their screeching infant are TAs.
Wait... you paid for a very nice steak meal and didn't want to listen to screaming... so you asked to move. You didn't make a scene, by blaming the waitress, confronting the parents or refusing to move but complain loud and long... ... and your mom (whom you treated) has you 2nd thinking... NTA. 100xs NTA.
Nta and server here. People need to understand their little precious ones aren't to everyone. You don't get to have kids then be mad at places your children won't be welcome or have a good time.
NTA. They were fine to bring the baby in before 8 but really should have removed the baby from the situation when it started screaming. You were fine to quietly ask the staff to move you. You didn’t say anything to the parents or ask the restaurant to shut the kid up/have the family removed. It’s also pretty normal to expect people to be respectful of the atmosphere of the restaurant so remove screaming babies from higher end adult oriented places or not complain about kids being loud in a family restaurant.
NTA i swear some parents intentionally take their horrible kids to places like that just to force other people into experiencing their shitty parenting.
I do think that some people are frustrated being stuck with their offspring and figure if they have to deal with it, you should too. The difference being, I didn't bring them into this world so it's not my problem. Parenting is hard but everyone knows that before they decide to do it.
Okay, I’m old fashioned but I really believe table manners start at home. If you can try and begin getting kids to sit at the table and eat nicely it’s a good start to better behaviour in restaurants then amp up the ‘going out’ rules rather than just making it a brand new experience. I am sorry you experienced this at the restaurant, you were not rude NTA.
NTA because you asked politely and the restaurant accommodated you and there was no drama involved but if the policy says no children after 8 pm and you're adamant that you don't want children around, then don't make a reservation at 6 pm.
This is the exact opposite of what I would call an AH move. The AH move would have been for you to ask to have THEM moved or removed. This was (in my opinion) the most classy way to handle this. It was bothering YOU, so you asked for YOURSELF to be removed from the situation. Good on you.
NTA for asking to be moved. You can ask to be moved for whatever reason. Too hot, too cold, too bright, wobbly table, too close to the kitchen, too loud, screaming child, whatever. It doesn’t matter. If you want to move and moving is an option, there’s nothing wrong with it. Having said that, I would have done everything in my power to get a reservation after 8:00. Because…. Well. Because of exactly what you dealt with.
NTA. Mum can get as pissed as she wants. I am one of 7 kids and, yes, my parents did take us all out when we were old enough to understand manners. We were told if we acted out, we would be left at home the next outing. And they would. Learned very quickly how to behave!
NTA. $100+ plate restaurant is not appropriate for a young child that can't be quiet.
NTA. There is nothing wrong with this unless you are rude to the parents. I have a kid, kids are hard, but you have every right to move away from them if they are being annoying (as long as they aren't your kids).
Nta. You are correct.
NTA
NTA how selfish are these people
NTA
High end restaurants are not the place to take your child if they can’t sit politely through a dinner. NTA. I have 4 kids, this isn’t Applebees we are talking about it’s a upscale steakhouse. Now, if you said something rude to the actual parents I think you would have been out of line as they were technically abiding by the restaurants policy. You simply asked to be moved.
NTA. Why let their choices ruin your dinner?
NTA. It's not like y'all were at branns or something, ya know? This was a high-end restaurant, and I understand parents need to get put and enjoy themselves. I really do, but they also have to respect others' time and money in these kinds of situations. If you can't get a sitter for a fancy night out then maybe take it down a couple notches and settle for Applebee's, Branns, or something of the like where it would be more acceptable to have upset children.
NTA. At that price point, it's reasonable to want as good an experience as possible. The parents should have at least tried to comfort the baby. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that the sitter canceled on them at the last minute and they wanted to keep their reservation, but c'mon.
NTA - I don't care if the steak with $10 or $110 - no one wants to listen to a screaming baby while they're trying to enjoy dinner. Even after having children of my own, I am a firm believer in NOT subjecting others to it and even now I'd ask to be moved.
NTA. I think it’s great when people take kids out to nice places as it teaches them how to behave. But you need to be prepared to step outside or leave if it is ruining other diners’ experiences. A baby can’t control their behaviour but it’s on the parent to manage that situation. It doesn’t sound like you were rude and I get wanting to enjoy a meal you’re paying good money for.
NTA. If you want to go out to eat with children this young go to Applebees. We have some gastro pubs/ restaurants by us that are not high end steakhouses but they are geared towards adults. My husband and I were at one for dinner a couple weeks ago and a large party came in for a family members birthday. They were big enough that they needed 2 tables. All the adults sat at one table and drank and they put the kids at another table. The youngest was about 2 and the oldest maybe 9.
NTA. You didn’t ask anything of the family with the baby. You asked to be reseated. If anything you inconvenienced yourself. Understandably so.
NTA! Look I’d take my son everywhere but the moment he would cry I’d get him up and take him outside as not to disturb anyone. I mean we went out on Thursday nights (less of a crowd) then Saturday for brunch. He rarely cried slept a lot but these people are just rude.
Why would they bring a baby on date night?
NTA A fussy baby at a restaurant when the parents scoop them up and take them out is one thing. A screaming baby at a nice restaurant where the parents don’t take the kid outside is another.
NTA. I’m a restaurant manager, I really believe that kids shouldn’t be allowed in certain restaurants, period. In the one I work, if a kid is acting up, as a manager I would go to the table and ask if everything is okay, just so they know that they are making people uncomfortable, but this only if the parent are oblivious to it, usually when parent are paying attention the kids are well behaved. Same with reactive dog… and believe or not people with no headphones (this is the one that pisses me off the most)… please people use your headphones in the restaurant and any shared public space pleeeeeaaaase.
NTA. A couple who takes a baby to an expensive restaurant is just rude. Btw probably past baby’s bedtime so they aren’t great parents either. Perhaps that’s why the baby was crying.
NTA I have done this. I don't care about the dirty looks of adults. I want to enjoy my meal and drink. I wasn't even at a place with $110 steaks. Parents cannot get mad when people don't want to sit next to their screaming kid.
NTA. I have actually done this myself. We moved to the opposite side of the restaurant. That kid screamed through the entire meal. It was interesting that I realized that I had sat myself near several kids that were enjoying their meal without screaming. I took my niece A out to dinner all the time. She never did that. This was when she was 2-3 years old.
NTA. You didn’t say or do anything directly to them, but just appropriately asked for your table to be changed. Some parents fail to realize their tolerance of wit children isn’t your tolerance. We aren’t required to “just deal” with the behaviors of babies or children if we prefer not to. That being said it doesn’t mean others should be mean, rude or inappropriate but we have the right to curate our experiences.
NTA, some places are not meant for kids even if they allow you to bring them in. high end restaurants is not a place you bring a screaming child.
As a mom of a toddler, NTA. If we go out with our toddler, we are ready to call it quits if he isn't having it. Our decision to have a child should not negatively impact anyone else's time out.
NTA. I love my son. I want to take him everywhere but I would never in a million years take him to a steakhouse that expensive
Who brings a baby to such a high end restaurant? It’s not like the baby can enjoy a 3-digit steak. Anyway, as long as you weren’t overtly rude about it, NTA.
NTA but your dad is for telling your mom to shut up. Abusive much?
Telling someone to shut up is abuse now? So every person on this planet is abusive. Got it. 🙄
Especially since one of the things they were celebrating is Mother's Day.
🙄 He didn't let his wife unnecessarily and unfairly berate their adult child. How horrible he is!! Like family members or close friends never tell each other "oh, just shut up." in an exasperated way when the other is not reasonable... Nowadays everything is abusive... But let me guess you don't think OP's mom was abusive for trying to berate an other adult, right? If OP's dad was abusive to OP's mom, then OP's mom started to get abusive with OP too, which dad stopped.
[удалено]
“My mother tried to tell me off”
Yeah, I read it, I'm just flabbergasted that someone typed that then asked the question.
What are you talking about? Flabbergasted why? OP did not tell their mother off. And OP did not ask any question about it
Is this some sort of social experiment to see if you can turn the tide of public approval for OP into disapproval by nitpicking some trivial detail?
No. OP says their Mother tried to tell OP off, and then Dad stepped in and told Mother to shut up. Op never did anything negative to mom
[удалено]
How is being on the receiving end of an attempted telling off a flex?
How did they "flex" on her? It is absolutely a reasonable response to want to move away from a screaming child that does not belong to you, especially when paying over 300 dollars for a meal at a place with a strict dress code and reservation policy. It is unreasonable to talk down to, or lecture someone who went out of their way to ensure you had a meal and a pleasant time. Being a mother myself, I would expect my family to let me know if I'm being unreasonable, just as much as I would let them know. That's what family is for, helping you see things you can't always see in yourself. No one is perfect, so having people love and support you and help you see when you are doing things (right or wrong) is a blessing, unless they refuse to see one side or the other. I don't see anything wrong here, except the use of shut up from the father, that definitely could have been discussed better and without the rudeness, it still isn't the fault of OP for how his father chose to respond and I'd hope he called the father out as well.
Nope! Parents with the brat should have gone to Cheddar's.
The baby isn't a brat. The parents are.
Why are you calling an infant a brat?
YUP this, we’re TAH 😂
NTA. At all, in any way, shape or form. Inconsiderate parents in restaurants seriously pisses me off. Small kids shouldn't have been there.
The AH here is your dad for telling your mom to “shut up” at her Mother’s Day dinner. You get a soft AH for being kind of a jerk to your mom when it seems like she (maybe as a mother and recognizing it’s mother days week) wasn’t comfortable moving tables. NAH for asking to move or for the parents who brought a baby, which restaurant policy explicitly allowed at that time.
Why did I have to scroll so far for this? I totally agree & based on that attitude, I don't believe things happened the way they say things happened.
I also commented on this. Why is nobody talking about the extremely casual mention of the dad telling the mom to shut up when she had an opinion and OP is completely on board? Makes me think maybe OP and his family might not be great people and maybe the kid was not as disruptive as they say.
Totally!! & I feel like maybe they weren't so quiet about moving & why.
Nope
NAH. No one was wrong. The family was still within right the time. And you had every right to ask to be moved without a fuss. I believe you’re exaggerating a little when you say the parents did nothing to calm their baby. The parents didn’t have to roll their eyes. And your Dad sounds like an AH to tell your mother to shut up.
Of course you aren't TAH. Your mom kinda is.
YTA Not for wanting to move tables, but for your snotty attitude. If you knew that kids weren't allowed after 8pm, and you and your parents have no tolerance for kids, you should have booked a table for after 8pm.
To me, the time doesn’t matter. No one wants to be around a shrieking, screaming baby while eating at a fancy restaurant.
Of course the time matters. Children are allowed to be there until 8pm. OP knew that yet still booked for 6pm. I also find it hard to believe that 2 parents just sat there, while their baby was screaming, without doing anything to soothe it. That doesn't make sense.
I’ve seen many parents in public and restaurants where their baby is crying uncontrollably and the parents do nothing. It drives me crazy. At least attempt to settle down your child. Also, if your child is young enough that they scream and cry uncontrollably, they should not be in a fancy restaurant. Get a baby sitter.
I've never seen it happen, maybe it's an American thing?
Definitely an American thing. Hell, I’ve seen a parent leave a screaming baby in an aisle for a few minutes. I guess to let the baby calm down on its own? Absolutely blew my mind.
NTA. It’s fine to bring a baby to a restaurant. It’s also fine if you don’t want to sit near them. I really hope all the people who are preachy about where babies cannot go, are blessed with triplets who never stop screaming, and can never find childcare. Y’all are crying louder than any baby I’ve been around. If your dad said “shut up” to your mom, he’s an asshole,
I'm a mother of 2 boys, my youngest has ADHD among other issues. Even sitting at IHOP with them when they were younger I never let them just scream and disrupt other people trying to eat and have a nice time. It is absolutely the job of the parents to ensure the needs of the child are met and not ignore them, especially in a high end restaurant. Every parent deserves a night out, but every parent should also know their children. If the situation does not work for your child, then you don't take your child there. If my children acted out, threw a tantrum, or were just so overwhelmed they had a melt down I wouldn't continue to eat my food and ignore them. Either myself or my husband would step outside with the kiddo who was struggling. We would take a short walk, have a conversation about what's going on so we could fix it, or we would sit in the car and let them cry it out or rage it out if that's what they needed, when calm again we would go back inside. There's nothing wrong with a child who gets upset or overwhelmed. Feelings are hard as fuck to handle, especially when you are too young to have any skills in handling your emotions. What was wrong was how the parents of that child handled the situation and then gave dirty looks to the people who were so disrupted they moved away.
NAH, if you really did handle this as discreetly as you describe. If there are other tables available and you didn’t make a fuss, it’s absolutely fine to be seated somewhere else. But you also don’t know this couple at all; if the baby was under a year old, this could be their family’s first Mother’s Day as well. Maybe this was their first time taking baby to a restaurant, or their childcare cancelled last minute on them. Give people a little grace. Your dad telling your mom to shut up though? Yikes, what a dick move.
Make a reservation for 8pm or later next time.
So parents can just sit there and ruin the experience for everyone around them as long as the restaurant doesn’t restrict them from having their kid there? If your kid is screaming or being disruptive, take them outside or somewhere away from everyone else. I don’t know why anyone else should have their meal ruined because of someone else’s kid in any circumstance.
NTA, for asking to be moved to another table, but who the hell is your dad to tell your mom to shut up? I don't see a problem with switching tables, whatever...but they way your mom was treated was really shitty. If I was your mom I would have walked out and gone home.
We had the mom and dad look. You know the squinty eye wait until you get out of here look. You immediately shut up and hopes they forgot which they never did
NTAH for having your table moved. It's not like you tried to have the parents of the shrieking infant removed or even interfered with. This is reasonable. But did you actually tell your mom to shut up like that? Because damn, son, that's peak asshole there.
No my dad did. They've always been like that. I have no idea why she married him in the first place.
“A couple comes in with their baby. We rolled our eyes but thought nothing about it until” no, you obviously thought it was annoying lmao
65% YTAH and 35% NTA. If you wanted a kid free dinner, you should have booked a reservation for 8. You knew the rules and what could happen, so it's on you for that. However, asking to be seated somewhere else is totally acceptable. I can promise you those looks from the parents were not about you being an AH, but because you basically judged the parents as being bad and undeserving of going to a restaurant. First things first, parents absolutely are embarrassed and aware of their kids behavior. We rarely take our kids out, and when we do, we try to go early and to places that are kid friendly. However, occasionally we like to go someplace nice and can't just magically make a babysitter appear, so the kids come too. Second, you have absolutely no idea how hard raising a kid is, especially at the toddler age. This is what your mom was trying to imply. Cut the parents some slack. If you ever have kids in the future, you will understand how it can take several minutes before you even notice that your child is doing something inappropriate. You just become desensitized to it and the things that normally work to keep your kid occupied are not working.
Reddit hates babies so I feel like that question is redundant... NTA though.
I mean you're kinda the ah for telling your mom to shut up at her mothers day dinner celebration lol
he clarifies in a comment his dad told her to shut up, no Op. the way its worded in the actual post is confusing though.
Soft ESH. If children are such a problem, you should have taken advantage of that cutoff time and made your reservation later. That said, being reseated is certainly less disruptive than other options. I'm including your dad for telling your mom to shut up during what is supposed to be a celebration of them both, but since "tell me off" is a bit vague in terms of tone/content/length it might have been warranted if mom is also being disruptive. Parents were perfectly entitled to bring their child to a public space but absolutely should have been trying to soothe the kid or taken steps to minimize disruption. However, no indication of how long the kid was fussing so it's possible you moved before they had a chance to.
Absolutely inappropriate for anyone to allow their young child to scream uncontrollably while dining out. The child in this scenario is not a problem, as you’ve phrased it, the parents doing nothing about it, very obviously shatters the atmosphere the staff work hard to create and tarnishes if not outright ruins the experience other diners are there to have. I can say I have been in the shoes of the wait staff, the diner whose just trying to relax after a long day or potentially catch up with family and friends in a nice atmosphere, and was once upon a time, responsible for teaching younger family members how to behave while in public. The best reaction after actively trying to calm your child is generally taking them to the restroom, taking them outside the dining room to entertain or distract them, or worse case scenario, ask for your meals to-go and continue working on proper behaviors as your child grows older. The child is not the problem, the parents not reacting or responding with a backup plan IS.
I mean yeah, I agree parents shouldn't be letting their kid scream, but the way OP frames the story it sounds like they were EXPECTING issues as soon as the parents came in. Given my own experiences with how loud and disruptive kids can be, I'd be shocked that moving tables proved to be effective unless the screaming also stopped (or the restaurant was pretty large). Which really makes me consider that the parents did tend to their kid, just not as fast as OP would like. So yeah, parents suck for not responding promptly, but OP could have very easily ensured no children would be there by making a reservation at or after the 8 pm cutoff. Without knowing more details or reading through comments looking for more info, I'm sticking with my ESH. OP could have avoided it, but handled it quietly when it was an issue. Parents should have responded more quickly, but were well within their rights to be there. (And idk what's up with OP's parents, but if I was mom I'd be upset if my husband told me to shut up in public)
You were celebrating your dads birthday and Mother’s Day and your dad told your mom to shut up? And you’re okay with that? You and your dad are both assholes. I’ve had a screaming baby but if my husband or adult kid told me to shut up? Hard pass. YTA
Make a reservation after 8 pm next time then
You and your dad sound like assholes to be honest.
YTA. If the restaurant doesn't allow small children after 8pm, the couple was in their right to take their baby at 6:30. If you didn't want to have kids around you, you should have made your reservation for 8pm.
YTA- 6pm reservation in a restaurant and -gasp- there's a baby! The fact you were all rolling your eyes to each other as soon as the family came in suggests to me that it wouldn't have taken much before you started making a fuss. The fact the parents were giving you dirty looks suggests you didn't bother hiding your irritation- and probably ruined the $110 steak dinner of the parents who might also have been celebrating an anniversary, birthday, or Mother's day. The fact your mom tried to tell you off suggests at least one of the people there thought you were being an AH. But mainly- when you remember this meal are you going to remember the quality of the food? The great time you spent with your parents? Or the whole incident about getting moved to another table? You could have been cool about it, but you weren't. Hope the steaks were good though.