I Hate "Family" Pubs

[customersruinmylife]

I met a friend for lunch in a family friendly pub. Today is the last day of the Christmas break, so all the kids go back to school tomorrow (and me boo!) So there were quite a few families in the pub.

A couple sat at the table next to me and my friend. We might as well have been sat with them, because we could hear everything they were saying. They also had a small girl with them, probably about two years old. Probably less. They let the girl out of her pram, and allowed her to wander around their table.

Soon, the little girl got a little adventurous, and started wandering further, and further away. But adults were too engrossed in their conversation to notice (or care). The mother finally noticed.

M: SAPHRON! SAPHRON! (yes that was seriously the child's name) COME AND SIT NEXT TO MUMMY SWEETIE!

The child didn't listen. She just carried on wandering about, dodging customers and staff. The child then disappeared around a corner and out of sight. Part of me wanted to say something, but I have been burned so many times by the public, that I just didn't bother.

About ten minutes passed, and the mother turned around.

M: Well, I suppose I'd better see where she's got to. SAPHRON! SAPHRON!

The mother and friend (I really don't think he was the father) started looking around, but they couldn't see her. I could hear a bit of panic in her voice.

M: SAPHRON! SAPHRON! OH MY GOD! I CAN'T FIND HER! SHE'S GONE! SAPHRON! SAPHRON! OH MY GOD!
F: I'm sure she can't have gone far.
M: SAPHRON! ANSWER MUMMY! SAPHRON!

The mum is standing there, screeching and panicking...but she hasn't actually moved away from her table, and is still sipping her drink.

F: Oh, I can see her!
M: Where?!?!
F: She's just under a table over there.
M: Oh well, that's OK then.

They sat down and carried on drinking! Eventually, a member of staff came over.

S: Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to keep your child with you. She is disturbing other customers.
M: Oh, well, when she comes back over here, I will keep her here.
S: Can you go over and get her please?
M: Huh! Well, I can tell YOU don't have any children!
S: Excuse me?
M: I cannot go over there and collect her! That's bad parenting! I have to let her make the choice to come to me! You know nothing about children!
S: I have three children myself, so either go over there and get her, or get out.
M: Hmph!

The mother stormed over to the other side of the pub, yanked the child by the arm, and dragged her screaming back to the table. The mother then noticed that she had a massive beer stain all over her dress.

M: SAPHRON! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR DRESS?!?!

Saphron is too busy screaming to answer. M turned to the member of staff.

M: I want to see a manager about my little Saphron's dress! She has quite clearly sat in some old beer! Weren't you watching her to make sure she didn't do that!?!
S:

The manager went over, and the mother entered a full scale rant about how the pub was a "dangerous environment" for her child, showing the ruined dress as evidence, and continually repeated "Your staff should have been watching her to make sure she didn't ruin her best dress!!" I could see that the manager was grinding her teeth.

Manager: YOU'RE the one that should be watching YOUR child, not us! I remember you from last week! Lovely Saphron here broke a very expensive vase didn't she?
M: That was an ACCIDENT! Her dress is ruined and I want compensation!
Manager: Well, that vase was probably a lot more expensive than that dress, so how about I bill you for that as well?
M: YOU. ARE. RUDE! COME ON SAPHRON! WE'RE LEAVING!

She took the still screaming child and her friend and left. My head was actually pounding from it all. Thank God I don't have to deal with crap like that anymore.

[AnaKhouri]

Wait...wha? Let the child CHOOSE to come to you? If I let Khan CHOOSE what he wanted to do all the time, he would have put out both his eyes and broken the Wii and snapped his neck and killed the cat and fallen down the ravine in the back of the house...

What a lazy bitch! But what a great manager. Sorry you had to deal with that on the last day of your vacation, but I've had my moment of righteous indignation for the day, so hooray.

[firecat88]

I hope this woman never takes her daughter camping. Or to the zoo. Because that child will more-than-likely end up getting eaten by badgers or something.

Also, *why* would you allow a small child to go wandering around in a place where there's going to be A) stuff spilled on the floor, B) people walking around who might trample her because they can't see her, C) people carrying trays laden with glasses and plates of hot food and the like? So many different lawsuits waiting to happen.

[tropicsgoddess]

I don't have kids and I know you don't let a child "choose" when they want to come to you . That "mummie" must be out of her damn mind to think that and that she deserved compensation for the stain on the kid's dress. That kid should've been at home with daddy or the sitter or a family friendly restaurant not a a freakin' pub!

[MoonCat]

OMG. If that kid had ended up under my table, I would have made a hell of a scene. I just have no patience with that kind of nonsense. That woman was a moron.

And what if darling Saphron (Saffron? Like the spice?) decided to go play in traffic? Would Mommy Dearest still think it was OK to stand half a block away and yell for her to come back?

[IvorTangrean]

And what if darling Saphron (Saffron? Like the spice?)

I could not help but think of http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0003816/

[telecom_goddess]

Ahhh yeah that "let them choose when to come to you" is crap pure and simple. They come when *I* choose . Like others have said if you let them choose all the time they would be killed or maimed or god knows what.

I suppose grabbing their arm and dragging them where you want is "good" parenting? Although that tactic can be necessary if a full blown tantrum is going on. But in this case she should have just picked up her child firmly and brought her back to her table, and told her to stay there or else.....sigh.

[laborcat]

Ahhh yeah that "let them choose when to come to you" is crap pure and simple. They come when *I* choose . Like others have said if you let them choose all the time they would be killed or maimed or god knows what.

I suppose grabbing their arm and dragging them where you want is "good" parenting? Although that tactic can be necessary if a full blown tantrum is going on. But in this case she should have just picked up her child firmly and brought her back to her table, and told her to stay there or else.....sigh.

No, good parenting would have been not letting the little darling wander the pub in the first place.

[ADoyle90815]

No, good parenting would have been not letting the little darling wander the pub in the first place.

Exactly! I'm only an aunt, but even I know that good parenting means not letting a child wander like that, as that child could easily wander outside and go into traffic.

[PepperElf]

wait... she's suppose to let her child choose to come back?
well it looks like her child CHOSE to sit in beer. so you get what you ask for.

and i love it when people try to pull the "I have kids" card only to get told back "so do i"

one of my coworkers LOVED to do that one, run around saying "well you don't have kids" for just about every argument she could work it into. even if it didn't make sense to anyone else but her.

[chainedbarista]

You know nothing about children!

apparently, i do and far more than you. another prime example of how not to be a parent. they are not baby roaches; you do not lay eggs and then walk away, allowing them to fend for themselves.

x infinity

[Frantic Freddie]

Since you're in the UK,I say little Saphron (or it could be Saffron,the spice) is a chav-in-training.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I don't need to have children to know that woman doesn't deserve hers.

All that bullshit about "the child makes the choice to come to me" won't do much good if the child makes the choice to go with the pedophile. Or the serial killer. Or into the tiger pen at the zoo.

[MadMike]

M: Huh! Well, I can tell YOU don't have any children!

Ah yes, the cry of the bad parent when they're called on their lack of parenting. I think the last time I heard that one was after one of the Wal-Mart workers told some kids not to bounce the balls in the store. Her response to the so-called parent was, "Yes, I do have kids, and I don't let them act like that!"

Back to the original post, I remember when my son was that little, and I would never let him out of my sight in public. Hell, I didn't even like to let him out of my sight at home. He's almost 17 now, and it was only a few years ago that I felt safe letting him go places on his own.

...and now he has my car.

[Frantic Freddie]

Aha,I thought the name was familiar,it's from Absolutely Fabulous