Permissive parents: Curb your brats

Do they make those Hannibal Lecter face masks for kids?

Wife and I were in an IHOP Saturday. There were three different tables with three different obnoxious brats. No concept of an indoor voice on any of 'em, and no efforts by the parents to quiet the little hellspawn.

I'm with Albert. You take your demon seed out in public, you keep 'em the fuck under control.

What is this with adults going to IHOP!?!?!

Because sometimes you just want some pancakes.

When did IHOP become a kiddy place? It ain't exactly Chucky Cheese.

It's cheap and easy and they have food that a kid will eat.

That a kid will eat? This does not compute. With my mom, you fucking ate what was served.

Did you ever consider that one size doesn't fit all? Your way of raising your child on the limited basis you have him for may not work for everyone else?

Pretty much the way my mom handled meals. I'm still a picky eater. When I find something I like, that's the only thing I'll eat - trying something new is ... a rare occasion.

Both my sons, tho, will eat anything I put in front of them. Guess I got lucky there.

But, I have babysat for picky eaters and you can still get them to eat without every meal turning into a battle of wills. Many times, it's just a matter of presentation. and IHOP does that very well.

I was a little fatty fat fat when I was a kid, so getting me to eat wasn't much of a problem. What you had to worry about was getting some for yourself before I ate it all.

That would be the 7 year old - of course, he will eat one plate of dinner then eat three courses of desert if I let him. Which I don't.

Grandma, on the other hand ....

I can't wait until you have kids.

I think it's interesting that those who have no experience raising kids have so much to say on the topic.

I helped raise my siblings, and it's not as easy as it looks. I at least have the good sense not to have children though.

I see nothing wrong with the public execution of incorrigible children via fire and/or baseball bats.

Gee, I've never heard that one before. Especially not around here.

Back in the 70s, the kid from The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Brandon Cruz, was in a punk rock band and they had a song ... can't remember the name but the lyrics went "beat the kid, beat the kid, beat the kid with a baseball bat."

When my older son was young, when he didn't listen to me, instead of say "get me a belt" as my parents often said, I told my son "get me my baseball bat." He straightened right up after that.

Funny thing is, tho, I never hit him and I never owned a baseball bat.

Yet you still persist in your ideas, despite having no actual experience on the matter.

A classic from Maddox!

I don't have to have raised a child to know that someone else's shrieking demon is giving me a splitting headache in the restaurant.

Or realize that the parent who lets their kid act like this is pretty much a failure at parenting.

Outside of the obvious sales ploy of salespeople gushing...

Nah, good parenting makes all the difference. You have to get them involved and make it fun.

Teaching them tolerence for times when they'd rather be reading or playing videogame is trying sometimes, but if you can spark an interest then the battle is half whipped.

Here is your Attaboy!

Have you heard about Valium?

NyQuil's less expensive.

Huh. Google not only says it's a Ramones song, but the lyrics are Beat on the Brat with a Baseball Bat. Don't know why I had that confused with Dr. Know - especially since Dr. Know didn't even show up until the 80s.