
It was my wife’s birthday yesterday. She picked out a mid-tier restaurant to go to for her birthday. This was no Chili’s level, but not high-end either. We went at 5:30 on a Wednesday, so not that busy.
We have a 10-month-old who’s just about the happiest kid ever. Nearly anything I do makes him laugh. Well, at dinner, I was making him laugh. He’d throw in some happy yelling. Maybe got a touch loud, but he was in a great mood.
Well, the table next to us had an issue with what I was doing and asked me to stop. They told us to keep it down. I’m like, “He’s laughing, that’s all. Him laughing is an issue?” They just repeated that he is too loud; if he is going to be like this, they suggested we stay home.
I tell them to leave us alone and continue making my son laugh. I overheard them reference me as an asshole. They requested to move tables and did. But was I the asshole for making my baby laugh?
Edit: This was a 3-5 minute interaction with my son while waiting for the check. It was 90% giggling. The other hour-plus we were there, it was just him being quiet or eating or going bahbahbah over and over. There was no extended shrieking at all that occurred.
This is a good example of what he did.
Conclusion
The internet weighed in, debating whether the father was in the wrong for his son’s happy noises. With a clear majority siding with the dad, the conclusion is drawn: sometimes, a baby’s laughter is just a baby’s laughter, and those who can’t handle it might be the ones with the problem. The restaurant incident became a viral tale of parental rights versus public etiquette, with most agreeing this dad’s actions were perfectly acceptable.
Here’s how people reacted:
You’re dining in a restaurant. You need to moderate your voices – the people at the next table don’t want to hear your conversation, and they don’t want to be continually disturbed by the happy shrieks of your baby either.
You’re not the asshole for making your baby happy. You’re the asshole for making too much noise in a restaurant.
YTA
BUT in your post you mentioned both laughing and happy yelling. Those are not the same thing. A quiet giggle? Sure, no problem. But yelling? No. Just because it’s happy, doesn’t take away the fact that it’s yelling. Imagine if you were just trying to enjoy a quiet dinner with your family and group of rowdy drunken people kept yelling and laughing at the table next to yours. Happy doesn’t mean it’s not still annoying.
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>Well at dinner I was making him laugh. He’d throw in some happy yelling. Maybe got a touch loud
>
>I’m like he’s laughing thats all.
But laughing wasn’t “all.” He was *yelling*. Loudly. Loudly enough to be annoying to other diners. And you kept on with it, instead of trying to quiet him down and keep him quietly happy.
There’s a time and a place for loud happy yelling. A restaurant isn’t it.
You love your kid and think he’s adorable but other people were there to enjoy a meal. You were deliberately attention seeking and probably wanted everyone to notice your wonderful baby, and were willing to give a “fuck you” to other paying patrons when asked to tone it down.
How tiresome.
Hope you left a really big tip for the extra inconvenience you placed on the staff too – having to move customers to a new table and deal with the complaints.
P.S. restaurants, no matter low, mid, or high end, are loud in general. Everyone is loud
Constantly making your child laugh for the sake of laughing in a restaurant is rude. I personally would find it cute. For a bit.
My wife and I have had to get our dinners to go because of an inconsolable child. It’s just what we deal with as parents.
Let’s play a game. You’re out with your wife for a big anniversary. It’s supposed to be a romantic night out with just the two of you. Once at the restaurant a group of 4 people get seated next to you. You find out that they are celebrating a windfall business deal because of how loud they are being. They cheer, and toast to their success. Getting louder as they drink. Would you find it endearing and be happy for them? Possibly. Would it be annoying? Probably. Would you go home thinking they were assholes for ruining your romantic night? Most likely.
Public spaces are for everyone including those who aren’t fully in control of their voice levels, children, disabled, people laughing, crying, sometimes even mild yelling should be something you get over or stay home where you can control what everyone does.
I hate the idea that nearly every public setting is only for the mild mannered NPC ass adults of the world and anyone who doesn’t fit in including kids should just be locked away or silenced so y’all don’t have to experience something different than your chosen white culture social norms.