This 21-year-old guy and his college friends were celebrating at a restaurant not too far from their college, it was their go-to spot for special occasions.
A Celebration
The Original Poster (OP) and his college friends decided to dine at a restaurant near their campus to celebrate a special occasion.
The establishment wasn’t the most upscale, but it offered better food than McDonald’s, making it their go-to spot for such events.
Passing Their Exams
On this particular visit, the group of four was celebrating the fact that they had all passed their exams.
It was lunchtime when OP and his friends arrived at the restaurant.
The place wasn’t entirely packed, but it was full enough. Due to bad weather, everyone chose to stay indoors, most of the customers were adults.
A Busy Restaurant
Soon after, two women—one older and one middle-aged—entered the restaurant with a baby and a child who appeared to be about 7 years old.
OP, who was seated facing the door, noticed their entrance but didn’t pay much attention, as he generally wasn’t bothered by the presence of children.
The women and their children settled at a table in a corner, while OP and his friends were seated in the middle of the room.
Children Being Children, Right?
As OP and his friends waited for their food, they engaged in lively conversation.
Meanwhile, the child was at the corner table playing with the baby, causing some noise.
However, the entire room was filled with chatter, as most patrons were accompanied by others and engaged in discussions of their own.
The Food Arrives
Once the food arrived at OP’s table, the child from the corner table began to wander around the restaurant.
He expressed interest in reading a sign near the door, then another one at the back of the room.
After that, he wanted to use the restroom and even expressed a desire to go outside.
No Boundaries
Although this behavior was somewhat annoying, OP found it relatively easy to ignore.
It’s worth noting that neither of the women accompanying M made any effort to stop or redirect him at any point.
Unruly Behaviour
At a certain point, the child began to run around the restaurant, yelling and seemingly playing an imaginary game by himself.
Despite the annoyance of other patrons, neither of the women accompanying him intervened.
Annoyance Builds
The child’s antics even led to him accidentally bumping into one of OP’s friend’s chairs.
As their table was situated in the middle of the room, the child started running circles around them.
Enough Is Enough
On the child’s third attempt to pass by OP, OP extended his arm to stop him.
OP told him to cease his disruptive behavior, sit down, and wait until he was home to run around, as it was inappropriate to bother others in a public space.
A Warning
OP also warned the child that if he didn’t behave, he would be made to wait outside alone—a threat that OP had no intention of carrying out, but merely hoped would serve as a deterrent.
Though OP believed he had spoken calmly, it later became apparent that he had unintentionally raised his voice while addressing the child.
Uncomfortable Situation
Upon hearing OP’s words, the child began to cry, and a woman—presumably his mother—approached OP to reprimand him for yelling at her son.
She argued that the child was just playing and that such behavior was typical for a child his age.
Justifying His Actions
In response, OP pointed out that he wouldn’t have needed to intervene if she had addressed her son’s behavior earlier.
Mediation
A staff member approached the group to inquire about the situation.
The mother explained that OP had yelled at her child, and OP admitted to doing so but calmly explained the reasoning behind his actions.
The Argument Calms Down
The staff member suggested that they let the incident go this time and assured them that in the future, the staff would handle similar situations before they escalated.
The woman, still visibly angry, decided to leave the restaurant with her family.
Different Perspectives
OP’s friends confirmed that he had indeed raised his voice when speaking to the child.
They admitted that they were also annoyed by the child’s behavior and had been considering lodging a complaint with the restaurant’s management.
On Reflection
Reflecting on the situation, OP acknowledged that involving management might have been the better course of action, and he began to question whether his own approach had been the right one.
What do you think? Would you have said anything to the child? Have you get a story where you had to discipline someone else’s child? Comment!
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The post Is It Ok to Yell at Someone Else’s Child if Their Parents Don’t Set Any Boundaries? This Guy Did! first appeared on Wealthy Living.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Svietlieishyi Andrii. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
This post is based on Reddit but the names have been changed.