Children should never be running around in a restaurant. They are a safety risk. There's busy people walking around with hot food and drinks. No child should be running around.

I would have stated NTA, if there had not been the screaming and threatening part. I am not too fond of the idea that only parents are allowed to tell a child that their behaviour is not acceptable. I see it as one of the reasons a lot of parents struggle so much with setting boundaries, because the 'village it requires to raise a child' is no longer allowed to pitch in and back-up that same parent. As I said earlier, all within good reason of course, (calm and suited to the child's age/level of understanding) and preferably, as it was here, with the parents around as well, or with the parents getting a heads-up afterwards.

Was it appropriate to yell at the kid...no, but on the other hand that kid is gonna learn at some point that there are ppl in the world that arent going to show him the patience that his mom or the other patrons might show him. Chalk it up to a learning experience.

I hate parents who let their kids run around in restaurants. Primarily because I'm a parent who puts a lot of time and energy into keeping my kids calm, quiet and not bothering anyone. I still get nasty glares for bringing kids anywhere in public and that's because of parents like these. People assume kids automatically mean noise and mess and that's not so with all of them.

Don't like someone disciplining your kid? Hey, you can't complain about the village not being there and then complain when it is. I never yelled at a kid, but I have told them to sit down and shut up. One mom was NOT happy. All I told her was, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I mistook you for the babysitter, since you weren't, you know, PARENTING your child. But maybe if YOU told him to sit down and shut up, I wouldn't have to." That was the end of that conversation.

Wait til the kid does a run around the table, go to stand up just as he's coming round to you, let him hit you, fall to the floor screaming, holding an 'injured' arm and yelling "who's kid is this?! I will sue the parents, and the restaurant for letting this unsafe situation happen!". Parents won't let their kids run wild again, and you'll likely have your meal for free.

Parents who do not teach their kids how to respect public spaces and people's boundaries ruin things for other parents and other well-behaved kids. Now their are child-free restaurants and weddings because of parents not doing their jobs. Unfortunately, we'll behaved kids get to miss out on these things too. Personally, if a child disrespects my boundaries I am talking directly to them to calm down. F**k all this "don't talk to my child", cause if you had taught the child how to behave, I would have had to.

NTA. You'll hate me and downvote me and call me names, but I've grown thick skin and strong opinions. If you can't keep your kid at your table, sitting and eating (unless they didn't get anything), leave the restaurant and find someone willing to parent your child for you. As some easily annoyed by kids, if they aren't in their place behaving and you're not stopping them, or you're telling to stop and they're not taking you seriously, you did it wrong. YOU'RE A PARENT, PARENT YOUR CHILD

I would have slid my chair out as the kid ran by.

The poster was right to stop the kid. The lazy mom was letting him drive everybody around him crazy! And he was between 7 and 10 years old?? By the time he's that age, he shouldn't be doing that. That sounds more like 3 or 4 year old behavior. That said--the way he stopped the kid wasn't great. He shouldn't have screamed; that just escalates things. And telling him he was going to make him wait outside? That's not enforceable. If you aren't the parent, you don't really have the right to do that. If OP had told the kid in a firm but normal tone of voice to sit down and be quiet, I would have agreed with him.

Maybe it's cos I can't stand children, but I'm not seeing a problem....

That's just bad parenting. Whole situation is the parents fault. Its unacceptable to let children run amok in a restaurant...not to mention dangerous

i think it's fine if a kid is bothering you by smacking into your table or running around. it's fine to say, please stop that. but not yell, and you NEVER make a consequence that you aren't willing or able to follow through with. it's a empty threat, and the kid will learn that their bad behavior doesn't really have consequences. by the same token, if you promise to do something nice dependent on good behavior, you have to do it or the kid will not be motivated to do things they should.

THIS STORY IS A YEAR OLD. Wow BP another winner. You even dug up the meth / spaghettio story from TEN YEARS ago.

“Should I say that neither of the women that were with him did nothing to stop him”. “ neither of the women did something.” You sure you passed your exams bud?

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You don't touch other people's kids, and you don't scream at them. end of story. if they're running around being obnoxious little shits, you *can* try to SUBTLY trip them, or yell at the parents, but you don't grab a kid and scream.