My boyfriend and I don't get out much.  Actually, I take that back.  He goes out whenever he wants, wherever he wants, while I stay home with the kids.  That's a story for a different site, though. 

Anyway, we don't get to go on many dates together, but when we do, the same thing happens every single time: We are seated next to a bunch of wild, screaming kids.  At best, these kids could be described as overtired.  At worst, the other people eating at the restaurant can be spotted discreetly hissing, "What a bunch of brats" to the rest of their table.

Look, I'm a parent, and I get that sometimes kids are bad in restaurants.  In fact, my own kids have done things that made me want to crawl under the table with my enchilada or salad and hide until closing time.  It happens.

That doesn't mean I want to sit next to screaming kids every time I go out, though.  It just seems so unfair that I go out to get a break from parenting and spend some quiet time with my partner, yet end up listening to kids scream, throw stuff, and get yelled at by their parents.  If I wanted to hear all that, I could stay home and do it for free.

Also, why do parents think that screaming at their kids and beating them in a restaurant will make them calm down?  Thanks a lot, moron - now your child is screaming even louder than before.  Also, screaming things like, "You ungrateful little beast!  Shut the #$%^ and eat your dinner before I shove it down your throat!" does not make my dining experience more enjoyable than listening to your kid whine about how they hate peas. 

In fact, now that I think about it, I'd probably rather deal with the hyper kids than the obnoxious parents when I'm eating out.  At least the kids have an excuse for their behavior.