Are you guys being serious? It would be a cold day in hell before my children sat at a dinner table with an ipad for entertainment! A 3 year old talking, colouring, playing games etc before food arrives is absolutely normal and acheivable!

Right on. I’m always amazed when we go to a restaurant and there are kids on iPads while eating.

There is no question that iPads are the easiest solution, but it’s rarely the best solution, and it’s certainly not necessary. Humanity survived for thousands of years without having iPads for kiddos at restaurants.

> kids on iPads while eating.

Thing is that statement applies to a lot of the adults (with phones) in the restaurant too. It's sad and telling.

What works for some doesn't work for everyone. Parents should do what works for them and their kids, without judgement.

I do agree that different kids are different. Ours were often good. However I absolutely did not tolerate poor behavior either. If things got dicey (rarely) I escorted one outside until the storm passed. Never took longer than five minutes. Turning them into zombies instead never occurred to me.

This is such an important note. Of course kids get overwhelmed. Adults get overwhelmed. One of the main reasons kids melt down over it is because they're not just overwhelmed, but trapped.

An adult can excuse themselves, step out for some fresh air, go to the bathroom, or even go home. Knowing how and when to do that is an important skill.

Kids need that outlet too, and they need their parents to be attuned to their needs and help them manage.

If a kid is melting down at a restaurant, they need help from an adult who ought to have some idea what the child needs and how to provide it.

Too many parents seem to think their own desire for an uninterrupted meal is more important than their child's basic biological need to be able to get out of an overwhelming situation. It's not fair to trap someone somewhere they don't want to be and then blame them for becoming upset.

Seeing as parents were able to bring kids with them to places long before screens even existed, it's definitely not just a matter of what does or doesn't work. Kids can be taught to be well-behaved without screens, and if you're unable to do that for your kids then that's on you. And I'll judge you as much as I like.

There's nothing more sanctimonious than a person judging someone else's parenting. Personally, I think it's pathetic, but I'll leave you to it.

Lol, try telling that to the no screen crowd.

If you bring kids to restaurants early, they get used to the rules quite quickly. If they can figure out a touchscreen, they can figure out how to sit politely at the table.

Mine were very happy to draw, read picture books, etc. at that age.

My daughter is verifiably not a saint, and she sits and eats dinner and chats with adults. This should be the base expectation of any child, within reason. Yes, she can color; yes, sometimes the adults have to entertain children's stories; yes, we pay attention to her. But otherwise, she's incredibly enjoyable to bring out to restaurants and such with the right environment.

Reminds me once when we sat down next to a fancy older woman on a flight with our toddler. Could see the lady visibly tense up when she saw us—expecting a screaming monster. Didn't happen. Kid sat in my lap and had charmed the socks off the lady within the first hour and we had a nice chat with her after she warmed up.