Kids and Small Hotels and Breakfast Time Nightmares

KateLiana27

Perhaps it's a problem with the type of families this hotel is attracting...? I've never really noticed children at breakfast in hotels. Generally most seem to be well behaved and/or properly supervised.

Children in supermarkets is a whole other ball game

skypie123_2

Pasturesnew I think you need to get out more.

You sound like a grumpy old so and so and if you're actually calculating the amount the families have spent on a weeks stay in the B&B you're in then you need help. Imagine what these people would think if they knew you were this obsessed with them staying there that you were fretting about breakfast and totting up their stay? What's next? A pie chart with pros and cons for them staying in a caravan versus them staying in the b&b??

Either concentrate on sorting your life out so you don't need to be around people ever, or get a life in general.

suki1001

I've always found it's the adults who are inconsiderate in hotels. I avoid places if they have weddings - adults can be so annoying at weddings when they're in the same hotel as you - not everyone wants to go to bed at 3am. I don't want to hear drunk people attempting to work their way along a corridor after too many beers.

Children are always in bed early and I've never noticed any children being problems. But then I never stay in little b & b's, I'd rather drive further than do that.

As an aside - the last hotel we stayed at my 7yr old son told the cleaner that the toilets were the cleanest he'd ever seen, with great enthusiasm. She was so pleased she gave him a hug and told him he'd made her day.

delain

Really? Flaming Nora! I don't give mine fizzy drinks at all because twin1 turns into hammy from 'over the hedge' if she has even a sip of it.

balletshoes

I have one 11-year old, none of us in my family are naturally early risers so theres no way we'll set alarms etc to be first down for breakfast on holiday! If we want to do breakfast in the hotel we'll aim for maybe an hour before it ends.

gingin wrote: »

Us too.

I've twice seen random adults unnecessarily bark at my son for supposed indescretions at the breakfast buffet. I've witnessed them both and can honestly say both times they were in the wrong and very rude with it. Our only failing seems to be to let DS be independent ( a young looking age 12) and help himself. For some reason that seems to ignite a rage in some adults that I cannot understand.

My DD has been helping herself to meal buffets since she was about 8, but I've taught her not to run anywhere, to be careful when she's turning around etc, and to wait her turn.

However, I do have some sympathy with adults who want a leisurely breakfast in a calm atmosphere when there are loads of kids around - especially if said kids are running around in the drinks/buffet area, or not looking where they're going so adults run the risk of bumping into them/having to swerve quickly to avoid them with plates of food or hot drinks etc while going back to their tables. Its not fun.

zaxdog

I can see both sides here. I've seen beautifully behaved quiet children and screaming brats that run under tables shouting and the parents either ignore them or do the wet and weedy "Don't do that darling, that's naughty" bag!

Takes all sorts!

balletshoes

PasturesNew wrote: »

Four loud/irritated parents and 4 whiney toddlers/babies.

so is it just these particular guests, and are they staying as long as you are?

warehouse

In a local Chinese restaurant last weekend my 10 year old Daughter was patiently waiting by the buffet for her turn, when an adult barged in and helped himself to every single king prawn available. My Daughter was disgusted by this behaviour, as were we.

PasturesNew, I think I know where you were last week.

JodyBPM

Well, if my children had been there, they would have smiled on seeing you, greeted you with a cheery "good morning" (and possibly a "are you having a nice holiday?" if you greeted them back), would have held the door for you, let you go first, passed you anything you wanted/picked up up anything that you dropped and generally have been polite and affable, with a flurry of "pleases" and "thank-yous" as appropriate. Can you say the same about yourself?

The vast majority of children IME remember their manners and are friendly and polite in a way that adults often forget to be.

Of course you get horrible families, with out of control kids, but these tend to be the exception, rather than the rule.

I think you're just being a grumpy old woman, and I suspect you know that too!

Live and let live, and perhaps try smiling at one of the children one day, it'll brighten your day up no end:)


(just to point out that my children are no angels, although they are generally well behaved. They do, however, like many children, go into polite overdrive in public places. Breakfast around our own table at home is much more of a loud "he ate all the cornflakes/she won't pass me the milk" type of affair!")

SandC

I have to say I have some empathy with PasturesNew on the children issue.

We have family meals on my brother/sis in law's side whenever there is a birthday. This always means a table of 12-20 with the majority being adults but kids would be 2x 15 year olds, 1x12 year old, 1x 8 year old and 1x 5 year old. The 8 and 5 year old girls run riot every, single time and their respective parents only see the meal as a rest for them and my sis in law is usually the one trying to keep peace. One or both of them will always be crying at some point. Kids' packs of colouring books etc. don't keep them quiet, they will play with mum's mobile phone on games for a bit but after that they start wanting to run around, climb around under the table and generally be noisy and irritating.

I thought it might be okay this time as we were at a long table, backed to the wall with a 'booth' wall at one end. The two girls were effectively hemmed in. Or so I thought.

They are lovely families, they are lovely girls but on family meal occasions it's like the parents take leave of their responsibilities and any threats of 'if you don't sit down quietly you'll get no dessert' go ignored because they know they won't carry it through. My stepmum and I put up with it because it's not like it's every month but both of us were pretty much nearly at the end of our tether this last time. Of course, we can't say anything as it isn't our place. They were under the table at one time trying to tickle my toes through my sandals and mess with the laces of one of the 15 year olds!

At that point both mums were outside having a smoke.

Anyway my point is that *sometimes* parents are oblivious of their childrens dreadful behaviour. At least this time we were in Frankie and Benny's so a noisy place anyway. We have been in pubs before now where it's kind of embarrassing.