another bit of unsolicited advice from your favorite unsolicited advice person

[threeplusfire]

If you want to dine at a white table cloth, highly starred, Zagat featured, well reviewed and expensive restaurant in a major city, please do not be surprised if the staff asks you to turn down the volume on your 5 year old's portable DVD player.

If you can afford to buy your 5 year old a portable DVD player to distract the child while you dine in fancy restaurants you can afford a damn babysitter for two hours. Please support our nation's underemployed and unemployed youth by not buying portable DVD players and instead hiring babysitters. Not only will it help our economy, it will prevent the other patrons of this very expensive restaurant from murdering you and prevent waiters from putting unsanitary things in your food.

Comments

[brienze.livejournal.com]

My SIL got an iPhone so she could play videos for her kid while they have to wait at doctor's offices, etc. Kid picked up Pocket Legends and played it, at 3 yrs old. Virtual joystick, attacking zombies, the whole nine yards. I was amazed. So at least he's learning valuable (ahem) life skills along with being pacified.

But yes. If you can afford that dinner, you can afford a babysitter. And the kid would probably get more out of having Kraft mac n cheese at home.

[kythryne.livejournal.com]

I saw a number of women entertaining their wee ones with an iPhone in the waiting room at my IVF clinic, and I will undoubtedly do the same myself - I'm carrying it anyway, it clearly fascinates them and keeps them quiet... it just makes sense to me. (Although I will insist on headphones if they want noise.) But yeah, do not take kids to nice restaurants until they are capable of behaving appropriately.