Young Boy Didn’t Behave Well at the Restaurant So I Taught Him a Lesson — Now People Say I Was Wrong

"I was frustrated that the parents of the child just let him disrupt everything," said a Redditor after he yelled at a stranger's baby in a restaurant.

A Redditor found himself annoyed while dining at a restaurant. Not one to enjoy the company of children, he was faced with a child who was disrupting his peace.

Man Yelled at Stranger’s Kid at a Restaurant

The man, who was having dinner with his friends, was seated next to a table with a child. He admitted that he didn't like being around children for long periods, including his nieces and nephews.

The child was quite noisy, just like every other kid, and his parents were OK with it. The man initially tried to ignore the boy as he continued to chat with his friends, but that didn't work. Then the child got out of his chair and started running around the restaurant. At some point, the man got up to go the restroom and on his way, the child bumped into him, and that became the last straw for the man.

“Get away from me, you [expletive]!” shouted the man at the child, who started to cry. The boy returned to his parents, who lost their cool upon seeing their child in tears. They yelled at the man for screaming at the boy, and he retaliated by telling them to control their child better.

The heated argument caught everyone's attention in the restaurant and continued until the manager intervened. After settling the bill, the Redditor immediately left the restaurant with his friends, but to his surprise, they didn't take his side. They believed he was wrong for yelling at the child. This prompted the Redditor to seek the opinion of others on the platform, and one of them said:

"YTA. Say the same thing to an adult who accidentally bumps into you and see what happens. Whether you like kids isn't the issue, it's your abysmal social skills."

Most Redditors bashed the man for cursing the child and for his lack of tolerance for children. They also believed he reacted that way because he was already averse to children, to begin with.

Is It Normal to Dislike Other People’s Children?

A Mumsnet user, Dollydaydream97, asked users of the platform if it was normal to dislike other people's children. She said that it's not like she is "horrible" to children, but she doesn't prioritize being around them. The woman also revealed she was pregnant, and it might be the hormones that made her feel that way.

Most people said that they also felt the same way. They only like their children and don't like being around other people's kids. One user said that they like being around children if they are on good terms with their parents. Another user commented:

"I feel really awkward around other people’s kids to be fair. Every so often they’ll be a really funny one that I like but in general I wish they’d leave me alone. Love my own DS dearly and I can’t get enough of him. It’s different with your own."

Most users also believed it's different with their own children. Becoming a parent naturally makes people love their kids, and they don't mind being around them. Some people also start loving other people's kids and don't mind spending time with them.

A person asked Quora users what it meant when someone says they don't like children except their own. The most upvoted comment supposed that some people consider themselves "kid-unfriendly" and feel awkward around other people's children because they are noisy, untidy, and always need help. These people are most likely going to turn down babysitting and teaching jobs, and they won't go the extra mile to entertain someone else's kid. Neither will they plan to have a baby.

However, when they become parents, they will fall in love with the tiny version of themselves and start caring for the child, without a care if they are messy, needy, or noisy. Still, that doesn't mean they will begin loving other people's kids immediately.

The Feeling Doesn’t Always Go Away

The Quora user asked the original poster to give the new parent some time, and they will start liking other children too. "You will start liking children once you have your own," they said, and she believed it. However, when she stepped out of her house for the first time after becoming a mother, she realized her feelings hadn't changed. She loved her own kids but didn't feel the same about the ones she didn't know.

Meanwhile, Gemma Hartley's story on Romper revealed that she grew up with kids around her since her mother ran a daycare at home. She always saw other people's children being noisy and messy inside her house, making her dislike kids.

When she had her own children, she thought things would change, but they didn't. She still disliked other people's children except for her friends' kids. That's mainly because they mingle with her children while she spends time with her friends.

There are many dilemmas that parents face, one of the most discussed questions is if it is reasonable to ask your children to pay rent. Click here to read what people had to say.