So you think it’s okay for someone to grab YOUR food off YOUR plate at a restaurant with his slobbering hands? And you would eat said food? I’m sorry, but when I’m paying for food at a restaurant, I expeect it to be free of all slobber other than my own. But you’re welcome to let some strangers kid eat your food.

Being childless myself, I naturally feel entitled to dispense sage advice on childrearing. I confess, until recently, I was one of those “tut tut”ers when I saw a child buried in a tablet at a restaurant.

Gentleman caller and lady friend are 1000% acceptable at all times.

Once I and another staff member watched a 2-3 year old boy wander over and start pulling the slips from the books on hold, as is the way of his people.

The “deaf to my child” parents are pretty much the worst, you know why? Because good ol’ fashioned Nature designed our species to give a shit about squalling infants. For years, I would have the sensation of milk letdown when someone else’s child would cry. As social animals, we aren’t inured to the obvious needs of a…

I’ve been team kid from day one. All of the adults in this story are shitty. Each one in their own special shitty way. Kids who get caught in the crossfire of a situation they unintentionally instigate by being kids make my heart hurt. Adults! Start fucking adulting!

Once, we were at a restaurant with family, and I handed my son his DS as soon as grown-up conversation started. My aunt glanced over. “We didn’t have those when we were raising children.” I braced myself for a ‘screen time’ tirade. Instead, she sighed.

Send them my way, I don’t have time for that shit. I brought Orlando airport to a stop one Christmas when a fucking TSA agent told my autistic neice to get in line and behave and, when told she had autism said, “Well she doesn’t look disabled.”

Lady Friend is cool, right?

now that i have firmly inserted myself into this relationship i would like to voice my support of the nixation of lover

I have the same ages, two boys. Whenever I read articles about screen time I roll my fucking eyes. Dear everyone, this iPhone is the only reason my toddler is sitting in absolute silence because I promise you it never happens otherwise.

Pardon my french, but fuck that bitch...

I am the mother of a child with Aspergers. Though he’s quite chill and polite now, he alternated between an angel and a fucking monster from the time he was born until he was four. Lest you think I’m exaggerating, he exasperated pretty much anyone who had to deal with him during one of his meltdowns.

‘lovingly misplace their respective shit’

I work at a library, so you can bet that I feel your pain.

Holy crap I hope the manager threw her out for dumping coffee on the floor.

I wouldn’t normally think my perspective on this is that worth sharing, but you specifically asked for opinions, so here you go.

My wife and I consistently have discussions as to whether it’s worth going out to eat with our 2 and 4 year old kids. It’s a crap-shoot at this age. Sometimes they’re happy and distractable and other times they’re fairly inconsolable.

That’s really the key here: are the parents making an effort?