Screaming Meanies

As my husband and I are sitting down to a nice meal in a not-too-cheap Cantonese and Sushi restaurant recently (looking forward to a quiet dinner), I am guilty of the oh-no-eye-roll as the hostess seats the booth next to us with two parents and three children under the age of 4. I do this because I suspect what will happen to my quiet dinner. I wasn’t wrong.


Now, I’ve heard talk here and there on the web that small children should be banned from restaurants and I do not agree. Families have a right to eat out just as anyone else. That being said, I also think that other patrons of the restaurant have a right to a dinner sans children screaming, crying or in our case, banging a spoon on the table for nearly 40 minutes.

I love kids, don’t get me wrong, but what I don’t love is parents that do absolutely nothing to quiet, comfort or remove their screaming children (or perhaps just take the spoon away). Kids will be kids and parents, well, you had the kids and it’s your job to teach them how to behave in a public restaurant. Becoming a parent involves sacrifices, not mine, yours. Common courtesy should be the words of the day….and before you tell me that I have forgotten that I was a child once too, I will tell you that I certainly was never allowed to act out in a restaurant (or any public place), throw food, run around between the tables, scream or throw a tantrum. I do remember being a child; I spent some time being escorted outside until I could calm down before going back to my seat.

We all know it’s hard, hell impossible sometimes to keep all the children cool and calm. We get it, just asking for some actual parenting. If it at least looks like you’re trying, I’m good. Oh and maybe you replace the banging spoon with a breadstick or something?

Santa's Lap

Why is it that kids get so excited to see Santa and so terrified to sit on his lap?

It's an age-old tradition to visit Santa and tell him what you wish for at Christmas. When I was really small, of course, I don't remember screaming though my mother says I did.  When I was a bit older, I remember being so excited and nervous and then chickening out when I got close up on line after waiting for 45 minutes.  Mom wasn't pleased!  When I finally got there, motivately only by threats that I wouldn't get anything if I didn't tell him what I wanted, I made it through but he smelled funny and no one I knew had a big hairy beard like that. I do remember the wonder of it and I thought he had a very nice voice. For the most part, I wasn't traumatized.....some kids aren't that lucky.  How about you? (picture from www.humor-articles.com)

No More Tears

Although, I have a hairdressing background, it was a long time ago that I stood behind the chair. When I heard recently that Johnson and Johnson were being questioned about the ingredients in their baby shampoo, I thought of a boss I had at one time who insisted that the shampoo had novocaine in it and that was the reason it didn’t hurt baby’s eyes. Novocaine, really? … she said her mother told her that, and she believed it.


Obviously that’s crazy but, we were taught in school that J & J had simply balanced the PH of the shampoo so that it wouldn’t be alkaline or acidic and that was the secret of the “no more tears”.

Now, consumers and activists have pressured J & J enough apparently, that they are now, according to the Huffington Post, “continuing efforts to remove traces of two harmful chemicals from its baby products around the world.” The two chemicals, 1,4-dioxane and quaternium-15 are the ones in question now although J& J have removed other dangerous chemicals and ingredients from their baby products before. The worry is in the fact that babies have more sensitive and highly permeable skin than adults which contributes to higher health risks. J& J has no known plans to remove these chemicals from their adult product lines at this time.

To read the Huffington Post article in full: http://tinyurl.com/br9ntja