What would you do if you saw kids acting inappropriately in a fast food place, where they might be hurt?

I would have grabbed the little brats, twisted their ears, and gave them a big kick in the rumps! Lol.

Seriously, I would have walked over to the mother and told her what her kids were doing, and that she needed to tend to them or else they might get hurt, or hurt someone else and then she’d have a lawsuit on her hands. If that didn’t work, I’d resort to my first suggestion. (just kidding——though I’d love to) Going over and tellling the brats myself, in a firm manner, would work too.

I have, on occasion, actually gotten in the kid’s face and told them to “settle down” or “hey, you need to be careful or you might hit someone!” So far, I’ve never had to yell, and usually other people see and hear me, then the staff or the parent finally gets a clue and jumps in to stop them. Usually the parent then screams at the kid.

Management should’ve stepped out and told the mom that her children where not allowed to play in the resturaunt because it was a liablilty issue. If she didn’t stop them then they should’ve asked them to leave.
Now once said. If the mom protested than I would’ve told the manager that if they get hurt I will be happy to testify that they were asked to stop and the mom ignored the resquest and it was plain to everyone but her that they were being reckless and endangering others.

I would call the manager, and if no response, call the police.

I would ask myself why I would be in the fast food place in the first place. And the reason better be damn good!

Managment SHOULD have stepped in, but personally, I was raised in a deaf household, and all deaf friends of my parents would somehow step in and parent me from time to time. Especially when I did something wrong (go figure). So I do think my childhood past would have kicked in and said something.
Also my Grandfather did have a big influence in my life and he has a certain bluntness about him, in his older age (which started in somewhere in the B.C. era). In Olive Garden he saw kids acting up the entire dinner and made a comment to the parents when he left. His comment went a little like this, “If you can’t keep your kids under control, please don’t bring them out to a restaurant and ruin everyone’s dinner.”
My comment would have been along those lines to the mother.

I would have given the boys that why are you acting like animals look. But I wouldn’t have said anything. Just the look.

We get what we deserve when we eat at those crap holes. As long as the little bastards don’t knock my drink into my lap they can run through a window.

@woodcutter As you are well aware, I hate little brats, especially brats like the ones described here aged 9 and 12. lol

tsk tsk, hate is an awful sounding word..feels even worse.

@woodcutter Well, lol, when you get my message you will understand why! ;)

we gotta stop meeting like this

@woodcutter Well, I could only relate that story in PM. Kinda embarrassing and humiliating ya know. lol….sigh.

I would have told the kids to stop doing what they were doing because they could get hurt. I would have done it nicely. I would then have alerted the mother to what her children were up to so she knew they were in danger. Again, nicely and not in a judgemental way.

I would rather make sure kids don’t get hurt than worry about someone getting their knickers in a twist because I said something. Sometimes, people are distracted (as this mother was) or stupid. I once saw this little kid (about three years old) running along the top of a very large drop down a sharp slope. The kid would have been killed if she had gone a foot or two further over and her parents weren’t doing anything. I didn’t touch the child but told the parents she could fall and they grabbed her making some comment about “oh she’s fine”.

Better safe than sorry.

If you have to remind parents their kids are misbehaving you are already on the losing end of that conversation.

@woodcutter Why not just give the kid a good smack?! lol

violence isn’t the answer. It will condition them at an early age that hitting is acceptable so they do it to middle age-ish men on the street sometimes in the form of a humiliating kick in the crotch.

@woodcutter With some incorrigible brats, that’s the only answer——a good whack or shake. Hehe.

Not to be nosy but did your parent do that?

@woodcutter Never. My Dad spanked me maybe once or twice (as I can remember), but that was it. I was a naturally good kid.

Oh ok. It seems you might have a violent streak in you by the way you say things, is all.

@woodcutter Lol. I’m a very peaceful fellow. I abhor violence. Stick and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt.

Good question.
If the kids bumped into me, I would have said something along the lines of, “Hey guys? Please be careful.” I would have said it loud enough for Mom to hear. If they kept it up I would have said, “Stop it! I’ll tell your Mama!” That usually does it. If they bumped into someone else….I would let that person handle it. Sometimes a fat lip in public or a bump on the head is the best way to teach kids about consequences. If Mom is irresponsible, no comment from me or anyone else is going to make her wise up. She’d blow it off and think you were rude. However, an embarrassing moment where she looks like an inept parent has more of an impact. As long as it’s not life threatening, I don’t get involved. It’s not my place.

I think a simple “be careful” would both be effective and not be overstepping boundaries in most cases. If they seemed to be really in danger, you might politely approach the mother. I think it’s always wise to be careful when talking to other people about their kids as parents tend to put up their guard as soon as it seem their parenting is being questioned, but if it’s for the sake of the kids’ safety the parents would probably really appreciate it. Sometimes even the eyes in the backs of parents heads don’t work all the time, I guess.