It's nice to see that this thread has maintained an even keel.
Glad to see members respect other differing opinions while strongly arguing their own side with courtesy and empathy.
I fall somewhere between the middle of the extremes. I try to FULLY appreciate the issues a small percentage of children present. I acknowledge that parents of these children need to expose the kids to outside environments. When performed as Bandy described, it would be evident to me as a patron that the parents were dealing with a special circumstance, and I would resist the urge to get frustrated and angry. However, on the other coin, there are PLENTY of parents that get a Dx of autism and then completely use that crutch to ignore their responsibility as a parent to prevent unnecessary disturbances. Ignoring an autistic child in an uncommon environment prevents the benefit that these type parents claim to use as the reason for exposure. We have ALL seen those cases.
I imagine from the emotional and honest replies in this thread that our members that are actually facing these challenges fall into the catagory Bandy has described. For those of you who are ACTIVELY participating in parenting your child ( even if the child is over 18), I applaud your efforts and will quietly eat my meal and silently admire your work. My empathy for your situation will overcome my anger/frustration/stress/distractions.
For those of you who have a crappy kid.... whose child gets Dx'd with ADHD or autism because you are a crappy parent or have crappy teachers who are to busy texting/talking/drinking to give your child a proper example and guidance.... who use the excuse of a half assed Dx of ADHD or autism by a school nurse or counselor to justify your crappy parenting skills leading to a major disturbance around you... Get the HELL out of the restaurant.
BTW- I take my children to the restroom and administer discipline ( boy or girl) when in public. That is only if the pinch/squeeze/skull claw/or death look don't work first.
