Better safe than sorry is the only thing you can say to that. Well, not the only, but you get the picture.

1. No parent should be stupid enough to send their young child into the bathroom alone.
2. Kids change their mind. I understand why she'd be angry b/c they both ordered water and then took lemonade, but I haven't known a kid that can make up their mind. My little brother used to take 2mins to order a sprite and then cry when he got it b/c that wasn't what he wanted. (Especially when their 2)
3. I understand the order that you have to take care of stuff, but people want to eat at clean tables.

Conclusion: I could never be a waitress b/c I'd be the biggest bitch. (Like I am now ^_^)

Well for the record, I am not a laywer, I just work for one for the moment. At the moment, I'm only working on a criminal justice degree.

I have no problem with people being cautious of for children's sake. However, you stated that bad things happen in restrooms. I simply stated that they rarely do.

Rarely do cases like the Groene case occur either. The only reason you know about the GRoene case is because of the media. Sensationalism sells. It is sensational, because it doesn't occur that often. Fortunately.

"Crime has been on the decline for the last ten years" does not sell papers.

No one ever thinks anything bad will happen to them. They don't except to get in a car wreck, they don't except to get cancer, they don't expect to be struck by lightening, so on and so forth.

Even people who know those things might happen to them, and try to prepare are surprised when it happens.

I'm all for people protecting children. What I'm not for is placebo protections that protect children from nothing just to make their parents feel like they're doing something.

Taking the little boy into the restroom at the store is fine and dandy. But I bet you ten to one that mom doesn't know much about the families of the people he visits, or she lets him ride his bike around on his street without and adult. Both places where he is much, much more likely to be abducted and hurt.

My point was simply that parents don't do themselves or their children any favors by buying into sensationalism and not knowing the REAL facts of when and where their children are most likely to be hurt.

But I suppose that is inconvenient as it doesn't jive with popular opinion and would require parents to actually make an effort to look up the information for themselves. All of which is readily available from the FBI, DOJ, and Bureau of Crime statistics. And numerous other places.

Okay! So, what did you have for dinner last night?

Mia~

No, little kids shouldn't go to the restroom alone. Better safe than sorry.

Yeah, kids change their minds all the time. My kid does it. More so with my parents than with me. He knows I'll make him eat whatever he gets, or let him go hungry if he complains. *evil laughter* However, that mom should pay for the lemonade, not try to steal it. That would annoy me.

I think customers should clean up after themselves. Not leaving garbage laying about and whatnot. Common courtesy. Too bad people these days seem to lack that. However, cleaning up after people is part of the job in the food industry--I suggest this chick learn how to deal with it.

Yeah. She shouldn't have stolen the lemonade. She should have bought a pop or something, then if her kid "had to have or they would die" something else, its not really stealing, short of it being more expensive than the lemonade. Zoso, you sound like a good mother. The parents who let their kids whine and get what they want drive me insane. Sarah, I agree with you that some parents just let their kids wander when they think that they are safe. At home, the neighborhood, etc. That doesn't make sense to me, but then again I will probably be a protective mother. (Coincidentally my youngest brother's name is Hunter too)

I don't have a lot of patience for kids who act like heathens. Which is probably why I'm so uncomfortable around other people's children. My son doesn't throw temper tantrums, back talk, or behave like a rabid monkey in public (or at home). He knows when I say he's in trouble, he's in trouble, and "No" is "No". I don't spank him either, I just follow through if I tell him I'm going to ground him, make him do something (chores he hates), etc.

He still has his moments though. He's a pouter, but since pouting is quiet, I ignore him. When he's mad at me, he goes to his room or doesn't speak to me for awhile. That's fine with me too. Keeps him out of my hair--and keeps him from saying something that will get his butt in deep shit.

However, he slips up, like all kids are bound to do. It happens.

Last week I told him to pick up his room. He asked what he should pick up and I told him clean up the junk in the center, and he could finish it the next day (since it was a weekend). Well, I don't know what he was thinking, but apparently he had a brain lapse and points to this plate size area in the middle of the room that was free of crap and says, "That's clean, mom." I sort of looked at him and he goes on, "It's the center, isn't it." After moments pause (giving him time to realize his error), I told him, "Fine, be a smart ass. Now you can clean the whole damn thing up," and walked off. *smile*

Cool! You're little brother's a Hunter too! That's awesome! It's becoming a more common name. Yay for Hunters!!! Ha ha!