Hellobee Boards

I don't plan on allowing my kids to play games on devices, especially at the dinner table. I do understand that sometimes as parents we ask a lot of them to stay seated in a public restaurant for an hour or longer. I try my best to keep snacks readily available and actively engage him throughout dinner. If dinner runs later than planned, and he has been well behaved throughout, I will allow him to watch a show on my phone. Volume is very low and barely audible to me sitting next to him. It keeps him happy and entertained while we finish dinner.

I think that's really rude of them. I understand wanting to entertain your kids so that they don't cause a ruckus, but not at the expense of bothering other ppl. I feel like ppl can be very oblivious to others and it drives me nuts.

I really don't know. As someone who currently doesn't have kids, it's easy for me to say, no, never, children will learn to behave at a restaurant and it's a good time for the family to talk and engage with each other, not tune each other out with loud video games. That's certainly how I feel now. BUT, being realistic I know there will be times that I'll resort to things I said I would never do just to have a moment's peace, you know?

Still, it seems at school age like that, the kids would be old enough to sit and eat with the adults, and at the very least, wear headphones or turn off the sound. I would have been really annoyed too, though I probably would have just sat there annoyed and not asked them to be quiet or to be reseated, then been annoyed at myself for not doing something.

People can let their kids play games as long as it doesn't ruin my meal. None of my business. So it would have been nice if the kids could've used headphones or turned the volume off.

Nope! DH and I both think electronics are not ok. Kids can learn patience. They can read. They can be bored. They can talk to each other. Video games at dinner are inappropriate

Eta: for our kids. I don't give a crap about other kids as long as they don't interrupt our meal

I'm not ok with them at a table at all; I believe kids should be able to sit still and have a meal and learn to occupy themselves with electronics.
That being said: if they honestly weren't cooperating, then *maybe* I'd let them use it but absolutely without sound!

@yoursilverlining: +1

I've eaten in restaurants many times when parents have just allowed their kids to run through the restaurant. Not okay in my mind, regardless of how much the parents want to eat their meal in peace. It's the parents' job to make sure their kids are disrupting everyone else, I guarantee no one went to that restaurant to listen to your kid play Super Mario on High.