This is messed up

[Apex]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?se...cal&id=8959527

Cliff Notes:
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A waiter at a restaurant near downtown took a stand for a special needs child. On Wednesday night he greeted two groups of regulars -- Kim Castillo and her family, and another group who sat in the adjacent booth.

"So we were sitting there and all of a sudden I noticed that the family across from us got up and moved to the back of the restaurant," Castillo said. "I thought, I wonder if they're moving because of us?"

The Castillo group included five-year-old Milo, who has Down syndrome. But neither Milo's mom Kim nor Garcia (the waiter) could have imagined why the other family moved.

Garcia recalled, "I didn't think much of it until I heard him say, 'Special needs children need to be special somewhere else.'"

After hearing that, Garcia just reacted.

"It was very disturbing," he said. "My personal feelings just took over and I told this man, 'I'm sorry, I can't serve you.'"

Some people are just messed up. Good on the waiter. I would have wanted to punch them...

[CynicalC]

I've done it before, and I've also asked people to get their kids under control (politely and not so politely.) Just because you might be immune to the noise your little bastard kids make doesn't mean an entire restaurant should be forced to endure it. Now obviously a great deal more patience and understanding is need with a special needs kid, but this doesn't mean you get a free pass. In this situation, changing tables if possible is the right thing to do. The comment, however, was in poor taste.

In fact, I can't imagine this being the first time the special needs parent has been in a situation like this, and probably would have been more understanding...

[Apex]

Originally Posted by CynicalC

I've done it before, and I've also asked people to get their kids under control (politely and not so politely.) Just because you might be immune to the noise your little bastard kids make doesn't mean an entire restaurant should be forced to endure it. Now obviously a great deal more patience and understanding is need with a special needs kid, but this doesn't mean you get a free pass. In this situation, changing tables if possible is the right thing to do. The comment, however, was in poor taste.

In fact, I can't imagine this being the first time the special needs parent has been in a situation like this, and probably would have been more understanding...

I agree. Some parents let their kids run wild in restaurants. I'd move too. The comment is what did it for me. If they simply asked to move to a different table, no big deal. The comment was totally uncalled for.

[CynicalC]

Uncalled for, sure. But it's something they might want to start getting used to. They're gonna have a tough time if they don't grow a thicker skin, because the world is a cruel place and isn't gonna change any time soon.

[ChaoSS]

Seems to me that the comment was made after they moved, presumably when the other family couldn't hear it. Honestly, I wonder what kind of restaurant was it anyway?

I have kids, not special needs kids, but when they are at the age where they make a lot of noise, we don't take them out to eat with us. Even older kids don't get to go places that aren't already noisy, like Applebees or other places where noise is accepted. It sucks sometimes, but that's the breaks when you have a kid. When you have a special needs kid, sometimes you should just accept the fact that you shouldn't be certain places, because kids are annoying, and special needs kids are annoying for a longer period of time. If that means that you never get to go out to eat, because you don't have anyone who is equipped to baby sit a special needs kid, so be it. Not all of us have baby sitters we trust with normal children.


Maybe the comment was out of line, but likely, so was bringing the kid into the restaurant in the first place.

[Daks]

This is a weird thing for me because while the comment singles out the special needs of the child and sounds deplorable when she could have just said loud kids don't belong in a restaurant, I've been at the receiving end of a parent of a special needs child that expected me to accept and endure the presence of their kid. They expect me to give them things that are mine for free and make special arrangements and greetings and attention.

It's a kid. There's all this malarkey about how the parents just want their kid to be treated like a "normal" child but they're the first to get all defensive when you tell the kid to stop trying to pull your hair or taking your food or you don't act like the king is on parade.

Anyhow, parent shouldn't have brought a loud kid into a restaurant, special or not. The woman who asked to be moved made a socially unacceptable comment.

Doesn't need to be front page news.

[Apex]

I do somewhat question the one-sided story. The media did paint it in the way where the kid was the angel. I agree though...the comment was wrong on all levels, but still...like you said @Daks, not front page news.