it's not life that matters but the journey...

Everyone's terrified of 'upsetting' children, but having to learn how to behave is part of life. Children who aren't taught this become miserable. I know kids have meltdowns sometimes, but perhaps they're not ready for restaurants if this is the case, and should go when they're older instead! If this places limitations on parents, then that's a shame, but it's part of the package.

I think kids get a lot of mixed messages these days, and are asked to reason in a way they are not developed enough to do, or given choices in everything that they aren't up to making. It's not fair on them - they need to learn boundaries and rules, and it's not fair on everyone else.