Taking small children out into the wild is not for the faint of heart. Children are still learning the rules of society and many of them take delight in refusing to follow them. Good parents understand that both learning and rebellion are natural parts of growing up.
Empathy and compassion are sorely lacking when it comes to children. The truth of the matter is that compassion is often harder for children who live with special needs. One mother recently shed tears reflecting on the way her family — including her autistic son — was treated while out to eat at a restaurant.
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'T' said she went out because she was tired and didn't feel like cooking.
TikToker @city.belleee, who uses the name "T" on the platform, is a single mother of two boys, including a 5-year-old son with autism. She recently took to TikTok to recount an evening that left her feeling judged and unwelcome. T, who lives in Texas, wiped tears from her eyes as she described the way her evening went awry.
“So I took me and my kids out to Rouxpour because I didn’t feel like cooking. I wanted oysters and I just wanted to chill,” she explained. T shared that her youngest, Carter, is mostly well-behaved. But, like many young children, he has random outbursts.
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'They all look back with this face,' T said of her fellow restaurant goers.
T says that Carter occasionally screams. “I guess it was too much for people that were sitting in there.” T acknowledged that her son was loud but she also made every effort to calm him down.
“I don’t let my kids just run out of control,” T explained. “But it’s just me.” Though the other restaurant patrons could see that she was alone, it didn’t stop them from shooting T daggers with their eyes and finding other ways to express their disappointment.
“This table, they all look back. It had to be eight of them. They all look back with this face,” she continued. T said another mother at the table of eight covered her ears to shield herself from the noise.
Feeling unwelcome, T decided to leave.
Eventually, the manager came over to T’s table. He said simply, “The noise.” T explained that her son was autistic. But apparently, it wasn’t enough. “He just did not give a f—,” T said. Feeling unwelcome, T told the manager that she was ready for the check and that she and her family were leaving.
Getting increasingly emotional, T said that she hoped the family stumbled upon this. “Y’all need to be more understanding, seriously. It’s so many kids that are being diagnosed with autism. I am trying my best. So what? I can’t go anywhere because my son is autistic?” T asked.
Some felt compassion for T and others felt for the other diners.
T’s video went viral and it caused quite a bit of debate. While there were those who sympathized with her and felt the restaurant and its patrons could have handled the situation better, there were those who thought that others guests shouldn’t have to be inconvenienced.
“I am so sorry you went through that, you did not deserve that at all!” one fellow TikTok user wrote. “Your response is valid.”
“This is quite the dilemma,” another TikToker shared. “I feel u wholeheartedly but those people want to enjoy their meals in peace. This is a hard one.”
'Call corporate,' one TikTok user advised.
Other people weren’t so kind about it. One X user wrote: “Girl, drop his a– off…Y’all are so unaware and think everyone should accommodate YOU and the extensions of you. It’s odd.”
Others believe people need more than empathy. “No they don’t need to be more understanding,” another TikToker wrote. “They need to be MORE EDUCATED!!!! I’m so sorry this happened to you. Call corporate.”
Regardless of how anyone sees this situation, we can all acknowledge that this mother shouldn’t have been made to feel unwelcome with her children. Being annoyed in public doesn’t warrant attempting to shame a mother simply trying to enjoy a dining experience.
