When my sister lived in Ocala, Fla., she sent me a column written by a psychologist/columnist there. He advocated barring children from restaurants because he thought their behavior had become too disruptive and distractive. He created a storm of protests.
To me, it seemed strange to bar a child from any activity where he needs training for adult life. It would be like barring him from the bedroom for snoring.
Education is all about preparing children for adult life, and dining in public is a common activity our whole life through. I have seen tables full of adult drunks and birthday partiers as disruptive as any unruly child and certainly setting a bad example for children.
From my observation, the children who need instruction on proper restaurant behavior are the streakers, peekers and shriekers.
Streakers are those who run at full throttle throughout the restaurant. I am amazed that more of them are not hurt, and they pose a special danger to waiters and waitresses carrying large trays of food over the heads. I have seen parents grin over this behavior, which indicates a black hole of ignorance swirling around in the center of their heads.