As a single person without children, I seldom give advice regards kids. I DID put in my years as a CCD teacher, and having been a kid myself, however, I have picked up a few tricks along the way. Sometimes the cute 'lil basserds are in restaurants. A lot of times the rug rats are cavorting about in fast food places. Now granted these are not-exactly-the-Ritz-is-it? establishments, but none the less, they are still public eating places, and it's fair enough to expect the adults in charge of them to keep them from acting like little hellions.
I don't know about you, but if if you've lived past age, oh, six, you know that places with plastic type booths are places you can feel every little vibration. So if the little darling behind you, is kicking HER table, YOU are going to feel it. Now, normally in this sort of a situation a parent doesn't need to wait for you to turn around and look at the child, and then the parent with a raised eye...because they're already yelling at the kid to "stop kicking the **** table."
But if mummy is doting on the child, not doing anything, you really want to kill the parent.
Here's the tip, if you really want to stop the behaviour, if little Janie or Bobby doesn't stop kicking whatever after earnest entreaties: take their damn shoes off. Then they can kick away, and with any luck break some toes. They'll be yelling, but they'll also be on the way to the emergency room and will soon be gone. This will also solve the child's "attention deficit disorder" at least as far as kicking things go. Even the stupid children will catch on.
