--- title: "Woman encounters screaming child at fine dining restaurant, urges parents to ‘practise at home first’" url: "/trending-now/woman-encounters-screaming-child-fine-dining-restaurant-urges-parents-practise-home-first" published: "2026-10-15T08:57:34.000Z" updated: "2026-10-15T09:31:00.000Z" section: "Trending Now" authors: ["Trixy Toh"] tags: ["TNP News","mother","screaming","fine dining","ipad","kids","children"] --- # Woman encounters screaming child at fine dining restaurant, urges parents to ‘practise at home first’ *After encountering a screaming child at a fine dining restaurant, a mother took to social media to share her views on bringing children to such establishments, urging parents to “practise at home first”.* After encountering a screaming child at a fine dining restaurant, a mother took to social media to share her views on bringing children to such establishments, urging parents to “practise at home first”. In a TikTok video posted on Oct 14, user @workingwithmonolids, whose real name is Francesca, shared her views on the issue, with a family seen in the background as a child’s cries can be heard. The video has since amassed over 630,000 views and 1,000 comments, sparking debate over whether young children belong in fine dining restaurants. ## ‘Practise at home first’ Filming herself in selfie mode, Francesca captures a family seated at a table behind her, with a child screaming in the background. A girl wearing a pink shirt is seen standing on a chair, while an adult seated next to her reaches out in what appears to be an attempt to console the child. “I’m a huge proponent of taking kids out for fine dining,” reads the on-screen caption. However, Francesca adds that if a child cannot eat without screaming or watching an iPad without headphones, “maybe don’t take them out.” “Practise at home first,” she says. ![mother fine dining kids screaming iPad](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/stomp/284b8146cf065bd2e3bd287b68db0a91f0324fe840eb5f3c02c1634809fd1ea0) *“Practise at home first,” she says.* In her caption, she describes it as a “culture shock” that the child’s parents appear to be unbothered by the behaviour. She adds that she has been bringing her daughter to fine dining restaurants since she was three months old. “We leave if she screams. That’s just the polite thing to do,” she says. ## ‘Inconsiderate’: Mum says kid was jumping on chair, iPad blasted at full volume Speaking to Stomp, Francesca said she was dining at Aurora restaurant atop Shanghai Disney Hotel when she witnessed the incident. The 38-year-old TikToker and stay-at-home mother said there were three adults and one child at the table, but the child — who appeared to be about four to five years old — was “jumping on her chair and screaming on and off the entire meal”. Francesca added that none of the adults took the child outside to calm her down, which she felt was unfair to the child and likely stressful for her. The family apparently also played videos on an iPad at full volume, prompting Francesca to ask the restaurant staff to request that they turn it down. “That’s just inconsiderate,” she said. Francesca shared that she and her husband have been bringing their seven-year-old daughter to fine dining restaurants since she was three months old. When their daughter fusses, they take turns bringing her outside to calm down before returning to the restaurant with her. Describing herself as a “huge fan” of introducing children to fine dining from a young age, Francesca said it allows them to learn how to behave in formal settings However, she stressed that parents must remain engaged and “actively parent” their children. “You can’t expect children to automatically know how to behave,” she said. “If they can’t behave, you definitely need to parent or take them out until they’re calm.” Addressing the debate in the comments section of her video, Francesca said everyone was entitled to their own opinions, but insisted that children’s gender has no bearing on their behaviour. “You can’t blame your kids or their gender for a lack of parenting,” she said. ## Netizens divided about issue Netizens were divided, with some agreeing that it depends on the parents’ and child’s behaviour, while others insist that children do not belong in fine dining settings. One commenter said that while people are not entitled to a child-free world, they questioned whether children should be brought to upscale restaurants. “Some things are for adults only,” they wrote. Another suggested that such restaurants should impose age restrictions on children. A user who identified as a mother said she would not bring her children to a restaurant past 8pm, adding: “There are people who want to just have a calm night and drinks.” One said they would be “mad” if they went to a nice restaurant only to have a child screaming nearby. “I would’ve actually complained. Fine dining is not a place for children,” one said. On the other hand, several commenters agreed with Francesca, saying that it ultimately boils down to parenting and teaching children how to behave in public. One user pointed out that children should practise dining etiquette at regular restaurants before “graduating” to fine dining establishments. Another shared that they brought their children to a steakhouse, describing them as “damn near militant” because they knew they would not get another chance "if a toe was out of line.” Others agreed, saying they practised proper dining etiquette with their children at home every night. “Fine dining with mom and dad will be earned,” another wrote.