Mom Berated For Bringing Her Crying Baby To A Texas Restaurant — 'Why Are You Here?'
You don't have to like it, but babies and the people who care for them are allowed to go out in public.
Japan Photos / Canva Pro Most of us have been annoyed by a crying baby in a public place at one time or another, whether it be in a restaurant, on a plane, or in a grocery store. One Texas woman, however, took her frustrations to a whole other level in a viral video that has sharply divided people online.
The mom was berated by another customer for bringing her crying baby to a restaurant.
The incident happened in an Austin, Texas restaurant where a mom known as prettyinpink000000 on TikTok, her baby, and her friends had been dining.
The baby can be heard fussing and crying in the background of the video. What can also be heard, however, is the baby's mom paying for the bill — the group is clearly on their way out of the restaurant.
That did not seem to matter to the adjacent customer, whom many online have labeled a "Karen" for the way she repeatedly berated the mom for her baby's fussing.
The woman called the mom an 'idiot' and repeatedly told her to 'get your baby out of the bar.'
Most of us remember the classic line in "Sweet Home Alabama" when a bewildered Reese Witherspoon says to an old friend, "You have a baby! … in a bar!..." Many online were reminded of this scene because of the angry customer's repeated rebuking of the mom for having her baby in the bar area.
"Get your baby out of the bar," the woman, who sounded intoxicated, scolded. "Why would you do that?"
But the establishment is clearly not a bar but rather a restaurant with a bar inside — like nearly every restaurant has, including family eateries like, say, Applebee's, where kids are a given.
It's also worth noting that it's also perfectly normal in most of the world outside the US to bring kids to pubs, bars, and restaurants, which are considered community hangouts. Babies and kids are part of their communities, after all — even if some people would rather they weren't.
But this woman was definitely not on that side of the debate. She escalated her screed, derisively scoffing "You're 22, get out!" The mom snapped back that she was actually 27, but it seemed to have no effect.
The angry woman began hurling profanity at the mom. “You’re an idiot… get your [expletive] kid out of the bar!" During the altercation, the mom could be heard again telling her that they were paying their bill and about to leave, though the woman paid no mind.
Bystanders and employees finally intervened, and the angry woman was asked to leave.
A woman sitting in the background who watched with obviously escalating anger finally got up and stormed over to intervene. "You need to leave," she told the woman, "you're harassing them and they have children."
When the woman protested, seemingly implying that it was immoral to have a baby in the bar area, the bystander exclaimed, "You're drunk! Leave!"
Finally, a man who appeared to be a waiter intervened, but by this time the mom and her friends were already on their way out the door. "She's scared," the mom said to the waiter, referring to her baby's reaction to the woman berating her, "so we're gonna go."
It shouldn't be controversial to say this, but new moms and babies are allowed to be in public and shouldn't be berated when they do so.
People online were sharply divided about this incident, with many feeling like the drunk woman, belligerent as she was, had a point. Even some parents chimed in to say that they would never allow their own children to have a meltdown in a restaurant.
Fair enough — there's no denying that having to listen to a baby scream through a meal in a restaurant is annoying. But that's not what was happening here, near as we can tell.
The mom was PAYING HER BILL when the obviously drunk woman decided to berate her. The problem was already being rectified.
There was no reason for the woman to make an issue of it, and many others saw the altercation as indicative of an all too common, cruel, and ridiculous vitriol that so many people have toward parents and their kids nowadays.
Yes, parents should have the courtesy to not subject others to their kids' meltdowns. But I say this as a person who is childless on purpose because I don't want to be bothered with listening to a baby scream ever: Babies are human beings who are allowed to exist in public.
You don't have to like it, but parents don't owe it to you to hide in a broom closet for a decade until their kids can handle a quiet meal — and they certainly don't need to listen to you hurl profanity at them in public. Get over yourself, grow up, eat your lunch, and leave people alone.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice, and human interest topics.