Mom upset over note from fellow restaurant customers accusing baby of 'ruining' dinner

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BOISE, Idaho — A restaurant manager gave an Idaho mother a free meal after two other customers delivered a scathing note to her table, accusing her baby of "ruining" their dinner.

Katie Leach was eating at a Texas Roadhouse in Nampa, Idaho, with her family when her 10-month-old son began making noise off and on. Her baby just happens to be in a "yelling" stage, she told KTVB News.

"He will yell when I tell him no, when he's super excited and happy or just for no reason at all," Leach told KTVB.

That's exactly what he was doing that evening, she said. Leach told KTVB she and her family made an effort to quiet him, but in the excitement of being in a restaurant around new people, he continued his squealing.

"He was not yelling to be mean or because he was mad, it was purely from excitement and being happy," she said.


Thank you for ruining our dinner with your screaming kid. Sincerely, the table behind you.

–Note from fellow diners


But not everyone in the restaurant appreciated her baby's enthusiasm. About halfway through their dinner, Leach says, two women approached their table, slammed a piece of paper down and walked back to a table just behind theirs.

Leach was shocked when she read the content of the note.

"Thank you for ruining our dinner with your screaming kid," it read. "Sincerely, the table behind you."

When Leach approached the women to explain the situation — that her son was just in a phase and that she was trying to teach him to use his inside voice — they scoffed and insisted their grandchildren never behaved that way, she told KTVB.

Leach explained the situation to the restaurant's manager, who told the women they could finish their dinner but that they needed to leave quietly without bothering Leach and her family again. He apologized to Leach for the incident, paid for her meal and insisted her family was welcome at the restaurant anytime, Leach said.

Leach said she would have understood the women better if her son was older, but insists they should have been more understanding since he's still just a baby.

This kind of controversy isn't new. This summer, a diner owner in Maine sparked a national debate when she screamed at a toddler who wouldn't quiet down at her establishment.

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Jessica Ivins

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