Round 3: Restaurants Banning Kids

In the first of our "Round 3" mini-podcasts on specific parenting topics, Katherine Lee, who writes about parenting school-age children at childparenting.about.com, joined Terri for a discussion of restaurants that ban kids -- and the kind of kid behavior that makes bans look like a good idea. If you are That Mom who comes unprepared and doesn't at least appear to be trying to calm your child, we're looking at you (although Terri is doing so with a little bit of sympathy and guilt). But we also offer some suggestions on how to handle restaurant (and airplane) outings without driving your fellow patrons to distraction, even if it's simply knowing how to make a quick getaway. Do you have opinions on restaurant bans, or great tips for restaurant survival? Share them in the comments. And for more child-wrangling ideas, read these articles from Katherine and Terri:

• Don't Be THAT Family - 7 Restaurant Manners Your Kids Should Know
• Going Somewhere? 12 Things to Put in an Activity Bag for Kids
• 10 Tips for Flying with Children
• How to Reduce Child Turbulence on Plane Flights
• 10 Tips for Dining Out with a Child with Special Needs
• "Staging" Your Child for Success

(If you're reading this description somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)