The other day on Facebook, there was an interesting conversation started by my friend Meagan at Sunshine and Sippy Cups. She had gone out to eat with her family and the waiter made a highly inappropriate comment to her daughter….let me explain!
The waiter had been playing with her toddler as he passed by. Making little comments, playing peek-a-boo, etc. You know, all those things the waiters try to do to get on your good side so you leave them a good tip. I get it. My kids enjoy the fun waiters, so it makes sense to me. If it keeps my kids entertained and not grumpy, I am all for it!
This waiter went one step too far. He was a younger guy, probably in his early 20′s….not that it matters, but just to help with the visualization I guess. He reached over, tickled Meagan’s daughter and calls her a “sexy girl”. No joke. Who says that to a toddler? How is a toddler sexy?
Now I have been around a lot of people that refer to their children as sexy and while it doesn’t make sense to me, it isn’t a big deal to them. I have heard people refer to their toddler sons as “sexy little man” and things like that.
Why would you say that?
Meagan wasn’t sure what to think after this ordeal. She asked everyone’s opinion and it ended up in a debate. Did the waiter mean it in a sexual way? Probably not. He was being playful. Should he have said that? Absolutely not. Should he be reported? You bet ‘cha! The restaurant manager needs to know.
I asked my husband what he would do if a waiter called our daughter sexy and he said he would have punched him right there in the restaurant.
What would you do if a waiter referred to your toddler as sexy?
About Amber
I would have fake laughed and told him “you know youve done so many UNBELIEVEABLE things for us tonight that I’d like you to get the manager over here so I can let him know all youve done”
then as soon as they were both at the table I wouldve ratted his ass out!! asked for him no to be fired but to be taught to be more appropriate and explained how lucky he is that we are awesome ppl and he didnt get junk punched on the spot. but thats just me
Wow! I probably would have punched him!
One of hubby’s friends from high school made a similar comment about my daughter shortly after she was born. It was something along the lines our daughter being cute and that we should keep her away from him (yeah, he likes to sleep around a lot). It took everything I had not to deck him. And that was the last time we have seen or talked to him! (My daughter is 6 now!)
I think he was trying to be nice to your kid & said something he should not have. I have said something’s in the past (and sure it will happen again) that I immediately regretted and realized it was wrong to say. Sure you should tell him NICELY that he crossed a line so that he does not make that mistake again (I bet he would have apologized since he was a nice enough guy to be engaging with your kid in the first place)….and if it happened again of course get the manager involved! When you are not used to being around kids all of the time you are not in practice of what you can & can not say. I think threatening to punch him or wanting him to lose his job takes it too far. I think it was probably a slip of the tounge, who has not let something slip out in front of a kid once?? Who has never said something they should not have in front of a kid?
SO… I just saw this post – I’ve been out of state, and not online much. This story was about us, and my little girl, and here’s a little more info too – He actually wasn’t even our waiter. He walked by several times, and each time would stop to interact with my little girl – who is almost 2 – and even then it seemed just a little odd? He’d tickle her and stuff, but it was odd to keep stopping when we weren’t his table?
Then, we were paying the bill, and he stopped to play with her again – and called her a sexy little girl. I was speechless! {And if you know me, you know that NEVER happens, lol} – Daddy was pretty pissed, but we just finished signing the check and left. I was seriously shocked… So when I came home, I had posted to FB asking for opinions. I totally get that he probably didn’t mean it badly – But no matter how much I think about it, I still can’t see it EVER being normal to call a child sexy, right?? If it ever happens again, I WILL say something…. It all felt super duper weird….
OH! That makes it even stranger….I thought he was trying to get a good tip! Ugh..strange. I would probably not know what to say and just let it be like you did….so odd. <3 Love ya Meagan…next time feel free to punch him in the face.
I would like to mention something: culture. In my culture (caribbean) calling a child sexy is considered perfectly normal. It is treated the same as saying she is cute. Men and women will tell little toddlers and young girls that they are sexy. I’m not saying I approve of it, but it really may have been a harmless cultural mistake!
That is very true….different cultures have different things that are okay that others may believe are not.