Another post got me thinking...(cleaning up after your kids in public)

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• by
  • kk_bella
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 8:43 AM

• I almost always clean it up. If part of the mess is too small to pick up with my hands (for example, if a vaccum cleaner is needed) then I leave it and leave a bigger tip.

  But I try not to let them make a mess in the first place.
  

  
  

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• by
  • Nanna22
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 8:46 AM

• It is just common courtesy.  Yes I always did it when my kids were little.  I now do it with my grandkids. 

  We love camping - we do not camp in established camp grounds - so the rule is - you packed it in - you pack it out. 

  I also look at it this way: you are teaching your children. If they see you doing things like this  they will hopefully be more inclined to do it themselves when they are old enough to understand!!
  

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• by
  • othermom
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 8:48 AM

• If it is a big mess then yes e definatly clean it up. But if the kids drop one or two small things, usually we don't, especially if we are at a booth in a resturant.When camping, fishing, ect we clean up all we bring.

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• by
  • alwaysyoung
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 8:49 AM

• 
  

  Quoting 4kidz916:
  
  

  I do the same.  It's the respectful thing to do.

  
  

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• by
  • kerrysmom
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 8:52 AM

• I do this all the time.. No matter where we go..  If we go to a nice place to eat we will pile up the dishes to make it easier for the waitress..  If there are crumbs on the table I wipe it down..  This one family style place we go every Saturday I even go as far as getting the rag behind the counter..  I guess it's just the way I was brought up..  Yeah, I know it's the job of the wait staff to do this but I don't mind..

  Jeanine

  
  

  

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• by
  • two4one
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 9:03 AM

• We always clean up the messes our kids make.

   Mom of twins

  
  

  Peyton and Mackenzie~11/22/04
  

  
  

  

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• by
  • 1sttimemommy198
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 9:08 AM

• We try to clean as much as possible up off the floor and clean the table up as much as possible.  

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• by
  • Leslie2164
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 9:12 AM

• My husband and I have both worked in the food industry in the past.  We don't clean up after our kids in restaurants.  We have taught them to clean up after themselves.  They are not messy eaters.  If they drop something on the floor, they pick it up and put it on the table until we finish.  When we are through eating, we all stack our plates and silverware, and use a napkin to wipe the table.  Even our kids will notice when other people leave a huge mess for the staff to clean up.  And they usually comment about it.  Do those kids' parents allow them to make a mess like that and leave it at home?  Who cleans up after them?  When we are at home or someone elses house, our kids clean up after themselves.  If they don't eat everything on their plate, they take it to Dad - they don't just leave it on the table.

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• by
  • MamaCeleste0722
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 9:22 AM

• Yes. At fastfood, I throw eveything around. Big crumbs on the floor I also pick up. At a sit down restaurant, I pile up the dishes, and try to make it where it's easier for the people to clean it. As far as the floor, big crumbs, I do clean those off the floor as well.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• by
  • highbridgemom
  on Jul. 4, 2009 at 9:22 AM

• I've taught my older boys to clear up after themselves.  Still working on that concept with 4 yr old SS.  He's a hard one!  We don't allow them to play with ketchup or salt, etc.  The older boys are allowed to get their own, but the younger, we give him what he needs.  He's 4, he would shake the whole shaker of salt out just to shake the container LOL  So we don't let him get into that situation. 

  My DH works in the food industry.  So, we try to leave the resteraunt in the condition we found it in, or as close to it as we can with no cleaning supplies.  If the kids do make a mess and we cant clean it up ourselves, we adjust the tip accordingly.  Kids spill, that's just a fact of life.  But we try to show them that they are responsible for their own messes.

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