A woman was asked to clean up her own child's vomit in a child cafe. What would you do in this situation?
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ANSWERS: 59
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Personally I dont think that this is an unreasonable request considering that it is her child. I mean if you look at it from the workers point of view I think its a bit much to ask them to clean up some kids vomit?!? If I was the mother though I would probably be a little annoyed as I would be more concerned about getting my sick child home.
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As the employee, if she doesn't clean it up I'd hang up a "No Children, No Exceptions" sign. As the mother, I'd order a Mocha and clean it as best I could. When my drink was ready, I'd leave a big tip. As the child, I'd make my mother's life a living hell and dump a load in my trousers. As a customer, I'd stare at the vomit, and stare at my Caramel Latte. Than subtly enough to be subtle, but obvious enough to be noticed, I'd sniff my Latte. As someone who didn't come for a coffee, but is there waiting for a friend, I'd stand to the side and wonder to myself, "Child cafe? What does that mean? Do they serve only children? But they have such fancy coffees here!"
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Personally, I would probably clean up the vomit and apologize... but I am just that way. If I was a business owner I would not ask her to clean it up... cleaning up disgusting things that your customers do is part of the job. You don't ask them to come and clean the bathrooms after they take a poop in them and you shouldn't ask them to clean up vomit either.
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I would clean it up. I wouldn't expect somone else, especially a stranger to clean up a mess that my child made.
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I am a manager of an Applebee's, and speaking professionally, it'd be nice to see the parents take a little more responsibilty for that kinda stuff, since I do with my children, but as a manager my priority is to get it cleaned up before some other customer gets a whiff and deposits his Steak and Riblets all over his wife's nice new Nascar shirt(this is not a stereotype, these people really do come out to eat.) So often I end up doing it myself since the average 18 yr. old hostess will spew her own cookies if I send her over there. Anyways thats what I'd do.
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If my child made the mess or the vomit I would clean it up.
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walk out and say "it's YOUR cafe, and it was probably YOUR food that made my child sick, so YOU can clean it up!"
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Yes i would clean it up.My mother too cleaned my vomit.It is the duty of every loving mother.
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I wouldn't have had to been asked to clean it up. I wouldn't even take my child out when he's sick, but if it was one of those fluke incidents, I would have immediately gotten something to clean it with. I don't need to be told how to clean a mess that's mine.
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I would clean it up, but! I'm not gonna bust my arse making it spotless for them. That's their job. That's one of the reason's why they have employee's.
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I would take a picture using my mobile phone.
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Well, first of all, any eating establishment that specialises in catering to children should be prepared for this type of situation. Secondly, the manager should actually encourage the parent to remove the child in order to prevent a recurrence - any parent knows that when a child starts to throw up , there's more where that came from (sorry if that grossed anybody out.) Thirdly, if it happened to me, I would ask the staff to clean it up, if they weren't already doing so, because they have the equipment and supplies to do so and I don't. I would also give a large tip to whichever staff member was starting to clean it up as I hurried my child out to the car and back home. I have left large tips (and a verbal 'I'm so sorry') before when my children have accidentally spilled stuff that staff had to clean up - it's only fair and it's good for the staff to know that SOME customers do appreciate that their job sometimes involves unpleasant tasks.
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My daughter has vomited in a restaurant before (when she was about 5 or so). I ran her to the bathroom quick and left them to clean it up. I was honestly more concerned about cleaning her up than their floor.
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I would have cleaned it up without being asked. If I was the owner, I would have cleaned it up for the customer so that they could tend to their sick child. I've cleaned up vomit before, and it's not the end of the world.
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hey, if my child puked, I'd clean it up. After all, it is my child. I have certainly cleaned up a lot of puke since having children. I would however hope that the staff would bring me towels and cleaner... or that great powder stuff school have that dries it up... and then a vacuum to finish it up!!
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I don't think it's unreasonable to ask parent to clean his/her own child's vomit up. When I worked in a video rental store, people would bring their kids and let them run around. I have seen a child vomit in that store on more than one occasion. The parents would often run away, and not even mention that there was a mess. Usually, some other customer would tell us that somebody's kid puked in whatever section of the store, and then it would be up to us poor shmucks making minimum wage to clean it up! That pissed me off completely. It's your kid, it's their puke - at least freakin offer to help.
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if i were the woman i would clean it up theres no reason not to
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No. They have a cleaning crew. I have a sick child to take home.
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Let her do it. I don't change her little demon seed's diapers either!
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i think it depends on if the child puked loads or not. as a father of a 2yo and a nursery worker i know how often children puke, if it was just an "iate too much" puke then yes the parent should clean it. if however it was projectile or serious puke requirering medical help then the parents ONLY responsibility is to the child and the staff should clean it up without even thinking about it!
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the one time my son puked in public, he had just had shots, and i panicked thinking he was having an allergic reaction, so i very apologetically left the mess as it was, explaining i had to get him *right* back over to the doctor's office. if i wasn't in panic mode, i'd be cleaning it up. vomit can be a method of spreading disease, so it's unreasonable to expect employees (even employees where kids are expected) to clean it up and risk getting sick themselves. if the kid puked at home, mom would be cleaning it up.. what changes about being in public?
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I would feel guilty leaving my child vomit for someone else to clean, and I would clean it up before someone had the chance to ask me too.
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Theres no question about it you clean it. Ask for some napkins which they will be more than happy to supply.
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It is your child...so yes you should clean it. You are in an eating establishment and they are not there to clean those messes up when the parent is very capable of doing it. They would supply you with the things you needed to clean it up.
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She probably felt embarassed and abused. I would clean it with or without being told
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be thankful you are cleaning it up, otherwise they would just add it to the next day's Stew.
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If it came from my kid I would clean it up.
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In this situation i would try to help clean it up, but also this is partly what the employees are payed to do. thats why cofie and crap is so damn expensive to pay for the employees. i have worked in several fast food stores and i could describe stuff i had to clean that would make you sick but it was my job and what i was payed to do. if they didn't want to clean up puke they should go to school and get a better job or be thankful its only puke they are cleaning.
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a kid was sick in a resturant i worked in and they EXPECTED me 2 clean it up, i have a thing with sick babies or adults it makes me feel sick , i feel sick now! BUT customers do come 1st and they are eating or drinking y should that be interupted? i did not clean up the childs sick but my collegue did but i think the mother (or father) should have at least offered 2 clean it up them selves! i would if it was my child **shudders** but would quickly accept an offer from a member of staff to do it 4me
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kick her in the neck? just joking well if its your job you have to deal with it or quit you job...
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If it is my child i would clean it up. caz I wouldn't clean others.
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Do my business in the middle of the floor, next to the richest looking patrons I could find.
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My daughter has been sick at a restaurant before. The first thing I did was get up and ask an employee for some rags so I could clean it up, the asked for our order to-go.
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I ain't cleaning it up FOR her, if that's what you're asking...
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I would clean up my kids vomit.
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I would definitely clean my child's vomit in public places. I bet we all wouldn't want to clean each others puck anyway.
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Just give me enough paper towels. I"ll clean it myself. My child , my responsibility.
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Clean it up
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Use it as an excuse to make small talk with the closest single MILF.
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If I worked in a cafe i would clear up someones vomit. Parents responsibility!!!!!
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I can't believe she had to be asked. I can't imagine leaving this for the workers in the cafe . She is the kind of person that shouldn't have children and pass on these values.
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Personally, i wouldn't need to be asked. if my child vomits it my responsibility to clean it. plain and simple. no need for a paragraph answer like te ones ive been reading.
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my son threw up at chuck e cheese once and they helped clean it up. I would not clean that up, its their job. edit: I love how all the parents here say they would clean up the vomit with no questions asked. PEOPLE if your kid was really sick or choked which can cause puking or had an allergic reaction, MY FIRST PRIORITY as a mother would be to make sure my kid was OK!!! Once I had gone to thebathroom and washed up my poor kid and made sure he was ok, then attended to my other kids who at this point need my attention as well, then go back out to the table once my kids are ok then if the staff LEFT the puke there and my kids were calm and ok, then i woould offer to help, but how can u parents here say you would clean it up when u your priority should be the sick child. what if you have other kids w/ u as well and u are there alone? i think someone in the caffe should be NICE ENOUGH to help you, please. Maybe you ppl are use to being slaves at home but not me. my kids come first, not their puked up mess.
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I would clean my own childs puke. I wouldnt expect an employee to clean it up. Now if they came with a mop and bucket and insisted on it then fine. But if they only had paper towels to clean it I would clean it up.
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I would probably clean it myself, if it was my child, but I would be concerned if the restaurant did not thoroughly disinfect the area before allowing another person to sit there. I would hate to think I was sitting at a table which had been puked on, and which had not been thoroughly cleaned (not that I am saying that mothers do not thoroughly clean up, but I am sure they do not carry the correct types of disinfectant with them, and will, of course, be having to manage a sick child at the same time as cleaning up). But, think for a minute - who cleans up after sick drunks? They are not responsible for doing it.
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I wouldn't have to be asked. I'd start cleaning it up immediately! This is a restaraunt, where other's are eating!!
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I have always offered. I know how hard waitstaff works, or retail staff or anyone else out in public. I think the general public frequently treats janitorial staff appallingly inhumanely. I have always asked for a mop and bucket to clean it up myself, but no staff has ever allowed me to do it. I think mostly, just treating people kindly is all most people want. When you treat someone kindly, they usually are happy to clean it up and let you get your sick child home where you can make them comfortable. My child had 15 months of chemo, and she threw up often. We had to travel to another state for some of her care, so there often was no choice but to stop for something to eat. I never ran across anyone who wasn't concerned about her and trying to help any way they could.
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I wouldn't even consider anyone else cleaning it up but myself. The people around don't know what your kid has eaten and possibly he/she is contagious. Why would anyone expect a stranger to clean up an infectious, possibly dangerous bodily fluid? Because they're getting paid?? NO! It is not in the job description that an employee must clean up bodily fluid. They have every right to refuse to go near it. I refused at every job I've had if a kid/person puked or peed. I wouldn't do it.
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Why WOULDN'T she want to clean it up? It's her mess. Why are people so self-centered these days they can't even take responsibility for their own families? I wouldn't imagine asking or EXPECTING someone else to clean up after my sick kids. That's crazy talk.
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did this cafe have cleaners on their staff???
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I would be miffed, as cleaning stuff up is part of the employees' job, but I would be a bit embarassed and concerned about my child, so I'd just clean it up. Cleaning up the child's messes is part of a mom's job description. So I'd grab a towel, clean it up, and head home.
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Hey sure no problem bring me the supplies! and i would apologize im too proud to have someone else clean up after me- i always clean up the table before i leave i get a box so i dont leave food behind either. if my kids already vomiting its not because of the food that they havnt even digested yet.So it aint for someone else to clean up.
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Clean it up its your kid
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Watch her cleaning it or arguing about it or if I'm lucky - both.
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I would say, "Fine, I'll clean it up... and I'm sorry, but this is your job here. You are supposed to make the customer's experience as comfortable and happy as possible." It is a bit rediculous that they asked her to do such a thing.
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I'D CLEAN UP MY OWN CHILD'S VOMIT - HAVE DONE IT. WAITRESSES WERE NOT HIRED TO DO THIS.
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This is truly a question I can answer with experience. My 4 year old son has had severe vomiting issues since he was 3 months old (Projectile), he continues to have episodes at least 3-5 times per week. We have had him tested for everything and the docs still don't know whats wrong with him. There have been countless times where I have had him in a restaurant and he has vomited, not to mention he did it on an airplane too (it was awful. But.... in my experiences I don't want anyone else to clean it up. With so much illness going around, germs, etc... I have always cleaned my sons vomit up, I have never felt right asking someone else to do it. I clean up the bulk of it and if they need to run a mop at the end then that's fine.
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i would clean it up
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Clean it up... actually, I would have asked for the things to clean it up in the first place, I wouldn't have wanted anybody else to have to.
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