I agree with you completely about the waitress. I think he's trying to combat the issue of chronically irritating kids -- the ones the parents ignore or tacitly encourage.

I try really hard not to be irritated by kids being kids -- when their parents are being parents and are actively dealing with them. I'm not a kid person, so this has always been an issue for me. My heart goes out to parents who are handling kids in the middle of a meltdown, and they have to navigate their way out of the situation while trying to restore peace. It's the ones who turn a blind eye that make me insane.