Re: the kids in the restaurant thing... it really depends upon the kids - or more important, the parents. I've seen parents that just let their kids run wild - like my sister, who wisely doesn't take her almost 3 year-old out to restaurants anymore.
I was lucky - my son was great @ restaurants from birth. We took him everywhere with us and he was always the "perfect little man" at the table. Then came along his sister who was in the "terribles 2's" from the time she could speak all the way until she was nearly 5. lol We were spoiled with the first, but with the 2nd - no, we didn't go out to "nice" restaurants.
I agree - I cringe everytime I see kids running about, screaming and/or yelling and the parents doing nothing to correct/stop it or LEAVE. I wouldn't have been OK with ruining everyone else's dinner like that.
Re: taking the wife/kids out for Valentine's Day dinner - again I'd have to say it depends upon the wife... we've done this in the past and I've been very cool with it. In fact, we've taken the kids out for our anniversary dinner as well. We're very close so that's cool - it would have felt funny NOT to have had them with us. But we do things that are "just for mom and dad" - like movies, trips, shopping days and lunches. You've got to have that one-on-one time as well. It's important.
