An American Mom Visiting Portugal Shares The Sweet Way Restaurant Staff Helped Her Sleeping Toddler
“Kids are not only welcomed but treated with so much kindness in this culture.”
When Nashville mom, Hunter Premo, took a trip to Portugal with her family, she knew that the culture would be different, but she never expected the kind of warm embrace she and her kids got from locals.
In a now-viral video, Promo scans the restaurant she and her family are eating at, noting a small boy on the floor who is asleep.
“I could talk all day about how family-friendly Portugal is, but here's the perfect example,” Premo wrote in text overlay.
“Our waitress saw Rad sleeping in my arms and they made him a bed next to us!?! I could have cried. Kids are not only welcomed but treated with so much kindness in this culture.”
Let’s say it together: “This would never happen in America!”
Okay, whew! That felt good to get that out of my system. Moving on, Premo’s comment section was filled with TikTok users who resonated with Premo’s wistfulness for a culture that accepts families, noting that Portugal just does it better.
“Wow 🤯 this is incredible. Also painful knowing the same doesn’t apply for the states 😭 no wonder shows like Bluely capture the childhood experience so much better vs. US television. More empathy & compassion for parents & children alike. Have a great time!” one user wrote.
“Our same experience! When we were there with our 8 month old, they seated us ‘priority’ over a line wrapped around the block. & customs lets you skip the lines too. Incredible experience!” another noted.
Others felt the frustrating comparison that America just doesn’t quite get it right compared to other countries in the world.
“Meanwhile I went out to dinner last night and they didn’t even have a changing table in the ‘family’ bathroom,” one user wrote.
“The amount of times I couldn’t go into a store because of a sign that said no strollers allowed 😅,” one user from Michigan recalled.
Premo spoke more on the welcoming nature of Portugal on her Instagram post of the same video, writing, “Shared this on stories and so many of you have had the same experience in Portugal. 🤍 Some of the first things I noticed were how everyone smiles at the boys wherever we go, they let you skip lines with kids under 2 at museums and customs etc., and parks everywhere! We are absolutely loving it here and so are the boys. 🌎✈️”
