Eating Out with Your Young
How many of you avoid eating in restaurants because you don't want to disrupt others or because it's too much of a hassle?
I just read this piece from Suburban Turmoil (An Open Letter to Fashionable Single Girls Who Spoil My Dinner) and it kind of brought home the point that perhaps parents who like to take their kids out to eat are getting a bad rap.
It also has me thinking about how times have changed. When I was a kid, it was a treat to eat at a restaurant and we knew to behave or else we were gonna get it when we got home. These were special occasions like holidays, birthdays and anniversaries. Now, eating out is what's for dinner. Less folks seem to be cooking at home every night. So, does that mean that it's less special and more run-of-the-mill? Are parents less concerned about the normal behavior of kids when they go out because of this -- they're not afraid to spoil someone's nice dinner? Do non-breeders expect (now more than before) that they'll have to share restaurant space with families?
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Hi Stephanie.
It was fun meeting you at the Camp Baby event.
As for your post… Very interesting topic. There was an age where we didn’t go out to dinner with our son because he was too screamy and ill-behaved. (We saved alot of money at that point. heehee.) But now, he realizes that its a treat to go to dinner. He loves to eat out. He behaves 98% of the time. We seem to avoid the fancy places and go for the family friendly neighborhood places. Usually no problems with obnoxious people of any age. (KNOCK on wood!
From now on whenever I see a braid, I’ll be thinking of YOU. heehee.
Hey! It was good to meet you, too. I just found you on Twitter, too, so I’ll have to stalk you there.
Oh, the braids… so frightening. So glad I have no girls. I would have had to shave their little heads.
I think part of my eating out dilemma when J was little was that his cranky time was everyone else’s dinner time. It was destined to fail… then when he was a toddler he just wanted to run run run run. It would exhaust me just trying to keep up with him and keep him seated as much as I could. I took home lots of to-go boxes while everyone else enjoyed their meals.
I actually surprised myself with my braiding ability.
My guys usually behave pretty well when we go out, but lately William has decided he does NOT need a highchair and screams if we try to put him one. But if they are fussing, we usually remove them until they settle down so we don’t ruin anyone’s dinner.
I have a two year old little girl and we eat out all the time. My best trick when she’s fussing and won’t wait for the food to come is we take trips to the bathroom. She goes with me, then my mom, my sister…whoever. . She just loves to walk through the restaurant and having a destination keeps her from straying. Plus, we love family run diners. They’re quick, cheap, and family friendly.