My husband took our family away over the weekend for my birthday. On the way home from our trip we stopped off at my favorite restaurant for my birthday dinner. Cheesecake Factory. Now going out to eat as a family of 6 soon to be family of 7 is a luxury, not only because of the expense but because it’s alot with 4 children.
All excited about this special meal, we were seated at a booth, ordered our food and then it happened…..
A family with 2 children sat in the booth behind my kids booth. This is how we ate our meal.
Now I do not claim to have perfect children but my children know the rules and standing up peering over a booth watching other people eat is RUDE!!!!!!
Throughout are meal they stood there watching us, breathing over my children’s heads, my kids were aggravated and so was I! I motioned several times with my finger in a circle motion for them to turn around and then the mother peered over the booth and she saw me do this motion and didn’t say a word to her kids!!!! OK, now I see why they act like this, no instruction obviously!
Or how about trying to enjoy a meal in a restaurant where children have cried or screamed the whole time, I do not understand why the rest of us should listen to that when trying to enjoy a meal. If my kids act up I take them outside and wait for them to calm down, to me that is being respectful.
I remember as a kid if I was acting up my mother gave me “the look” and I knew I had better stop or there is a consequence.
What happened to discipline? Doesn’t that shape our children into good character? As a parent we are to give proper loving instruction, right? Doesn’t correction shape them into good adults? Kid’s peering over our booth while we eat it wrong and the parent’s should have said something to them to sit down!
A few tips to make eating out with children enjoyable:
Make sure they have napped prior to going to a restaurant.
Call ahead or make reservations on-line so that the wait isn’t long before sitting down.
Go at off times, maybe a bit earlier or later than there would be a crowd so that way you can get in and out quicker.
When we got out to eat on the rare occasions I order my children’s meal immediately that way they are not antsy for long. They eat while they wait for the adults meal to come and and the littler one’s that are antsy are typically still eating while we are eating.
Keep pens or crayons in your purse or diaper page with paper just in case the restaurant doesn’t have kid’s coloring menu’s.
Play a game while you wait for your food: I-Spy or ask them about their day, etc.
Most of all enjoy your time as a family!
This is why I wanted to go to this restaurant and what I was looking forward to…..
My nice big salad
and Oreo cheesecake!
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