At the Restaurant

[Rodgera]

My husband and I decided to take our two children, then ages seven
and three, to our favorite "adult" restaurant for the first time. The
younger child refused to stay in her seat and danced around our
table. Her sister, tears rolling down her face, laughed loudly at the
three-year-old's antics and pounded the table.

Beet-red with embarrassment, my husband warned them through clenched
teeth, "If you don't start behaving, you'll never eat out with us again!"

The man at the next table leaned over to his wife. "Look dear," he
said. "Quality time!"

[rrich]

We wanted to go out to a nice restaurant with some neighbors. Our children were staying with the in-laws about 200 miles away. The neighbors were to have a sitter but the sitter cancelled. So we all went to dinner with a pre-toddler.

Food comes and first Mom is trying to deal with the baby. Then dad was trying to deal with the baby. The baby was just plain fussy and probably starting to cut some teeth. I had finished my meal so I offered to hold the baby. After a few minutes the baby goes to sleep on my shoulder. A minute or two Mom looks at me and says, "The guy that wanted to go to dinner without children is the only one that can calm the baby."

[Handyjack]

And to think some restaurants have a "No Children" policy. Pity I would like to take my parents out to dinner.

[rrich]

And to think some restaurants have a "No Children" policy. Pity I would like to take my parents out to dinner.

When my parents were still alive and my two boys were 10 and 12 we all went to dinner. It was a nice restaurant, part of a chain but still a nice restaurant. After we were seated and the adults were sipping drinks, it was obvious that my father really did not want to go out to dinner. The server was gracious but she had to spend 10 minutes just taking our order. Throughout the meal, my father complained about everything.

My parents were leaving to return home directly from the restaurant. Obviously, we were in separate vehicles. As we were driving home, my oldest son asked, "Do Grandma and Grandpa eat in restaurants very often?" I answered, "Why are you asking?" With all the wisdom that a 12 year old could muster he said, "Grandpa doesn't behave very well in a restaurant."