Restaurant Rigamarole

I critically studied the family at the table just across from us. This particular family included the parents and two children probably around the ages of one and three. The kids were noisy and restless. They were bored and not wanting to sit still while waiting for their food. Mom and Dad were valiantly trying to entertain the kids but slowly loosing the battle as a loud wail erupted from the table and one of the kids took off across the restaurant.

“I don’t know why parents come to regular restaurants with kids that age,” I complained, “especially if they've got kids that rambunctious!”
“I agree,” Trevor said over mouthful of food. “Go to McDonald’s or somewhere that doesn’t require waiting.”

That was a possible situation Trevor and I would’ve been in a mere two years ago. Those are possible things we would have said.

A lot has changed.

On our way to a little family weekend get-a-way on Friday we stopped for supper at a restaurant. Sierra is a good natured, but busy, little girl. We’d been out and about all day and since we almost never go out to eat thought it would be a nice treat to officially start our weekend.

Several factors contributed to it being a trying experience:

1. Sierra didn’t have a lot of play time or run around time during the day.

2. She only had one nap when she normally has two.

3. Our food took 45 minutes to arrive after we’d eaten our appetizer. (a whole other story that got us a discount on our bill!)

Needless to say her patience wasn’t very high, nor was her willingness to sit. We endured an hour and a half of trying to placate our daughter and not disturb the other restaurant patrons. I fed her cookies, let her clean out my purse several times, took her outside to play in the gravel, and read books to her. By the time our food finally arrived (after I threatened to leave) there was no keeping Sierra sitting. So she did laps back and forth in our little section while we ate with one eye her. The food was a least good but we left feeling a little frazzled. As I sat in our vehicle when we drove out of town I distinctly remembered how I used to feel being on the other end of that scenario and thought that it would never be me with unruly kids in public place.

I ate those words and feelings for dessert.