Modern Mom: Dining Out With the Kids

My husband and I eat out with the children pretty often, usually about once a week. We choose places that are kid-friendly, and – for the most part – the kids are pretty well behaved. But last night my father and I took the brood out for an early supper, which they, it seems, mistook for an outing to the playground. My 4-year-old decided she’d be more comfortable sitting under the table than “at” the table. My almost-2-year-old kept standing up in his high chair and reaching over the table so that the chair was tipped on its front legs. The seat belt was no help in restraining him. My 6-year-old was overtired and over-hungry and did whatever he could think of to get his siblings even more riled up. I went back and forth between telling them if they didn’t behave they would go sit in the car (an empty threat to be sure) and trying to ignore their behavior to see if it would stop. I was embarrassed in front of my father, the waitress, and the other diners, and upset that the kids were so out of control. At the end of the meal, we left a big tip and I apologized to the waitress. She looked at me as if I had three eyes and asked me what I was talking about. She said that compared to other kids they were unbelievably well behaved. My father told me I was blowing their behavior out of proportion and kept reminding me that they are little kids and that I might just be expecting too much. Were the waitress and my father being kind? (Or was the former just grateful for a large tip?) Was I in fact overreacting? Hard to tell. My husband wasn’t there to provide a reality check. How do you know whether it’s time to pack up the kids and call it a night or whether you need to take a deep breath and gain some perspective?