Kids Gone Wild

Confession: I let my kids play with the little sugar packets, jelly cups, creamers, or any other random thing on a restaurant table, to occupy them.

I never used to do this. I used to actually cringe when I would see parents doing it. I'd spew out such pearls of wisdom as "I'm never going to let my kids behave like that in public" and "if that were my child (insert any ridiculous, smug, non parent, comment here)". As a former waitress, I'd picked up more than my fair share of crackers, french fries, and assorted other goodies from underneath tables. I tried to be sympathetic because it's my nature, but inside I always said "not my kid..."

Fast forward to the modern era. The era I like to call PC (post children), though it is anything but. I bring the huge bag with the crayons, and the sticky placemats, and the cheerios, and everything but the kitchen sink, into the eating establishment, to keep them from causing the kind of chaos that can only be had when you go out to eat. But they don't want any of that stuff. That is stuff they can play with any old time. No, they want to play with the forbidden stuff. The tabletop treasures that they can only get at a restaurant.

So, there you are. You are sitting with your children, they are exhibiting what can only be described as model behavior, having flung only half of their food onto the floor. You notice a few stares, perhaps a comment muttered under the breath by an obviously childless person.Perhaps you even get an obscene finger gesture. Okay the last one is actually me, but that's besides the point. If my children are not being loud, annoying, getting up from their seats to run amok, why does it irritate people if I let them spread a few sugar packets out on the table, or build a jelly tower. It's not as if I am not going to clean it all up. Sometimes I just wish people would mind their own business.

So what is your take on taking kids to restaurants? We have a few family friendly in our area which I would happily take the kids to. My husband on the other hand, he would rather forgo dining out altogether until perhaps their high school graduation dinners.

Let's be clear here. I am not talking about taking them to The Four Seasons. I am not talking about letting them run laps around the tables while others are dining. There is simply no excuse for that. Unless of course mommy has one too many margarita's and can no longer be held accountable for the actions of her kids. But, in a place like Friendly's or The Pop Shop, there has to be some expectation that it might be a little noisy, and that yes, there may be kids smooshing crackers on the table. If you don't like it, go somewhere else, somewhere that doesn't cater to families, or better yet stay home.