Eating Out

It's hard to believe that just three years ago Dave and I were eating out with no kids. Now our eating out experience looks a little different. It's rare that we take all three kids along, but when we do it's an adventure. Tricky, yes - but we have so much fun! Kids act so differently than adults at a restaurant. They do things I would never do. The last time we took the kids out to eat five differences stood out to me.

1. I would never:

...jump into the waitress' arms for a giant bear hug as soon as we walk in. George did. She didn't mind. It wasn't until she seated us that I realized she was still carrying him.

2. In all the times I've been to a restaurant I KNOW I've never:

...taken a nap under the table. But it's not Peter's fault. I'm the one who put him there. As Baby #3, he tends to get stashed wherever we can find a relatively dark, quiet spot. (I did put a blanket down.)

3. I generally don't:

...insist on seeing the person who cooked my food to tell him, "Thank you for the spaghetti. It was de-YIS-is!" William is a very thankful boy. He thought some random person stopped what they were doing, ran into the kitchen, and made spaghetti just for him. He was quite impressed.

4. I have left the to-go bad on the table before, but I've never left:

...my shoes. It's something I personally would definitely notice, but I guess one-year-old's don't. Thankfully Dave noticed them as we were walking out.

5. Before we had kids Dave would always throw out a casual, "Thanks," to the waitress as we left a restaurant. Now we ALWAYS have to say:

"Sorry for the mess."

Our kids tend to be pretty well behaved when we eat out, but I truly feel sorry for whoever has to clean up after us. I do it everyday so I feel their pain. But we haven't been banned from any restaurants yet. Just another fun family experience!