Overheard:
My son has only eaten out at fast food places with play places.
He asked today to go to a Chinese place. Don't know where he got that from. So tomorrow I'll take him. If he does not behave we will leave.
I'm a tad jumpy about this. He's never been to a place that expects kids to behave.
But he's 4.5 now, so is it time to see how he does in a place that does not have a drive though line?
I have so many things to say about this, but all of them would be judgemental and mean. So "no comment" is all you get.
ReplyDeleteThat is not fun.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with her not having taken her kid somewhere "sit-down" before. I think she's in for a possible rude awakening if her kid has never had Chinese food before. :-) But seriously, at 4.5 all she has to do is explain "this is how we're going to sit, this is what we're going to eat, and you can't play there. We'll go play after." Big freakin' deal, ya know?
ReplyDeleteI think to a certain degree, you get out of your kids what you expect of them. If you have the expectation that your children will learn to behave properly in public, you will probably have children that learn to behave properly in public. But if you assume that kids can't be taken anywhere that isn't made for kids, you won't do what is necessary to teach them to behave.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a certain child-centeredness that comes through in story - catering your life around your child, rather than your child being raised to fit into your family, and learn to live in the world as it is. Obviously having a child or children means you do make changes to how you live, but there is a point where that goes too far (IMO) and you begin trying to make the world conform to your child, not teaching your child to live in the world.
And yeah, how wild does your 4.5 year old have to be that you aren't sure if they'll be able to handle a meal at a regular restaurant?
I like what Claire said. And if she can't have her 4.5 year old sit and behave at a restaurant...I wonder how dinner is at HOME!
ReplyDeleteokay, here goes...
ReplyDeleteFamily dining tables are the practice ground for eating out. Children are not perfect, but if they're allowed to scream, talk, throw food, etc. at the family dinner table, then it's to be expected that they'll "perform" the same way in a restaurant -- be it fast food or Sit down dining.
Honestly, some of the children i see at McDonalds should never be allowed out of their homes.
Crawling back in my cave now so you can all find me to cyber-slap me...
I think you're right on Paganne.
ReplyDeleteI don't get that from the OP at all. She says he has only "eaten out" at places with play spaces. I assume that means they eat at home much of the rest of the time, and that the worry is that he associates "restaurant" with "playtime". It may only be once a month that the kid goes out to eat, in which case I say bravo to this mother for not making eating out the norm! He may be perfectly behaved at home, or he may spend every meal hypnotized by the tv, who knows? I just don't think it's reasonable to jump from "his restaurant experiences involve play" to "he must never be able to sit still during meals".
ReplyDelete