Dining Out

Listen to the news lately and you will have heard incident after incident of restaurants "banning" children after a certain hour at night.  I am actually all for it.  (Unfortunately there are also cases of just bad manners and rude behavior but that is not my point today).  I don't want my child to just eat fast food or wrapped food.  Quite the opposite.  I want him to eat at a restaurant that has nice service and atmosphere. 

I know my child.  I know our limitations.  I know that we have made messes but part of the curve has always been to clean it up.  I have been that mom under the table cleaning up spilled food before we leave because it is important.  I have made my son clean up dropped stuff before we leave an establishment.  I always tell him the same thing ~ "This place is here to serve you food, not clean up after you.  We want to be good and kind citizens."  I do not believe this is standard practice.  Before I knew we were a family with sensory issues we tried taking him to restaurants.  And I was the mom to remove him when a melt down happened so the other dinners and staff were not bothered.  Not because I am ashamed of my son, but because I it is a treat for most to dine out and I don't want that treat spoiled by our behavior.

Currently, I don't take my child to restaurants.  He is not able to sit very long, is bothered by crowds, has the wiggles and uses an outside voice more than an inside one.  Not because I don't want him to learn to behave at a nice place but because I know we are not there yet.  He has a struggle sitting at the table at home.  We will get there.  We practice manners at home.  We practice sitting in a chair at dinner for 15 minutes.  We practice quiet voices and using a fork!  When he can do it at home I will take him out to a place that doesn't serve food in a wrapper!  The Today Show mom's posted a good article about dining out with kids.  It all starts at home and then the steps to get to the fancy places.  I'm taking those steps. 

We live on a tight budget.  Going out to dinner means also paying the babysitter.  We do not do it very often.  When we do the last thing we want is to sit next to a table full of children having a hard time.  Even if the parents think things are great; children are loud by nature, they get bored and lack patience.  I love my child and I enjoy seeing children out but the last thing I want when I am going out without him is to sit near a family with unruly children. 


Judge me.

I applaud these restaurants.  I appreciate a restaurant makes this policy.  Besides let me be very honest... children have no business eating out after 8pm anyway.  (After a certain hour of the evening adult conversations and behaviors are not appropriate for children.)