Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

People with kids

May8

We stopped at Applebee’s to grab some dinner the other night.  The restaurant wasn’t busy – there were many open tables in different sections.  They seated us next to a long table of a dozen kids and 6 adults having a birthday party.  The kids weren’t being bad but a dozen kids hopped up on sugar can produce a lot of noise.  A lot.  We couldn’t even have a conversation without coming close to yelling at one another.  Steve was really unhappy.  (I wasn’t thrilled either.)  I reminded him that we are now seen as those people – people with kids.   When we walk in with a toddler, they want to put us somewhere that our child will cause the least disruption to other diners.  That means we will always get the crappy seats.  And I don’t think explaining to them that our child is different will change things.  Sabrina doesn’t cry or screech or squeal – and if she starts, we remove her from the table and walk outside with her.  We’ve only had to remove her a couple of times even though we eat out with some regularity.  She is just a good child.  But it doesn’t matter – whether in a restaurant or on a plane or another public place that noise can be disrupting, we will be seen as people with kids and strike fear in the hearts of those around us.  And I’m afraid baby girl #2 will be a demon child to pay us back for being so spoiled by Miss Sabrina so our days of eating out may come to an end.

posted under parenting
16 Comments to

“People with kids”

  1. On May 8th, 2008 at 9:03 am melany Says:

    Hey – I feel you… but fear that yes, your time will come at some point. Especially once baby 2 gets here. I’ve always marveled at how well behaved my kids seemed compared to others (especially Griff) ~ but if you saw my post last week (Mello Mushroom dinner)… at some point it all hits the fan. And you are totally THAT family. The ones that everyone hopes to not sit by. I’m pretty sure we were a birth control add for any Vandy student that was eating there that night.

  2. On May 8th, 2008 at 9:05 am melany Says:

    Updating my link. Apparently it has been wrong all this time.

  3. On May 8th, 2008 at 9:08 am carla Says:

    that was such a shock to me…when I realized IM NOW THAT PERSON/family unit.

  4. On May 8th, 2008 at 10:37 am TracyMichele Says:

    Before I had kids, I was out to dinner with my friend and her 2 girls. One was always well behaved, the other? Well.. not so much. The youngest was throwing a tantrum and I glanced at the older one (then about 4) and she was shoveling her meal in her mouth. She stopped only to say, “You better hurry up and eat, we will be leaving VERY soon”. hahaha.

    I’m glad to hear you are “one of those people” who actually CARE about those around you and will remove a child if they are being disruptive. Oh if only all parents were as considerate as us, huh? 😉

    Great post.

  5. On May 8th, 2008 at 11:13 am Ashley Says:

    Madeline is the same way – very well behaved. Only once did we have to take her out of a restaurant and that was because she pee’d through her crappy diapers and was uncomfortable. You KNOW I forgot the diaper bag that day. A quick trip to get fresh di-di’s and she came back pleasant and ate her dinner.

    I can’t believe I was one of “those people” who had fear struck in their heart when along came some tots. Although, older children can be real PITA’s too.

  6. On May 8th, 2008 at 1:09 pm TNKerry Says:

    Although I am quite considerate and my kids usually behave well, I have to admit now that I have three kids I would prefer to be seated next to a big group of loud kids – that way no matter what my kids do, noone ever really seems to notice 🙂

    I do remember having only one son and being on a mission to prove that we could still go to nice restaurants with a baby/toddler (he was great and very well-behaved), but once our second son was a toddler we began to choose Mexican restaurants, pizza places and noisier restaurants (like Applebee’s) just so our noise would blend in rather than stand out.

    My how standards change as a family grows…

  7. On May 8th, 2008 at 1:53 pm elle Says:

    My theory is prove people wrong. Our boy is very well behaved in restaurants. He’s throw a tantrum once and winged a bowl off a table once. But for the most part we take him to very nice restaurants and people comment on how well behaved he is. We thank them and agree. I have a certain expectation of how my child should behave and if he choses not to comply we leave. Plain and simple. I figure that I’m the mother and am in charge.

    So with #2 go out. Have a good time and prove them wrong.

  8. On May 8th, 2008 at 3:54 pm Soltana Says:

    Let me tell you about #2… from my experience..

    She is BAD BAD BAD compared to Derek at her age. I guess though she’s learning from him and he has learned that if he doesn’t get caught he can blame it on her. Well he’s upset now becasue she can talk back and say no or tell me if he did it..

    But that’s just me and my little opinion:)

    Have a great day:)

  9. On May 8th, 2008 at 4:02 pm Alleen Says:

    yeah…. I don’t have the laid back one, though she is generally pretty good eating out(and we do it OFTEN). But, once in a while, it’s not good. I’ve only had to get meals to go a couple of times though, thankfully. I also prefer to be near noise so I don’t need to worry.

  10. On May 8th, 2008 at 7:53 pm Tera Says:

    We think that it’s SO strange to now be thought of as “those people” (people with a child/children). We were married for over ten years…no kids…before Emma.

    Emma is extremely busy…not naughty, just busy, spirited and very talkative too. So, eating out can be tough. We used to love to go to quiet eateries…not any longer. :/ Now, I am HAPPY if a restaurant is noisy…because that way, Emma can blend in. We don’t go to sit-down-and-order restaurants very often because not only is it not always considerate to the other diners, I just find it to be very stressful…it’s not very relaxing to try to keep Emma occupied, quiet and busy while we order and wait for food. And, with her feeding issues, we have to feed her at home first and then take her to a restaurant so that we can eat…it just gets to be a lot.

    Yes, it is weird at times to think of myself as “one of those people”.

    One more thing…Happy Mother’s Day to you, Michelle!!! God bless.

  11. On May 8th, 2008 at 8:35 pm crystal Says:

    awww MIchelle you are the cutest!!! I have to tell you girl I said this with every child –“I think our eating out days are over”–

    Then our little love came along and we still ate out the same sometimes more, we just got a little noiser and a lot more looks 🙂 I even tried to justify it telling myself we are teaching them good manners in a restaurant! Ha! Seriously, for the most part they are all pretty good or we usually leave (I am not a good cook!–I loved it when you were posting recipes–:)

    We are TOTALLY THAT FAMILY and I love it –My hubby and I say there will be someday we will dining together in a quiet restaurant and we will miss these days 🙂

  12. On May 8th, 2008 at 8:43 pm Rhonda Says:

    I do find it irritating though that there are alot of parents who do not even attempt to control the loudness of their children when eating out. If I want screeching, I can go to Chuckie Cheese’s! I do have a lot more of a tolerance for the loudness as I have two of those little ones but we have never ever gone out to eat and not had to take our youngest daughter OUT of the restaurant at least ONCE for putting up a fit as she has nasty temper tamtrums and lets everyone know she isn’t happy if she doesn’t get her way. Our older daughter is a gem when it comes to eating out and always has been but then again, she LOVES to eat!!!!!

  13. On May 8th, 2008 at 10:47 pm Jacki Hoover Says:

    I must warn you. Those exact same words came out of my mouth many times. Then Tegan turned 3. It is not the the 2’s. Not two children, not the terrible two’s. But 3!!! Tegan was always well behaved, the model child. Ate well in restaurants, signed in church rather then yelling out for more snacks. Then she turned three and it all went down hill. Now I am numb and helpless. The kind I used to read about in “mothertype” books.

  14. On May 9th, 2008 at 2:35 am Kelly Says:

    You are so funny! I hope you never have to stop eating out.

    When my oldest was a baby, she was like Sabrina. Well-behaved, sweet, easy to take places. And I thought “Damn, I’m good at this mom stuff”

    Then our 2nd was born and I realized I wasn’t good, just lucky! Now with our fourth we are officially those people that the family you are seated next to tries to discreetly roll their eyes at as we are walking over with the host. And it usually turns out to be not without reason!

  15. On May 9th, 2008 at 9:54 am carla Says:

    (checking in and waving HOWDY!)

  16. On May 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm Ashley J Says:

    Yeah… I feel you ! We auctually had a couple refuse a table while
    standing next to us… I was embarrassed until I realized that they got stuck next to a rowdy goup of teens who were louder than the LOUD music. Believe it or not my kids are well behaved when we go out because I threaten their lives and tell them we will not eat out anymore and they love it so much they are good… we have had a few incidents but over all they are good.

    We also do not do Applebee’s on Tues nights because it is kids eat free night and although it sounds more logical for us to be there it auctually makes for a worse scene and the waiters are not happy they are scheduled to work on Tues. The last time we went our waiter told us he hated kids night…

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