Restaurant Rodeo

I realize that kids will make noise in restaurants. And on those occasions, most people know which ones truly are kid friendly and which ones aren’t.

For the most part, we haven’t feared eating in public with our toddler. She generally does pretty well, usually squealing with delight and avoiding her food, as she’s too busy observing all the activity around her.

But recently, we crossed a threshold I hoped we never would—the “there’s absolutely nothing you can do to keep your toddler from screaming and squirming the entire time she is in the restaurant” phase.

We recently met some family members at a favorite eatery on Capitol Hill.

There was nothing that could keep our toddler calm and still. So, in order to avoid being asked to leave (which we probably should have just done anyway) my husband and I took turns. One would walk outside with her, where she was completely happy, while the other would visit with family and inhale food at a record pace. I’m talking Guinness World Records pace.

It was something like we had never seen. Even when walking outside, thinking she had collected herself and calmed down, we tried to convince her to return to the restaurant, bribing her with food, etc. But again she would become agitated and scream.

Maybe she just wasn’t pleased with the lighting? No, that can’t possibly be it. We even did something we swore we’d never do—pulled out our iPhones and quickly loaded a movie via Netflix. Even her favorite little video didn’t calm this storm.

I think we’ve just hit that phase of toddler-time where anything that seems confining, such as sitting in a high chair at a restaurant, isn’t going to be something that she’ll have patience for.

So, on the way home, my husband and I agreed to a temporary lapse in eating in public with her. I realize we have to help her overcome this phase, but I’d rather be able to eat at some of these establishments for years to come.

For now, we’ll only be eating out when we have a babysitter. This doesn’t mean I will be annoyed or inconvenienced by other children who are having a rough day. I will sympathize with my fellow parents and hope that some day, eating out as a family will be a tantrum-less affair.