I would desperately love to point the finger at someone else's parenting, but I'm afraid Matt and I get all the credit for the worst 15 minutes in parenting we've done in a while.
Granted, everything is relative- our children were not physically abused, left alone or mauled by wild animals due to our negligence. So in perspective, it's really not totally horrible- just mildly embarassing.
On Saturday, Matt and I took the boys to Ikea. I wanted to get some cheap flatware for Passover. (Why I was shopping for a new kosher flatware set on Shabbas, remains a mystery). Nevertheless, we decided to eat at the Potbelly sandwich place after our shopping. I took the boys over first while Matt was checking out of Ikea so we could get a headstart on ordering food.
Food ordering went fine, if albeit complicated. Why are the servers there mystified when I order 3 sandwiches for myself. If they would just lower the damn counter there, they would see I'm not alone. Anyway, I digress..
So, food was ready and paid for. We turned around to find a table. All indoor seating was full. Nate happily suggested we sit outside. I made a move to go outside, when Matt spotted a man getting up from a small, bar table. He grabbed it. Nate started to complain. He wanted outside. MAtt succumbed and agreed to sit outside with Nate. I protested- I had a very complicated system to ordering food. 3 different sandwiches with different halves for everyone. Plus, Nate and I were splitting a bottle of water. So separating did not work. Nevertheless, Nate and Matt made a move to exit outside.
Jacob then decided to flip out about the high table. He wanted a booth. At that magic moment, a booth opened up. So I sat down, with a slick move involving a full tray of food. NOthing hit the ground. Jacob emitted more shrieks. "NOT THIS BOOTH!!! I WANT A SOFT BOOTH!"
WTF?!?!?!?!
Matt, who has no tolerance for Jacob's shrieks, was busily trying to arrange the sandwich halves so everyone got what they wanted. Suddenly, a different booth opened up. I stupidly got up to sit there. Was this the freaking 'soft' booth? Nope- More shrieks from Jacob. All eyes in the restaurant watched us. "What else would the lame parents do to appease their whiny brats of kids? How long would they keep up the game of Musical Tables?"
"Jacob, if you don't stop shrieking, you will lose your milkshake!" (Potbelly makes awesome milkshakes)
At this point, I was so angry and embarrased that my family could not do something so simple as pick a table, sit down and eat lunch, I shoved the tray into Matt's hands, picked up Jacob and stormed outside. Nate happily followed. I grabbed my salad and started to eat, ignoring Jacob's full-blown tantrum.
Matt can't ignore shrieking. He grabbed Jacob and went into scary dad mode. They he caved completely and told Jacob he would take him inside and eat at a booth with him. My protests that he was caving to a 3 year old fell on deaf ears. They went in; Nate and I ate outside. My salad might have been delicious, but "fuming" is not a good dressing. It was tasteless.
Why did our toddler have any say at all, let alone, the say in where we sat? Whew, normally tantrums don't bother me in public cause it is not my fault, and I usually handle it pretty well. (I have lots of practice thanks to Jacob). BUt this time, I was so embarassed. We handled ourselves and the tantrums so poorly, we got what we deserved.
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2 comments:
Hmmm., this sounds so familiar. After going to the mall close to lunch time, and then pushing my 3 yr old unil he's exhausted and hungry, so we end up in the mall McDonalds...b/c my 3 yr old intsisted on it. Oh yes, and I have the baby, and there's zero seating that's going to be somewhat private or comfortable for nursing my now hungry and cranky 3 month old. And I sit there, looking at my husband thinking why in god's name are we at mcdonald's, a place we NEVER ate at before we had kids, and when we KNOW the only thing he's going to eat w/out a fight is french fries. One stupid parenting decision after another leading to a situation I didn't want to be in, but am only in due to my own poor choices. Not to say you made bad choices - sometimes, with tantrums, there aren't any good choices, it's all about just getting through it.
SO true, I never ate at McDonalds until I had kids
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