Turquoise table & Sardinian Iced Tea.
I was totally that mom while out for a bite to eat yesterday. Since she's down to one nap a day, Alice can be a little unpredictable when it comes to her moods in the afternoon. Sometimes she's a complete delight! Other times, she's a hot mess. And she definitely fell into the "hot mess" category yesterday.
Even though it was a tad chilly we decided to head downtown after Alice's nap to do some sight-seeing and to meet up with one of my mommy friends and her baby. Of course Alice was totally not into the sight-seeing part and seemed hungry so we found a quiet street and an adorable restaurant called Coppa for some food and drink. We decided to sit outside so as not to disturb the other diners at this tiny South End restaurant. And Alice enjoyed toddling on the patio, eating handfuls of bread, and pretending to use a fork while watching the world go by around her.
That lasted for all of five minutes.
Then she didn't want to be in the high chair! Or in my arms. Or in Amanda's arms. She was squirming all over the place and whining all the while. Luckily a man with three dogs walked by and was kind enough to let Alice tug on their fur for a few minutes while I figured out what to do. I thought about pulling the plug on our afternoon outing and heading home but my friend was already on her way so I decided we'd stick it out. And since the wind had picked up a bit, we moved our party to an inside table.
Thank god the restaurant was mostly empty.
Alice was only happy when she was allowed to completely roam free and then she explored almost every inch of that restaurant! My sister was a lifesaver and kept her entertained as best she could while I sucked down my afternoon cocktail(s) and caught up with my friend. Alice may not have been the best influence as shortly after seeing her take charge of the restaurant, my friend's baby followed suit and then there were babies crawling and walking all over the place.
Normally I would never let Alice crawl and walk all over a restaurant. And before having a kid, I totally would've talked shit about the mom that let her kid do that. But Alice wasn't screaming. And I was determined to finish my cocktail, so crawl and walk she did.
I was totally that mom yesterday.
"See, Tia Amanda? This is how you use a fork."
Reading posts like this really makes me think about the behind the scenes drama that goes on when you see kid moments that make you do a double take.. so easy to think "oh, I'd never do that!" when it's not you.
ReplyDeleteYour best is all you can do! :)
I got a good laugh at your comments. The Doctor (pediatrician) in our office was reading over my shoulder, he laughed and said he's done that too.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had your sister to watch over the kids, while you had a chance to relax. xo
Oh, man! That is the WORST when that happens. I would have done the same thing (and have, on many occasions!). I think people are probably less judgmental than you think... or at least, I am now!
ReplyDeleteRestaurants always seem like a fantastic idea and instead they're usually stressful. My friend has a kid who loves food so much that he just sits and eats and eats forever and it's relaxing. We go out with them and Wyatt gobbles up what he wants and then announces he's all done and wants out. He's just not a dining out kind of kid- maybe we'll get lucky and it will change, but you'll get no judgement from me!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how unforgiving you can be without ever having been in someone's shoes. I think having a baby is a really great lesson in not judging people. When you aren't a parent and you're outside of the situation, everything is very black and white. You don't factor in whether or not naps have been taken, whether or not friends you don't see every day are on their way, whether or not it really matters at the end of the day if a kid is allowed to walk around a restaurant. I think kids should be taught to be respectful but at the same time I think we have to also respect that they're people, too, and it's note entirely fair to box them into adult behaviors when they are still very much kids. And I don't think it's our job as parents to stay home until our children are silent, clean dinner guests.. Kids exist and parents still want to eat. Everyone can get over themselves. :)
ReplyDeleteI cant count the number of things I used to judge other people about how they dealt with their kids before I had one. I just never realised how hard it was & how sometimes you've just got to go with whatever the tiny dictator wants. People are going to judge, there's nothing you can do about it but have another cocktail. I think you handled the situation well x
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