Welcome to another week of #FessUpFriday
This weeks #FessUpFriday instalment comes from Emma from ‘Me And B Make Tea‘. Emma is a 35-year-old blogger from Weston-Super-Mare, She first began blogging to record the food that she made for herself and her little boy ‘B’ , from there her blog began including posts to document the pros of living in such a beautiful country.
The question I pose here is the following: Why do I continually think it is a good idea to eat out with our two year old? Each time we have a horrific meal out, I swear to mr d that we will never, ever, EVER do it again. It just isn’t worth it and a waste of money. Yet something in my brain forgets said incident and a few weeks later I think it’s a good idea to eat out again. He’ll be ok. We’ll take toys, we’ll take the iPad.
In answer to my question, I bother because I like to cling to a slither of hope that we can maintain some sort of normal lifestyle with a toddler! Mr d and I used to eat out a lot pre-b. At least once a week. So when b came along, we vowed not to be parents that hide away at home, fearful to go out – haha! To be fair to b, he is sometimes great. And I guess that is also why I still bother. I try and focus on the times we went out and he sat well, he ate well and he had good table manners. Last night was not one of those moments. We rocked up to our favourite family pub around half 4. Early enough to not be too busy. They split the pub up well in terms of if you arrive with a kid, you get seated in one section and if you arrive without a kid, you get seated in the adult section. It isn’t specifically an adult section, but whenever we’ve been without b, we always sit in that bit and enjoy a nice kid-free evening.
Anyways, so yesterday, thank goodness, we were seated in the child section. It was all going well. I got b a grown up glass of water and a straw and we ordered our food. We did the obligatory colouring and there is a little play section (think small, with mirrors and those beady things you get at the doctors). B was having a little look over there when it was clear he needed a poo – yes we are still at the beginning of potty training but I refuse to stay in all the time. Mr d took b to the loo and it required a whole pants change. Oh well, no drama. All sorted. Although I wanted the floor to open when b went back to the play area and announced really loudly to a mum and her younger little girl, “I did a poo poo in my pants!”. Lovely.
So our food arrived and this is where it started to go downhill. B decided he wasn’t hungry at all. Instead he thought it would be hilarious to do the following, all within quick succession:
Blow bubbles in his drink. Stick his fork in his drink. Eat ketchup and mayo from the little square packets. Squidge his fork in to his veggies. Flick them across the table.
After failing to distract him with iPad/phone/toys and after refusing to listen to mummy and daddy, mr d carried a screaming toddler outside to have a little chat. Now I am a super slow eater and I really, really tried to speed up at this point. Aware that we may leave at any moment haha. Mr d brought b back in and he’d calmed down. We always find removing him from the situation and talking to him, away from the attention of others, kind of resets him. At this point the pub had gotten quite busy with lots of other families and kids. B seemed ok for a few minutes until he spotted a boy in the play bit with a Thomas toy. B wanted this toy and he wasn’t up for negotiation. Several minutes of trying to tell him that no, it wasn’t his toy and no, he couldn’t have it, resulted in him standing there and literally letting rip with the loudest, ear piercing scream I’ve ever heard. It was beyond embarrassing and pretty much everyone turned to us with their faces scrunched up in disgust. Of course their kids never act up in public right 😉 So that was it, meal over and mr d carried b off to the car while mummy finished her sandwich on her own. And it was bliss, five minutes of peace and quiet!
So there, don’t let my experience put you off haha! But that is IT – we are never eating out, ever again…until I forget about yesterday hehe.
I would like to thank Emma for sharing her story with the #FessUpFriday blog series. There have been so many times when my own children have caused a fuss when out and about, I feel for you Emma and like you said yourself ‘don’t let it put you off for future outings!’.
2 comments
I enjoyed reading this. I must be lucky as Sylvia has always been well behaved when we are out and less so at home lol. She has been caught blowing bubbles in her drink at the cafe though!
Kids eh lol