Adaptability
After Drake was born, my husband G. Grod and I continued to dine out occasionally. We would keep Drake in his seat or his stroller for as long as he’d tolerate it, then one of us would hold him while the other person ate, then we’d switch. As Drake grew, though, so did the force of his displeasure, as well as his ability to evade rudimentary restaurant high-chair restraints. After a few challenging dinners, we decided that perhaps we’d take a break from restaurants for a while. It didn’t make sense to pay for an experience that no one enjoyed.
But I met a dad on the playground who encouraged me not to give up, and recommended the restaurant he worked at as a good place for little kids. I also didn’t want to give up because I enjoy dining out. So last Friday night we decided to give it a shot, called some friends who also have a toddler, and went to the restaurant that the playground dad had recommended.
It was a disaster. The nearly two-year-old boys were thrilled to see each other, and got wound up immediately. Their shrieks of delight earned concerned glances from an elderly couple. They splashed their hands in the indoor fountain until our waitress warned that it was dirty. They then got furious when we took them away. The boys refused to sit in the high chairs and were uninterested in food. When we took them outside they didn’t want to stay in front of the restaurant, but ran down the block. We had just gotten appetizers when my friend asked if we should pack everything up and go. Everyone agreed, and we continued the meal in her backyard, where everyone was a lot happier. (Until G. Grod’s gall bladder attack two hours later, that is.)
The good news is that we were brave enough to give it a try, and adaptable enough to make a new plan when the original one failed. The bad news is that we may have to give even family-friendly restaurants a miss until Drake gets a little older. I don’t want to keep putting him, and us, into a situation that clearly doesn’t work.
July 26th, 2005 at 9:03 pm
Gallbladder? Goodness, what’s the story there? I trust GG is okay now.
And I wish I could remember who said it, but there’s an axiom about how the organism that survives isn’t the strongest, or even the smartest — it’s the one that best adapts to change. I’ve been thinking of that a lot lately. Good work, you and your friends, for finding that Capt. Kirk-esque “other option.”