Restaurant Parenting Pet Peeve

{Nicole here: Morgan blogs! Seriously though, this is one of my biggest pet peeves.}

Nicole and I are both laid back, "go with the flow" kind of people. We don't get wound up or upset about anything, really. 

OK, so that's a total lie. 

We like plans and rules and have little patience for people with lack of plans or people who don't follow the rules. Shock! Two people who went to law school like to follow rules. Plus, we just have inpatient personalities in general. One thing that really bugs Nicole and I are those people that violate unwritten Rules of Society. For example, it really bothers Nicole when people walk in the "out" door at Target. Rule of Society violation. Or when the server at the restaurant keeps touching your arm when ordering something. Rule of Society violation. 

One thing that has really started to make us angry is when we are eating out with Henry and people distract him. Now, Henry is a pretty good eater in general, but when he gets distracted, it can become a nightmare. For instance, when the dogs are allowed to beg, he usually starts to feed them and thinks it's really funny. So of course, the dogs are not allowed to beg. 

Well, from time to time when we are eating out, people will wave, laugh and point at Henry's antics. This gets him even more riled up, which means less eating and more food on the floor. Then, of course, people think that's so funny and wave, laugh and point even more, which would cause Henry to throw more food, or whatever he was doing that wasn't actually eating his food nicely. Nothing could be more annoying. 

People: Stop bothering our kid while we're eating! Seriously, total Rule of Society violation.

Nicole and I always ignore those people and struggle to get Henry to keep eating. Most people take the hint. A few times Nicole has actually had to look at people and say meanly: "It's NOT funny." That pretty much puts people in their place. 

Bottom line: I just think its rude to bother strangers when they're eating. I'm sure there are some people out there that are cool with it, that laugh along, and that wave and chat with those super annoying people. We're just not those people.

{Nicole again: What about you? Do people bother you while you are out eating with your toddler? Are we just crazy, uptight parents?}

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