We’ve all seen screaming toddlers in nice, quiet restaurants. Before I was a mother, I resented the parents who took their children into the restaurant and didn’t make them behave properly. Now, I sympathize with them. I am one of them.
It isn’t that I don’t try to make my toddler behave properly when we are in a restaurant. I try. It’s just that I am not always successful in my attempts. My son’s behavior seems to depend on a number of factors: fatigue and hunger.
One of the things that I learned quickly is that my son hates waiting for his food to arrive. He does much better in buffet style restaurants than when ordering from a menu. I started asking for crackers or bread when I order so that he has something to snack on while we wait for the food to arrive.
The atmosphere in the restaurant has a lot to do with my son’s behavior as well. On a busy Friday night at a buffet style restaurant, he acts up. However, if I take him to a restaurant that isn’t busy, he behaves much better.
Another problem I’ve encountered when trying to keep my child happy, quiet and cooperative at restaurants is that he is ready to leave before everyone is finished with their meal. My son eats his food without engaging in conversation or wasting any time. When he is done, he is ready to leave the restaurant. He doesn’t want to wait until everyone is finished.
While the coloring pages and crayons given to my son by the waitress help occupy him at times, they don’t always make a difference. He is a big flirt and usually bats his long eyelashes at the waitress and smiles his best smile. It is after she leaves the table that he begins whining and wanting to get out of his chair.
I wish I could say I’ve found the answers and that I have a toddler who is a perfect little gentleman in restaurants. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. I’m open to suggestions if anyone has a method that works.
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