Any tips for taking a young child to a restaurant for the first time?
The father of a toddler recently asked the question during my weekly restaurant chat, and I was delighted to see him: I like to see well-behaved children – the emphasis is on well- be – eat with their parents.
I have fond memories of my mother and father occasionally taking my siblings and me to restaurants, where we learned not only how to order menus, but also how to interact with servers and other diners. . The reward for promising our good behavior: chocolate milk for dinner! Likewise, when my nephew was young, I asked him to review Roy Rogers Restaurant when we were dining out. (It turned out that the more cherries in the drink, the better the restaurant tasted.) The point is, a meal away from home can be fun.
The chatterboxes who went there provided excellent suggestions for making it easier for little diners to enter restaurants.
As a courtesy to other diners, it is best to leave out loud or flashy electronic devices. After all, restaurants are an opportunity to learn how to have a pleasant conversation. If a distraction is necessary, rely on coloring books or small games. Restaurants with open kitchens, where diners can watch the cooks, offer another diversion.
You know it’s time to go outside – for everyone’s sake – when a child becomes fussy or won’t sit still. While one parent argues with the child outside, the other can pack up the uneaten food and take care of the bill.
“Be careful what you wish for,” one parent warned. “If all this works and you have a greedy child, it quickly gets expensive! They are not happy to stick to starters or share your plate for long.
