Tantrum Averted - - You May Proceed to Parenting Level 2!

So........Am I the only one who found the transition from DINKhood (Double Income No Kids) to Parenthood to be a painful process? I miss the freedom of being able to get up and go - anywhere. I used to take off to the store for groceries, to the mall to buy a pair of jeans, or we could just go out to dinner if we didn't feel like cooking. Leaving the house now is akin to packing for a week long camping trip. I wouldn't dream of going without a few changes of clothes, extra jackets and sweaters, a few books and toys, an entire pack of diapers, at least two blankets, and enough snacks and drinks to feed a school bus full of kids.

The other evening, we decided to get some take out from a new Vietnamese restaurant in our neighborhood. However, when we got there, the place had several open tables, so we decided to dine in. *Sigh* Our spontaneity had some serious drawbacks.

1. It was already our boy's dinner time, and he was already hungry.
2. Sitting in a high chair with nothing to amuse himself was NOT fun.
3. We didn't have a sippy cup for him; we hadn't planned on staying to eat at the restaurant.
4. A hungry, thirsty baby is NOT a patient baby.
5. A hungry, thirsty baby is rarely a quiet baby.

However, I must say that I am really proud of myself and my husband. In the past we would forget about eating out, even forget about getting food, and instead get our boy home as fast as possible. But this time, we wanted to try this new restaurant so we decided to work with the situation.

Hungry baby with no sippy cup? Nothing we can't handle. There was a grocery store very close to the restaurant. I stayed at the table and placed our order, while my husband took our cranky boy and bought a cup and a pack of toddler fruit bars. Mr. Baby was able to eat a small bar while they walked back to the restaurant. The fruit bar and the walk helped to keep him occupied, and he stopped screaming. The food arrived a few minutes before they returned, and I immediately cut up some meat and veggies from my plate. Just in time! They sat down, and I was able to start feeding our boy right away, while my husband got the sippy cup ready. Once his tummy was full, our boy turned back into a good, sweet, human child again, and he was more tolerant of sitting in his high chair as we finished up our meal. Yes, we took turns eating and watching our boy, but we were still eating out at a restaurant.

I think many parents go through a period of feeling trapped with their babies. It is a really uncomfortable feeling to be the parents dealing with the screaming child in a public place. They can't just sit at the table contentedly while you enjoy a meal, and it's hard to eat, watch the baby, and keep them entertained for longer than 15 minutes. If your baby does start having a fit, you get dirty looks, and it feels like people are judging you, like you're the inconsiderate parent who can't control their kid. So, you get take out instead, and you stay home because it's less stressful. It's still boring, and you still feel like a shut-in, but at least there's no public display.

I know we felt this way for a long time, but now I think we're changing. We still don't want to be the couple with the loud crying baby who irritates all the other customers. And we don't want to leave our boy with someone else each time we feel like going out for a bite. Instead of bailing on our decision to have dinner out, we worked through the stress (oh, trust me, it was stressful!), and managed to keep our boy occupied. He got fed, we got fed, and we were able to spend time together as a family.

I look forward to more family outings - not just the big trips to Disneyland or Seaworld, but everyday family outings. Especially now that I know we can handle them. I have a weird feeling of pride, as if we passed some unknown parenting test. You have averted a tantrum at a restaurant! Proceed to the next parenting level!