I’ve wanted to write a post on this subject (non pharmacy related) but didn’t know how to begin until when I came across a news tidbit that a Thai restaurant in Silverton, Oregon was banning children under the age of 6. He felt it was his place and his rules and kids didn’t fit in with the experience he wanted his patrons to experience and has no plans to change it. I say hurrah for having the guts to do what you want to do.
You see, The Chick’s like to go out to eat now and then. Its a privilege that two incomes can afford, and some things just taste better when somebody else makes them. We probably eat out more often than we should, but I believe its a knee jerk reaction to our childhoods where we almost never ate out.
I can honestly say that my brain has virtually no memories of dining out with mom and dad. First of all, there wasn’t much money in the household for such extravagances and second of all, when Dad DID decide he wanted to eat out, it usually involved He and Mom getting dressed up and the neighbor girl coming over to babysit while THEY went out. Thats just the way it was.
Quite obviously there has been a cultural shift, and I pity the poor restaurants….and the rest of the diners. One night I went to dinner and was escorted to a table. Before the menus hit the table, I took a look at the view and said (quite discretly and politely) “may I sit someplace else?”. Sitting closeby were PWSC Parents With Small Children. It was clear they had just arrived because they were in an animated discussion with said children about what they were going to order. It seemed to be a futile exercise. “Do you want the mac/cheese or the hamburger?” “HOT DOG!” “Honey, they dont have Hot Dogs here, How about the Chicken strips?” …..see what I mean? F.U.T.I.L.E.
I sat down a comfortable distance away from them, but I could still hear them. Two of the kids were arguing about who got the better chair and being admonished with empty threats from the parents. The one in the high chair had been given some keys to play with because we could hear the clang of keys on the metal tray over and over. It made me wonder: How desperate were the parents to eat out that they would endure this to not cook? It couldn’t be fun, it certainly wasn’t relaxing. They were playing referee to 3 kids under the age of 6. They might have well been nailing jello to a tree for as much success they were having at controlling the situation. Had they never heard of a babysitter? For what they were paying for the kids meals, they could have ponied up babysitting fees AND a pizza for the sitter and had a nice “date night” for themselves.
I tuned them out ate the meal and got ready to leave. PWSC had left shortly before us. The carnage they left behind was embarrassing. It looked as though the kitchen had exploded all over the table. I wondered, did the kids actually consume any food? Most of it was scattered on the table, the chairs and on the floor. Someone’s milk was tipped over and was dripping off the end of the table. The high chair had food smeared on it from top to bottom. It was every server’s nightmare.
The irony of the situation is that its not uncommon anymore to have this happen. Almost every time we go someplace to eat, we see “family” dining. I’ll bet every reader I have has has a similar story to share. Because eating out is expensive and a luxury experience, I am not afraid of telling the servers that I will not sit near PWSC. I am subjected to uncontrolled kids at work all day, I certainly am not going to SPEND money to sit near their crying, whining and mess on my own time. I am not a parent, but some parents seem to be caught surprised: even I know kids can’t, don’t, or won’t sit still or stay quiet for extended periods of time, both of which are required when dining out (I am not talking fast food here..I am talking about ordering from menus, waitresses, bread, salad, the whole thing). Now I am not saying that you cannot take your kids out to dinner, it is a free country after all, but sheesh, your paying for dinner doesn’t give you carte blanch to leave a mess that a HAZMAT team must clean up.
Because this IS a pharmacy blog, I can relate this to PWSC who cause carnage and disaster in my store. I understand that its hard being a parent of a tot, but I didn’t give birth to your walking wrecking ball, YOU did. Its not my job to keep little Stevie off of my blood pressure machine and off my displays, and if he breaks this $450 porcelain figurine display because he is running away from you, you are getting the bill for it.
I never hesitate to tell a parent of a well behaved child, what a great kid they have. There is a lot of effort that went into that child and it shows. Too bad I don’t get the same option of telling the parent of Satanette, what a brat they have. One kid grabbed the electronic signing pen from my counter and ripped it from the housing. Another got into a fight with his mother when she wouldn’t buy him Grape Benadryl so he knocked over several bottles of cough and cold products to the floor. Mom didn’t bat an eye, nor did she offer to pick them up. She grabbed the one she wanted and walked away, brat in tow.
Don’t tell me its the “cost of doing business”. Thats a cheap cop out excuse for not owning up to parental responsibility.
Back at the restaurant, a teen with a bucket of water and a vacuum was quietly going about cleaning up.
Tags: customers, personal life, pharmacy life, rambling | |
You know, in recent days Pharmacy Chick has been convinced that Mr Chick has been seeking comfort in the presence of other women. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. After much handwringing, I finally got my proof. Devastated as I was, I am sure it was just as much of a suprise to the other woman when I caught them in the act, but you would never know it by the look on their faces. I am not sure if I’ll ever get over this betrayal, especially in Pharmacy Chick’s own bed. Scroll to see my proof!