Eating out with Children

I cook mostly everyday..breakfast,lunch dinner..although i do not consider myself as a good cook but my kids love it. So is my dear hubby..But Saturday is my day off..where my kitchen will be close. Its my hubby turn to cook for me and by that means we will be eating out. The other day my friends were talking about this fancy restaurant Naili's. They have great settings, where you can sit down and enjoy the food as well as the view. Too bad it is not a family restaurant. I made me think when was the last time i had a quiet,nice time dining out..Nowadays eating out mean we only get to go to selected restaurants. The one with kid-friendly-restaurant. Eating out with children can be, shall we say, a primitive experience: They're hungry, they're loud, and they have no inhibitions. Bring them into a room full of adults talking quietly and enjoying a relaxing meal, and the results could be disastrous. Nevertheless..they just children.. our children. Therefore i have gather few guides that parents can follow when eating out with children.

Pick the right restaurant. Choose a kid-friendly restaurant—one that's casual, loud enough to absorb some noise, and with either a kid menu or a varied enough menu to appeal to children and adults. Let your child choose the restaurant once in a while, or at least consider her preferences.

Go early.Be among the first to arrive for the breakfast, lunch, or dinner hour and you'll be seated and served more quickly. Quicker service means less "gap time" between ordering and food arrival or between courses — and less gap time means less time for your active preschooler to get rambunctious.

Play games. With grade-schoolers, you need to walk the line between respecting their needs as children (who will be bored and fidgety if the wait for food is long) and getting them to respect the needs of their fellow diners, including their own parents. Be ready to play "I spy with my little eye," simple clapping games, or tic-tac-toe.

Stick to the rules you've set. If you back down in public on the expectations you've established, you'll be sending a mixed message. You don't need to become angry, however, or shame your child if he's finding it impossible to sit still. This will leave him feeling embarrassed and he'll connect these negative feelings with excursions to public places. Simply leave quietly, being firm and clear about why you are doing so.

Be realistic. Behaving in a public place often means sitting still and keeping quiet — skills that don't come easily to most kids. If your child is simply unable to follow the rules, take heart in the fact that most "misbehavior" in public places is more often connected to your child's developmental stage than to a willful intent to behave badly.

Finally..try to enjoy the meal eventhough your children is still screaming, spilling the food on the floor or maybe want to go to the loo. Because children will always be children and as much as we want them to behave they just won't get it right everytime. As long as we foster good manners at home and keep it consistant..they will turn out just like we want them to be.