A CHILD!!!!!!!!! Gasp!

Yesterday we celebrated the 89th birthday of my husbands Grandfather. This was quite an event to celebrate as it is not every day someone you loves gets to celebrate such a number. I do believe the day was great despite the torrential rain outside threatening the first world series Phillies fans have seen in 15 years.
We all met at a great restaurant promptly at 2:00.

For once, this family WAS NOT LATE! In fact- we were fifteen minutes early! Maybe it's my not so nice pregnancy hormones which turn me into a possible audition for the part of the little girl on the exorcist (think green face spinning head) or- it could just be that for once we have our act together and Hubby took a shower an hour BEFORE we were to leave the house instead of THE very minute we are scheduled to leave... (to be honest- I think he only took that shower an hour earlier to try and avoid an appearance of the aforementioned character)

Upon arrival we ran for cover as the rain was picking up and in our haste to not be the party our party of 15 were waiting on this Mama forgot the umbrellas. That and the small bladder of our three year old which was screaming for relief at about the 1/2 way point of our 1/2 hour or so journey. Fortunately for us she made it :)

Lunch went well, the Midget was happy to see everyone and give her Great Grandfather his home made by her hand birthday card. Said card took a few hours the night before for her to create, so needless to say she was beyond proud! She ordered a Shirley temple to drink, spaghetti pasta with butter, stole mom mom's dinner bread and read her book. In my humble yet mommy opinion this little girl could not have behaved better.

For those of you who know me well, you KNOW that I pride myself not only in the appearance of my child, but also by her behavior. Even on her worst day she is still at the end of the day a pretty good kid. For those of you whom have had the pleasure to meet my beauty you also know how well behaved she is. We have taken her just about everywhere with us from birth to ensure that she has experienced restaurants of all kind and will not be the child everyone is looking at as if they're an alien from outer space with eight heads, sixteen eyeballs and dreadful behavior.
I can honestly say that in her three years we have only had to leave one restaurant and to be fair it was entirely our fault. Who in their right mind takes their child out for dinner at 7:00 on a Friday evening to FRIENDLIES of all places? Lesson learned :)
But I digress-

Our little girl was dressed up in her prettiest pink and black polka dot dress, her first "high heeled shoes" her pearls that look "just like Mama's" and HER BEST BEHAVIOR.

She sat through what I imagine from a 3 year old's perspective a looooong, boooooring lunch without so much as a whine, scream, cry or spilled drink.
She visited, she laughed, she ate.

Then it happened...

The hostess sat a couple behind our massive table who looked to me to be about mid-late 40's early 50's at best. These people were about the age of my parents. At the time the Midget was standing next to Mommy and Daddy playing with her necklace. She was not bothering anyone, making any noise (other than that of her necklace) and most important of all well into hour two of our lunch which for a 3 year old is a feat in and of itself.

I have ears.
I hear things.
I have made it a habit to listen to people around us when we are sitting in a restaurant with our daughter because I do not wish for her to disturb anyone. (eavesdropping is not the greatest habit, but I only listen for agitation)

The couple had been seated mere minutes before when I hear.

"Why in the hell did they sit us here? I need to be moved, There is a CHILD right here"

GASP! A CHILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This awful, terrible being is invading my space and I just may melt if I even look at her for a nanosecond.

I apologise to the company we were in as my abrupt exit was by no means quiet. If you did not hear me, maybe it was quieter than I thought- to that I say Thank God for small favors as I was boiling yet truly trying not to cause a scene.

Me: "You have got to be freaking kidding me!" (standing up and grabbing Midgets hand)
Hubby: "What?" "What's wrong"
Me: "apparently the man behind us is BOTHERED by the fact that there is a CHILD here. He very rudely announced that he needed to be moved and I guess does not even care that I COULD HEAR HIM"

I promptly removed the offensive child from your presence.
I then spent the next 10 minutes explaining to one confused little girl that SHE was not the problem and that SHE did not do ANYTHING wrong as she was UPSET to be leaving and wanted to know why MOMMY WAS UPSET WITH HER BECAUSE SHE WAS BEING GOOD!

I hope you're happy in your own misery, really... I do. I refuse to subject my observant little girl to rude glances and commentary.

Next time maybe you should take a moment to watch the child you're about to complain about before opening your mouth.

Next time maybe you should go out LATER. When you make an AFTERNOON reservation you are bound to happen upon children.

I am no so completely naive as to expect every sane person to go out and make reservations after 4:00 on a Saturday, HOWEVER- there is a reason I get a sitter when we make DINNER reservations. That reason is solely because I feel that most people go to places where you need reservations to escape children, and who am I to put them in the company of mine who may or may not remember her manners this time.

Children are children for a reason.
Children learn what they live.
Children are our greatest accomplishments and biggest reflections of ourselves.

That said- Children are our biggest responsibilities and it is our job as parents to guide and protect them. Shame on this man for complaining about this child. I would be the first to apologise to him should she be out of line even by the slightest measure. I have truthfully at times felt I can be too hard on this child as far as behavioral expectation goes. However- maybe it is my upbringing, maybe I am disillusioned to believe that little people CAN in fact coexist with us... who knows?

However- This hormonal, bitchy Mama Bear is not at all pleased with the behavior of that rude man and apologize to you for my ranting.

In my heart of hearts I believe he WAS the child he was AFRAID mine was.

Your thoughts??


Until next time...