My first blog vent!
Okay, my first official blog vent!
Last night, we went out to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. The one here in Greenville is great if you have kids. There is a big play area right off the outdoor eating deck, where kids can play in the sand, climb, slide, etc. It is perfect for us with Michael, who doesn't want to sit still through an entire restaurant meal.
Shortly after we arrived, a man arrived with his son. The son looked to be about 2 years old. They were seated at the table right next to us, and directly overlooking the play area. The boy was in toddler heaven. So the boy goes off to play, while the dad sits there at the table drinking his beer.
Suddenly we hear a very loud cell phone ringing, and it was coming from their table. That's oboxious enough in a restaurant! Either put it on vibrate, or at least turn down the ringer! The dad sat there chatting on the phone for about 15 minutes, during which time the boy continued to play, and the dad even placed their dinner order.
Once the food came, he called the son back up to eat. Apparently the dad's food was not what he had ordered. The thing is, he just told them he wanted "$6 worth of shrimp". So they brought him a skewer with about 6 shrimp. Looked like a very nice appetizer to me. But it seems that he was used to getting 10 shrimp, wherever it is that he usually goes. Out came the manager. It sounded like the manager wound up comping him the shrimp. But seriously, if you're not going to order off the menu, you've got to take what you get. Perhaps if he had hung up the phone while he was placing his order, he would have been more satisfied.
After a few bites, the son ran back off to the playground. But dad thought he should be back up eating his food. Come on, stick a 2 year old boy within 10 feet of a playground, and expect him to sit still and eat his vegetables? Not going to happen! (As an aside, when we go here, we let Michael play as much as he wants, and then take home whatever he doesn't eat. And we all leave happy.) If you don't want your kid to be on the playground, perhaps consider taking them somewhere without a playground, or at least not sitting right in front of it!
Finally the dad got the son back up to the table, and then it got really irritating. This was about the first interaction the dad was actually having with his son the whole time they had been there. The dad was getting on the kid about how he cannot go play, he has to eat. That in itself isn't a big deal really, but the way he was doing it was very inappropriate towards a 2 year old. The son was taking a few bites, and wanting to get down again. At which point the father said to the son, "Why are you being so mean to me?"
What's up with that? This dad spent most of their time at the restaurant either yacking on his cell phone, or complaining about how they botched his order. He did not go down and play with his son. He didn't even go where he could watch his son. And when he finally took the opportunity to interact with him, he's just a jerk.
I don't know who this guy was. Just from my observations on his interactions with his son, I'm guessing he is a divorced/unmarried dad with weekend visitation. (He also was not wearing a wedding ring.) He acted the whole time like being out to dinner with his son was a hassle. Certainly not something fun and enjoyable.
It's really a shame. The son was really cute, and he was totally interested in checking out our Matthew. It really seemed like all he wanted was his dad to be part of his two-year-old world. I was glad we finished eating when we did. When the dad pulled the "why are you being so mean to me" thing, I just couldn't watch any more. I felt so sad for that little boy. I hope that he has other people in his life that show him lots of love, because it really didn't seem like his dad was in to it.
Last night, we went out to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. The one here in Greenville is great if you have kids. There is a big play area right off the outdoor eating deck, where kids can play in the sand, climb, slide, etc. It is perfect for us with Michael, who doesn't want to sit still through an entire restaurant meal.
Shortly after we arrived, a man arrived with his son. The son looked to be about 2 years old. They were seated at the table right next to us, and directly overlooking the play area. The boy was in toddler heaven. So the boy goes off to play, while the dad sits there at the table drinking his beer.
Suddenly we hear a very loud cell phone ringing, and it was coming from their table. That's oboxious enough in a restaurant! Either put it on vibrate, or at least turn down the ringer! The dad sat there chatting on the phone for about 15 minutes, during which time the boy continued to play, and the dad even placed their dinner order.
Once the food came, he called the son back up to eat. Apparently the dad's food was not what he had ordered. The thing is, he just told them he wanted "$6 worth of shrimp". So they brought him a skewer with about 6 shrimp. Looked like a very nice appetizer to me. But it seems that he was used to getting 10 shrimp, wherever it is that he usually goes. Out came the manager. It sounded like the manager wound up comping him the shrimp. But seriously, if you're not going to order off the menu, you've got to take what you get. Perhaps if he had hung up the phone while he was placing his order, he would have been more satisfied.
After a few bites, the son ran back off to the playground. But dad thought he should be back up eating his food. Come on, stick a 2 year old boy within 10 feet of a playground, and expect him to sit still and eat his vegetables? Not going to happen! (As an aside, when we go here, we let Michael play as much as he wants, and then take home whatever he doesn't eat. And we all leave happy.) If you don't want your kid to be on the playground, perhaps consider taking them somewhere without a playground, or at least not sitting right in front of it!
Finally the dad got the son back up to the table, and then it got really irritating. This was about the first interaction the dad was actually having with his son the whole time they had been there. The dad was getting on the kid about how he cannot go play, he has to eat. That in itself isn't a big deal really, but the way he was doing it was very inappropriate towards a 2 year old. The son was taking a few bites, and wanting to get down again. At which point the father said to the son, "Why are you being so mean to me?"
What's up with that? This dad spent most of their time at the restaurant either yacking on his cell phone, or complaining about how they botched his order. He did not go down and play with his son. He didn't even go where he could watch his son. And when he finally took the opportunity to interact with him, he's just a jerk.
I don't know who this guy was. Just from my observations on his interactions with his son, I'm guessing he is a divorced/unmarried dad with weekend visitation. (He also was not wearing a wedding ring.) He acted the whole time like being out to dinner with his son was a hassle. Certainly not something fun and enjoyable.
It's really a shame. The son was really cute, and he was totally interested in checking out our Matthew. It really seemed like all he wanted was his dad to be part of his two-year-old world. I was glad we finished eating when we did. When the dad pulled the "why are you being so mean to me" thing, I just couldn't watch any more. I felt so sad for that little boy. I hope that he has other people in his life that show him lots of love, because it really didn't seem like his dad was in to it.
posted by Susan | 8:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home