Let me state that for the record, that I am not a parent. I was however, a child at one time. In the past few weeks I've spent a lot of time out watching the disintegration of parenting as we know it. Especially when it comes to restaurants. I remember when I was younger, my parents took me everywhere. If they went out to eat and it wasn't going to be a late night, I went with them. Sometimes I'd have a babysitter if they were going to a movie or a show, but in general, if it was strictly out to eat, I'd go with them. They would include me in conversations, as would any other diners we happened to be with and it was never a problem. I remember almost always seeing other children no matter where we went. This is not the case anymore.
I walked through a restaurant the other night and noticed about half of the twenty-five tables had children. Only one of the tables had a child that was not either watching a DVD, playing some handheld device or listening to an Ipod. This to me is quite disappointing. I relish in the memories of meals eaten out at restaurants with my parents. I remember feeling so grown up. Those moments are so special. I remember waiters playing with me. I remember them being impressed by my food knowledge and palette. I sometimes remember waking up in bed the next morning, not even remembering falling asleep in the car on the way home. The one thing I never remember was my parents needing a distraction to keep me occupied. What has changed in thirty plus years that make children so difficult to deal with?
I realize we live in a technological age, but that is not enough of an excuse. How could one generation lose sight of the importance of family time? Would that child really be unable to sit and talk? Would they not be satisfied with the sights and sounds that are going on around them? Wouldn't the anticipation of the meal itself be enough? Maybe not. I've seen what most kids eat today, I've asked them. Pizza, mac & cheese and chicken nuggets. It's all kids say when I ask them what they like to eat. Some adventurous kids will throw in a burger or some other pasta dish. The most daring will even mention sushi, but one more question always reveals they like the California rolls. I remember being so excited going out. My parents would tell me the types of things that would be on the menu and I'd salivate just thinking about dishes such as clams casino, escargot or some crazy Chinese dish with bamboo shoots. I remember loving the grandeur of places such as Gage & Tollner's (pictured) or the homey feel of tiny local joints we discovered while vacationing in Maine or Connecticut. The excitement of getting dressed and going with my parents for dinner was enough to keep me occupied.
So where did it all go wrong? Can we blame portable DVD players? Can we blame handheld games? Is it society? Is it the ever popular and over diagnosed ADHD? Or is it that we as a country have become lazy? We have become a society that clicks and walks away. We balance our checking accounts in seconds. We are addicted to the drive-thru. We have self checkout, because some people just don't have the patience to wait in line for someone to do a job. We rush everywhere. We beep when the light turns green. We push our way through doors and we don't say thank you or excuse me. We don't do any of the things our parents did. We don't do any of the things we did as children. I see and hear it all. I see people get frustrated having to wait for a table for twenty minutes, then grab the waiter by the arm because they ordered their food fifteen minutes before and it hasn't arrived. Then I see these same people leaving fifteen minutes after that. Dinner accomplished. I remember going to dinner with my parents at 7:00 and getting home at 10:30. There was no rushing. Dining out was an event. Now it is nothing more than a chore. The sad part is that when Mario crashes or the the bad guys win, our youth is watching us, listening and learning. They are having these horrible habits ingrained into them. So if we've fallen so far in one generation. What will happen to their kids? Will there even be restaurants? Or will there be a pill to make us feel we ate so we don't have to bother?
We had three rules in our house when it came to dining in. Eat what was on your plate, tell everyone about your day and no television. We had to one rule when dining out. Enjoy yourself and your company. No matter how old they might be.
I walked through a restaurant the other night and noticed about half of the twenty-five tables had children. Only one of the tables had a child that was not either watching a DVD, playing some handheld device or listening to an Ipod. This to me is quite disappointing. I relish in the memories of meals eaten out at restaurants with my parents. I remember feeling so grown up. Those moments are so special. I remember waiters playing with me. I remember them being impressed by my food knowledge and palette. I sometimes remember waking up in bed the next morning, not even remembering falling asleep in the car on the way home. The one thing I never remember was my parents needing a distraction to keep me occupied. What has changed in thirty plus years that make children so difficult to deal with?
I realize we live in a technological age, but that is not enough of an excuse. How could one generation lose sight of the importance of family time? Would that child really be unable to sit and talk? Would they not be satisfied with the sights and sounds that are going on around them? Wouldn't the anticipation of the meal itself be enough? Maybe not. I've seen what most kids eat today, I've asked them. Pizza, mac & cheese and chicken nuggets. It's all kids say when I ask them what they like to eat. Some adventurous kids will throw in a burger or some other pasta dish. The most daring will even mention sushi, but one more question always reveals they like the California rolls. I remember being so excited going out. My parents would tell me the types of things that would be on the menu and I'd salivate just thinking about dishes such as clams casino, escargot or some crazy Chinese dish with bamboo shoots. I remember loving the grandeur of places such as Gage & Tollner's (pictured) or the homey feel of tiny local joints we discovered while vacationing in Maine or Connecticut. The excitement of getting dressed and going with my parents for dinner was enough to keep me occupied.So where did it all go wrong? Can we blame portable DVD players? Can we blame handheld games? Is it society? Is it the ever popular and over diagnosed ADHD? Or is it that we as a country have become lazy? We have become a society that clicks and walks away. We balance our checking accounts in seconds. We are addicted to the drive-thru. We have self checkout, because some people just don't have the patience to wait in line for someone to do a job. We rush everywhere. We beep when the light turns green. We push our way through doors and we don't say thank you or excuse me. We don't do any of the things our parents did. We don't do any of the things we did as children. I see and hear it all. I see people get frustrated having to wait for a table for twenty minutes, then grab the waiter by the arm because they ordered their food fifteen minutes before and it hasn't arrived. Then I see these same people leaving fifteen minutes after that. Dinner accomplished. I remember going to dinner with my parents at 7:00 and getting home at 10:30. There was no rushing. Dining out was an event. Now it is nothing more than a chore. The sad part is that when Mario crashes or the the bad guys win, our youth is watching us, listening and learning. They are having these horrible habits ingrained into them. So if we've fallen so far in one generation. What will happen to their kids? Will there even be restaurants? Or will there be a pill to make us feel we ate so we don't have to bother?
We had three rules in our house when it came to dining in. Eat what was on your plate, tell everyone about your day and no television. We had to one rule when dining out. Enjoy yourself and your company. No matter how old they might be.
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