| Why do they give him crayons?! |
We don't really take Kyan out to eat frequently at nicer resturants like an Applebees, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans where they have separate kids menus that aren't on a lit up board you have to look to the ceiling for and call out a number to order. We do try to eat out at places like this because we're trying to eat a little healthier and the salads there are nice as well as most of the food since it's not deep fried in grease that the 16 year old in back forgot to change for the past couple of weeks. Anyways, we do like to take him out so that we can teach him how to be mannerly in public places, especially resturants where there are lots of other people to show respect to as well as the waitresses/waiters to show curteousy.
My main thing is that I hate that everyone wants to give my kid crayons. Seriously, when he was barely a year old we had one waitress ask if he needed crayons and a coloring sheet and I must've looked at her like a monkey doing a math problem because nobody had ever asked me that before and because he couldn't even walk yet so why would she ask? I chalked most of it up to her being young and probably not a mother and maybe hadn't been around children to know the ages and stages of crayons. Until a woman in her 40's waited on us and bragged about her children and grandchildren and then asked if he needed crayons (after asking his age), I was giving them all that benefit of the doubt.
Since he's getting older and we took him for his 15 month check up our Dr asked if we had given him a crayon to "See what he could do" since he does have really good hand and eye coordination (he wizzed a ball past our Pedi at one check up much to the mortification of my Mom who thought for sure he had blasted him and she wasn't looking. He also proceeded to steal a pen from my purse and start to write on the paper covering while I was answering the Pedi's questions. He's a Klepto. Ask one waiter who got too close to him while we ordered. He was short a few straws that night.) So we decided the next time we were offered that we'd accept the crayons.
Generally he's good with them but we have had a few marks on tables we've had to baby wipe off, and he's put them in his mouth a few times while teething, no biggie. We watch him and we're good about yanking them out or taking it away or replacing them onto the paper to show him where it goes and how to properly use them. But what really nags me is that those same over eager crayon pushing waiters/waitresses/servers/hosts and hostesses are also the same ones to make rude comments about the misuse of said crayons.
Example #1. This cutesie college girl was such a good waitress, didn't pop up too much, didn't leave us begging for refils, etc. She gave him crayons, without really asking, and then while we were ordering he slipped off the paper and hit the table. I quickly took out a napkin, wet it in my water glass and buffed the crayon mark off. They're usually washable ones anyways, no harm no foul. I look up to see she has completely stopped taking our orders, eventhough I kept ordering through my buff job, and is rolling her eyes after looking to make sure the mark was completely gone. I guess I got a little huffy becuase later when she brought my camel husband (he gets a minimum 3 refils) another drink she saw me telling him "That's okay. Mommy fix it. Keep on Paper" as he looked up to point to tell me he had hit the table again. Atleast my kid tells me so I can help fix it and doesn't just rip up the paper and start drawing a picture on the length of the table as I do nothing and then leave it there for someone else to deal with. She shakes her head this time. I seriously felt like saying, "You didn't ask if he needed or was allowed crayons, it's cleaned, what other rude gesture are you going to make? Let me recommend a heavy sigh or an audible scolding!"
Example # 2. Again, lovely waitress, not so good timing or intentions. We go to another resturant and Kyan was teething. I went to get him some pretzel sticks as a snack because our food was taking a little longer and eventhough I always say that it's okay to bring his meal first and not wait for them all to come out together it was pretty clear that she was waiting on all three because she kept telling my husband that we were waiting on a particular item of his to be done and then our food would be out. I turned my back for one second to get the bag and he put the crayon in his mouth as she walked past. She says, "He has that in his mouth" and I say thanks as I look up and she walks past. Later my husband gave him the crayon back as I went to the restroom after I had just changed Kyan since you can't really pee while your baby is trying to make a jailbreak under the stall. I come back and the waitress is bringing mayo to my husband for his burger and as I sit she says, "You really shouldn't let him eat that crayon!" Reeeeeally?! I had no idea! Was it not obvious I just sat down as I was in mid sit and landing as you say this? So I politely say, "Well, I was in the restroom and my hubby must've given him the crayon back on accident. I'll try to be a better parent since I let my kid eat crayons while we wait for EVERYone's food to be ready at the same time and then he can eat cold french fries when it gets here." She didn't bring me any more refils, not that I needed them because we boxed it up and went shortly thereafter.
I mean, you should know that no kid is perfect. Marks will be made, things go in mouths, but you can tell by the parent and their actions and hopefully the kid that it's not as if his Mommy is sitting there with the "Eh.. they're probably non-toxic anyways." attitude. I don't think that I look like the type who replaced the goldfish snacks with lead paint chips. I also don't sit there giving him ounces upon ounces of candy or junk food as we wait, and it's a rare occasion that I order him a small glass of pop, and if I do it's usually at A&W because he fights me for my Root Beer and Root Beer isn't all that bad.
I just wish I knew what the proper thing was to say about crayons?! Should I let him be like me and not know how to use something because his Mom is afraid. Case in point, my sister and I didn't know how to use scissors in Elementary School because my Mom was afraid to let us use them incase we might try to cut off our beautiful long hair. So I guess I'll just muddle through opinionated attitudy people rather than have my kid flunk Crayola 101 at age 5. |
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Alias: SNM
Hometown: Farmington, WV, United States
About Me: SMN is currently a S@HM who resides in the Senior Citizen capital of the world. Amongst her many talents are writing, tiptoeing through the mind field that is her living room, saving run away strollers, lacing any comment with sarcasm, and changing a diaper in 10 seconds flat. Her greatest achievements are birthing Thing One and Thing Two. Ongoing projects include diving into the world of blogging, weaning an aggressive breast feeder, parenting and all it's challenges, and being a wife she can live with (as well as her husband).
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