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While our cities are buzzing, filled with festive cheer, our little ones will also be getting a break with school holidays beginning next week. Naturally, we’ll want to spoil our kids after they'd worked so hard this year, but taking them out into crowds, all the while hoping they’ll behave, can be a rather nerve-wracking task.
But fear not – we all tend to turn into unrecognisable versions of ourselves. And one dad, who appropriately calls his YouTube channel “How to DAD”, Jordan Watson, has a little instructional video on how to take kids to a restaurant, detailing the way different parents handle this particular… challenge.
- Also see: How to hold a baby
Which parent are you when it comes to taking your kids to a restaurant?
The rules dad
Are you that parent that spends more time outside the restaurant explaining to your kids how to conduct themselves than actually inside enjoying their meal?
“No pulling hair."
"No laughing at farts."
"No farts at all!”
Sounds familiar, does it?
The running dad
Are you that parent that constantly finds himself chasing after his kids trying desperately to just get a hold of the t-shirt or a dangling limb?
Anything will do when you're out of breath from running laps around the restaurant.
The "big kid" dad
Are you that parent who wants to join your kids in the slide at McDonald's?
Well it turns out you're not just a parent. You're in fact a 'big kid' parent.
The "woah" dad
Are you always yelling “Woah!”, constantly trying to calm the kids down and prevent them from doing anything too crazy?
Like throwing their food from this rather uppity restaurant on the floor or throwing it up and hoping it will stick to the ceiling?
Woah, woah, woah, that sounds all too familiar.
The "she’ll be 'right" dad
Are you that brave parent who lets their little ones sit on their own so everyone can get a little peace and quiet?
"They’re within view," you think. "What could possibly go wrong?" you wonder.
"She’ll be 'right," you naively reassure yourself, completing forgetting the time your little one returned to you with one shoe and tomato sauce all over the clothes.
"She'll be 'right."
The clever dad
But perhaps you're the oh-so-wise parent who brings the restaurant to the kids and buys food via the drive-thru keeping the potential mess in a confined space for you to regret later on.
The relaxed dad
Sometimes you think maybe you should let the kids order whatever they want because then everyone’s happy.
No worry, no fuss, just a little ice cream for dinner? Why not? How much more hyper can they possibly get?
The "don’t put them down" dad
Or are you the parent that realises that to prevent any potential conflict it would just be easier to carry your kids for the entire duration of your restaurant visit?
Because having them on top and all over you is better than having them underneath tables and testing out the deep fryer in the kitchen while you chase after them, as the running dad would.
The "just order heaps so they don’t finish before you do" dad
Alternatively, you can always have them neatly perched on their chairs and enjoying their food where you can see them. Which, coincidentally, also beats turning into the running dad and having to eat on the go.
But let’s be honest, anything pretty much beats turning into the running dad.
That being said, no matter who, or rather, what you become when you have to go out in public with your kids, remember that this is their holiday too.
Besides, they'll eventually power down, with full tummies and a smile on their face.
So what's an hour of running around and panting?
Think of it as your daily workout – cardio, if you will.
Read more:
- Eating out with your kids
- Remember that time before you had kids? Remember that time before you #gottoddlered?
- How to change a baby's nappy in a restaurant
Which parent do you become when taking your kids to a restaurant? Do you have any tips for fellow parents this festive season? Tell us by commenting below or email to chatback@parent24.com and we may publish your comments.
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