My big night out

Last night I went out to dinner, which is not something I do very frequently. It's expensive and generally I enjoy the food I cook just as well. But it is nice to have someone wait on you and do the dishes. So anyway, I was out having dinner. Quite embarassingly, this was an "american" themed restaurant, but that's the only place you can go for a real steak or some ribs. Not to mention the free refills. It turns out I am an American, whoda thunk?

About halfway into our meal, this enormous group of about 20 come in. No big deal. Then they proceed to sit all 10 of the children at their own massive table in the middle of the restaurant before the adults retreated back to their own massive table somewhere in the back. Great. Thanks. Aren't children annoying to eat with? Don't they get in the way of all your adulty fun? Instead of, say, leaving them at home or (gasp) not having them in the first place, I now have an excellent idea, courtesy of Spanish child-rearing - Just abandon them and let the rest of the patrons deal with your rugrats while you go enjoy your beer.

Now I like children and I've never been able to understand people who claim to hate children, since we all were children at one point and one day even these carefree annoying brats will be just as disillusioned and dead inside as you are. Plus, if we want the human race to continue (debateable), we'll have to deal with them.

That said, I shouldn't need to enjoy the wonders of unsupervised childhood while I'm trying to eat. I sure hope those adults had a good enough time to justify me having to sit through the 15 minute cell phone ringtone symphony, 5th movement, courtesy of little José. And I know you're trying to be a good parent and keep your child healthy, so I understand why you tell them they can't have a soda. But you can walk away from the tantrum that ensues. We can't. Neat trick. Furthermore, if your children are not old enough to read a menu or use a fork properly, you probably shouldn't be leaving them to their own devices. They could choke or something. Plus they WILL use their chicken fingers to chicken fingerpaint all over the table with the ketchup.

And Spanish people don't even tip.