Fishbone†
<font color=blue>Does strange things while sleepin
- Joined
- May 31, 2001
- Messages
- 1,372
... and believe me, I was sensitive and kind (yes, I can be kind 
) to them before, but I will be even more so now!
I had my 3 year old niece this weekend. I'd gotten sneak preview tickets to "Piglet's Big Movie" and Chloe and I were going to spend the day together at the Mall of America. She is a super sweet child (and I'm not just saying that because I am biased) and very well-behaved. She loves me to death (I'm her "best friend Heidi", you know
) and would do anything I said. So, we go to the movie, spend some money, ride some of the rides, spend some money, pick out a couple of suckers, spend some money, buy a Bob the Builder Lego set that catches her eye (she has the cutest little smile), spend some money.... just had a super fun time together. She's hungry, and of course so am I, so we go up to the food court..... IT IS PACKED.... lines everywhere..... no tables, no room, noisy, crowded... 
I try to talk her into eating on the way home.... she wanted to stay there. Logic told me to stay.... after all, she's tired, and the minute we hit the road she's going to fall asleep. We'll get a couple of miles down the road, and I'll have to wake her up. If we eat here, we can drive all the way home and she can sleep uninterrupted. Seemed like good parenting logic (right?). So, we get in one of the lines, she's falling asleep in my arms, we wait FOREVER, we place our order, and WAIT FOR ANOTHER EVER..... people are milling about in a 4' x 4' space waiting for their food...... she's getting heavy, people are touching me, it's noisy, I'm on the verge of a melt-down. They call our number, I put her down, grab the food and hand her one of the drinks to carry. She's quite a bit more interested in this pop than walking to a table, so I have to take it back..... my hands are full and I can't hold hers, so I'm just hoping she's behind me as I check every 5 seconds. There are no tables.... we put on two miles walking around and around and around until someone on the far side finishes their meal and we grab their table. I set our store purchases down, our meal down, our drinks down, I pick her up set her on the chair, and open the bag. NO NAPKINS (I have a three year old eating.... don't they know you need napkins????) NO KETCHUP!!!! (I hate ketchup, but unfortunately, Chloe doesn't). I can't leave her there, but I'm not picking up all of this stuff to traipse back across the food court for a tomato product, only to be out a table again. So I rip the bag to set her stuff on and tell her to be careful because we have no napkins..... oh, and by the way, three year olds know the difference between ketchup and marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce as she so emphatically informed me). I convince her that fries taste good in marinara sauce, and commence to cutting up her chicken strips and cheese sticks. I get them all cut up and spread on her bag, and before either of us take a bite, she announces that she has to go potty..... can't wait. Of course she can't, she's 3 and when you're three, your body waits until the very last minute to inform you that your bladder is about to burst. What am I supposed to do??...... I can't leave the food there, I have to take it with or throw it away. I've ripped the bag it came in up to make a table cloth. I can't put a reserved sign on the table..... it's a food court, they don't take reservations. So, I combine a couple of our purchases, toss our food in the Lego bag, and head for the bathroom. I have to tell you..... I have this weird thing about food in bathrooms, in fact, I throw my gum out before I go in...... it grosses me out, but here I am with my entire lunch and two drinks sitting on the floor of the handicap stall in the third floor foodcourt bathrooms at the biggest, most populated mall in America!!! YUCK!!!! Now I feel for all you parents, and when I see one of you looking around with a frantic "what do I do now" look on your faces, I will offer my help..... but in the meantime, I have learned what most experience parents already know.... before you order food at a busy food court, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS ask if they have to use the bathroom first!!!! Oh, and take another adult with you.... in case they forget the ketchup!!!!
All in all, it was a fun, FUN weekend!!!!
) to them before, but I will be even more so now!I had my 3 year old niece this weekend. I'd gotten sneak preview tickets to "Piglet's Big Movie" and Chloe and I were going to spend the day together at the Mall of America. She is a super sweet child (and I'm not just saying that because I am biased) and very well-behaved. She loves me to death (I'm her "best friend Heidi", you know
) and would do anything I said. So, we go to the movie, spend some money, ride some of the rides, spend some money, pick out a couple of suckers, spend some money, buy a Bob the Builder Lego set that catches her eye (she has the cutest little smile), spend some money.... just had a super fun time together. She's hungry, and of course so am I, so we go up to the food court..... IT IS PACKED.... lines everywhere..... no tables, no room, noisy, crowded... I try to talk her into eating on the way home.... she wanted to stay there. Logic told me to stay.... after all, she's tired, and the minute we hit the road she's going to fall asleep. We'll get a couple of miles down the road, and I'll have to wake her up. If we eat here, we can drive all the way home and she can sleep uninterrupted. Seemed like good parenting logic (right?). So, we get in one of the lines, she's falling asleep in my arms, we wait FOREVER, we place our order, and WAIT FOR ANOTHER EVER..... people are milling about in a 4' x 4' space waiting for their food...... she's getting heavy, people are touching me, it's noisy, I'm on the verge of a melt-down. They call our number, I put her down, grab the food and hand her one of the drinks to carry. She's quite a bit more interested in this pop than walking to a table, so I have to take it back..... my hands are full and I can't hold hers, so I'm just hoping she's behind me as I check every 5 seconds. There are no tables.... we put on two miles walking around and around and around until someone on the far side finishes their meal and we grab their table. I set our store purchases down, our meal down, our drinks down, I pick her up set her on the chair, and open the bag. NO NAPKINS (I have a three year old eating.... don't they know you need napkins????) NO KETCHUP!!!! (I hate ketchup, but unfortunately, Chloe doesn't). I can't leave her there, but I'm not picking up all of this stuff to traipse back across the food court for a tomato product, only to be out a table again. So I rip the bag to set her stuff on and tell her to be careful because we have no napkins..... oh, and by the way, three year olds know the difference between ketchup and marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce as she so emphatically informed me). I convince her that fries taste good in marinara sauce, and commence to cutting up her chicken strips and cheese sticks. I get them all cut up and spread on her bag, and before either of us take a bite, she announces that she has to go potty..... can't wait. Of course she can't, she's 3 and when you're three, your body waits until the very last minute to inform you that your bladder is about to burst. What am I supposed to do??...... I can't leave the food there, I have to take it with or throw it away. I've ripped the bag it came in up to make a table cloth. I can't put a reserved sign on the table..... it's a food court, they don't take reservations. So, I combine a couple of our purchases, toss our food in the Lego bag, and head for the bathroom. I have to tell you..... I have this weird thing about food in bathrooms, in fact, I throw my gum out before I go in...... it grosses me out, but here I am with my entire lunch and two drinks sitting on the floor of the handicap stall in the third floor foodcourt bathrooms at the biggest, most populated mall in America!!! YUCK!!!! Now I feel for all you parents, and when I see one of you looking around with a frantic "what do I do now" look on your faces, I will offer my help..... but in the meantime, I have learned what most experience parents already know.... before you order food at a busy food court, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS ask if they have to use the bathroom first!!!! Oh, and take another adult with you.... in case they forget the ketchup!!!! All in all, it was a fun, FUN weekend!!!!
Sounds all too familiar! Sorry it was stressful for you!
