Monday, January 11, 2010

Parenting Tip: Well Behaved Children in Public

On New Year's day, my husband CA and I took the twins out to dinner with his parents. Waitresses were stopping by our table to admire the girls and about 10 minutes after we got there, an older gentleman came up to our table and said, "Excuse me, but these are the best behaved children I have ever seen. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it!" WOW! What a confidence booster! As a first time mom, I always wonder if I'm doing a good job raising my kids, so it's always good to hear positive feedback!
Now, my children are not always angels in public (read my jewelry store post) but here are some things I do to try to make outings a little bit more pleasant.
1. I always schedule appointments and errands around their schedule. A well fed and well rested baby is a happier baby! Even if I'm taking them out to dinner, I give them a snack before we leave the house or make sure it is well before their normal eating time.
2. I always bring snacks and toys with me. You never know when you're errands are going to take longer than expected. Even just having cheerios is a good idea. The toys I bring are ones I always leave in the diaper bag, so it seems like a new toy to them. Even having 'emergency' objects with you is a good idea. My girls love to chew on cardboard (whether it be a book or a box of diapers) so the cardboard from a 2 pack baby food container is also always with me.
3. When going out to dinner, I always order the children's food when the adults order their beverages. This has two advantages...A your child will have to wait less for their food; B you have time before your meal to cut up all their food so you get a chance to eat before the check comes!
I'm sure there will come a day that my tricks won't work anymore, but hopefully then I'll have thought of something else! If anyone reading this knows someone else pregnant or with children who thinks they would benefit from this article, please feel free to e-mail them my link!
Thanks!

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