Donate to Dine

This will not come as any sort of great shock to those of you with children older than mine…boys especially. But I am serious as a heart-attack when I tell you that I am just not so certain about taking these children out to eat any more.

My MIL wanted to take us out to dinner so we reserved a date on the calendar. The night arrived and when we picked her up, she asked where we wanted to go. There was a very brief, albeit slightly-heated, discussion about the “where” (my husband’s so bossy about things like that), but we finally landed on The Cheesecake Factory.

We’ve all been there before. My boys knew the rules. At least I thought they did. But I knew immediately that we were in trouble when the waitress asked cheerfully, “How many kid’s menus do we need tonight?” She glanced around the group, her eyes landing on the 11yo, who gave a head nod to the 9yo and said, “One.”

The 9yo immediately waved her off like he was a third base coach and said, “None”.

The 11yo left the children’s menu behind about a year ago. And I suspect that the 9yo considers himself licensed to do it also because…well, just because it’s who he is.

After laboriously studying the menu, the moment to order was upon us. The 11yo proceeded to order a salmon filet, and the 9yo ordered a steak (and he must’ve brought his hollow leg because if you have ever seen him, you would not believe he could put food away like he does; he ate the whole thing, as well as two pieces of bread, about half his fries, and part of his cheesecake.) Oh yeah, did I mention: they both ordered their own slice of cheesecake at the end of the meal.

In related news, the PBA will be accepting donations from anyone who would like to help the “PBA Donate to Dine Fund”…not to be confused with “Dine to Donate” idea, in which people go out to eat and a portion of their bill goes into a fund to support local schools or organizations. This goes the other way and the funds specifically go toward us dining out. Please contact the PBA for more information.