Survive eating out with kids

It is possible. Maybe not probable but you can do it...go out to a nice dinner with kids. I remember the days when Taco Bell was dining out with our kids. That was part due to the fact that they would want the $20 hamburger or burrito anyway. So why go through the stress and pay for it too?

Fortunately, as our kids got older, they could sit still long enough to use some manners and enjoy a nice dinner out. Our most useful tactic was to take them out one by one and focus on the relationship, engaging the child in conversation and role modeling appropriate dining out etiguette.

Take a closer look at the article below and share your dining out experiences be they good, bad or ugly!

clipped from www.examiner.com Parenting 101: Dining out with young children Lay the ground rules. Let children know what behavior is expected of them in a restaurant setting. Providing particular boundaries (such as staying seated at the table for the entire meal) establishes guidelines for children, helping them understand how people act in a restaurant. Be consistent with these ground rules and remove the child from the situation if there is a discipline issue. Be prepared. These days many restaurants offer a few crayons and a coloring sheet for children. This is good, but can become dull after a few moments. Keep a "restaurant bag" stashed in the trunk of the car, filled with a small assortment of entertainment items to keep little ones busy. Such bags can contain washable markers (skip crayons, as they can melt easily), paper, a sheet of stickers, small books, little toy (such as one from a kid's meal), snacks, an unbreakable mirror and wet wipes.