I took my kids out to dinner and...

My husband was working and I had no energy or inspiration to make a lowly meal for the boys, so on a whim we headed to our favorite neighborhood malt shop. Not the healthiest choice but not fast food and they have table service which I find pleasant. We clamber in the car and I ask Max what manners we practice at a restaurant. He recites, "Use inside voices, say please and thank you to the server and remember Will we absolutely don't throw food!" Ok, off to a good start. Turns out they both ordered the same meal, except Max wanted some cucumbers because he pointed out the grilled cheese and fries did not include a vegetable. He asked the waitress if she could bring him some cucumbers and she delightfully found a few. Will ate ice cubes quietly and Max munched cucumbers diligently. Both certainly practiced manners even though the little guy's please and thank you were simply flirtatious grins here and there, no one seemed bothered.

During my run today, I recalled these moments and recognized that I don't do everything right and I fail miserably at being a mom more often than I care to admit, but I must be doing something pretty ok. Maybe I don't color coordinate socks every day, maybe I don't speak in a low volume while instructing the boys to stop arguing over the same toy over and over, maybe they eat toaster waffles (this makes me cringe but we do it often anyway), and maybe I forget to finish the laundry I started but by God my kids know how to behave in a pretty civilized eating establishment. And one is starting to understand what a balanced meal looks like, he didn't even eat all his fries!

My husband informs me I am brave to take them places by myself, they are still very young and both can be a bit zany. But if we never give them chores or small tasks (so much easier to do it ourselves), if we never step out the door and show them this world how are they going to navigate? Most likely they will find a way but giving them a nudge, inspiring them as you see fit is a rare and surprising bonus of parenting. We get to teach them, we get to help them grow, we get to encourage a path toward becoming a good citizen, a loving person. If my boys care about what others might be feeling, if they understand, express and practice empathy then my heart is full. And if they say please and thank you without prompting my cup is overflowing. Maybe next time one is going to cry, odds are something like thrown ice or spilled lemonade will occur. But this won't stop me from trying and heading down the road for another adventure. And Max summed up our outing perfectly, "Mommy that was the best meal ever, how many more sleeps until we go to another restaurant?".