This is a random, funny, little story that happened to us the other day that I just don't want to forget.
We were craving salty (totally unhealthy), but we just needed a Golden Arches fix...not to mention E loves the playplace there. So off we went to McDonalds.
Our thinking was that we would have a normal dinner (ya know, food thrown all over the floor, two littles learning to eat nicely, etc., but in a public place :p). We chose a booth kind of in the center of the restaurant. We started eating our meal and from around the corner came a mom and her (~eighteen month old) daughter. The little girl was smitten with Nora who was in a high chair.
She started to wave and say "papa" (Slovak kids' version of hello/goodbye). She picked things up off the floor and handed them to N, then she just stood there for a little bit, staring.
Wellllll, then the mom, I guess, got bored. So she just pulled up a chair for her eighteen month old and left her sitting at our table. Didn't ask. Didn't blink an eye. Just pulled up the chair, sat her in it, and walked away back to her own table!! Ha! Jas and I were both pretty shocked that she did this, but we *tried* to play it cool (though it could perhaps have been evident on my face that I was a bit in shock that she just left her daughter at a stranger's table to sit with them).
So the little girl stayed there for a good ten minutes. The mom did occasionally peek around the corner, but all in all, it was a very unique and unexpected visitor we ended up entertaining for some of our meal :)
I don't think this is a cultural thing at all...rather I think it was a different approach in parenting than our own. Unexpected. Enlightening. Suprising. Unique. Whatever you want to call it...it was a first experience for us, indeed.
But I mean, can you blame the girl for wanting to make friends with this cutie!? ;)
For the record, we're still laughing about it. And still a bit in shock that we were given the opportunity to babysit a random baby at dinner the other night ;) haha!
HA! So fun! Here people take your babies from you and walk around the restaurant for as long as said baby is ok with it. And if there are kids in their family around the same size as yours, you can bet they will be pushed your way so that your kids and their kids can become friends. And nearly every time, everyone asks "Do you just want to stay with me? Ok. Bye bye Mommy!" They will feed your kids, and even, feel they MUST if they have food and your kids are nearby and being even remotely sociable.
ReplyDeleteWhat's most funny is that I actually had to think about "what we do here" because I became a mom here and it all seems normal. I guess I need to prepare myself for not offering food to other people's kids in the states, huh? :) Although my guess is if we blended in a bit more, this occurrence wouldn't be near so often. Still. Fun times!
That's wild!! I would have been just as shocked. I guess that Mom sensed y'all were safe, friendly folks! My child has invited himself to snack time with new friends more times than I can count.... and by invite I mean sticking his hand in their cup/bag and stuffing his face.
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