Bless Those Children

Saturday night after a morning of basketball and after the Circus that afternoon we went to eat Mexican. We chose a little place that we adore called Habernos. We went in and ordered. We all had an entree, three of us had sweet tea and one had milk. We also had some yummy cheese dip with our on the house chips and salsa. Usually John and I order water not from the money aspect but from watching the waistline aspect. We typically eat out once a week. We live on one income, oew no debt and all of our bills are paid. We are working on building savings for each child to attend college and we have a little nest egg of our own, although it would not cover retirement at this point. We are comfortable.

I never and I mean NEVER remember a time in our lives where we dragged our children out to a restaurant, ordered for myself and my husband and told them that could not eat there because they had already eaten at home. If we could not afford for them to eat we would stay home cause we certainly could not afford for us to eat either!

Saturday night as we were finishing our meal up a couple about our age, well dressed came in and was seated behind my husband and Mason. They also had their 4 children with them (somewhere between the ages of 5 and 12). The mom ordered a beer and the dad some other type of alcoholic drink and the children each had water ordered for them. I heard two of the older boys ask if they could have some chips and the mother told them no, they had already eaten. When the waiter came I could not believe my ears! The mother ordered, the father ordered and when the waiter asked what for the children, the mother said nothing. The children ever so quietly protested and asked to order, the youngest one even crying. Yes the mother refused and told them to just shut up, they had already eaten.

It was bad enough that my own children were witnessing such behavior from a grown woman, a mother no less but to hear her speak to them in that tone with those words. Mason actually started praying right at our table for "their mommy to have a kinder heart". We quickly finished our meal. The woman proceeded to have not one but two more drinks and the man another one as well, but yet they would not let their children eat. God help us, what is this world coming to?!

When we got in the car the boys wnated to pray for that family and we did. I wanted to say something to that woman, actually if I were being honest I would tell you that the anger in me made me want to slap her jaws. That was not the Christian thing to do and I refrained. What would you have done? Would you have said something?

I just cannot imagine telling my children they couldn't eat.................