The Two Extremes

Last night we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. On Monday nights, kids eat free. That's a real bargain for us! Including tip, our bill was just under $40. We only go a couple of times a year, but the kids love it. They love the peanuts most of all.

So we were enjoying our dinner and two of the "older" (by older I mean, older than me but not really old ... like maybe in their mid 50's-60's) couples sitting nearby started talking to us. They were asking our children's ages, names, etc. They were very friendly. In fact, when the first couple left, they told us they loved sitting near our family and how well-behaved the children were. (Really, I think they were too busy eating the peanuts to misbehave.)

When the second couple was leaving, the man and woman came over and told us how well-behaved our children were. The man (who was blind and being guided by his wife) handed each of my children a Sacagawea coin. How nice was that? He talked to us a few minutes, wished us a happy Thanksgiving, and then left.

A few minutes later, three men walked in. They looked around for a minute when one of the men stood at the end of our table, pointed to each of my children while counting and said, "Haven't you ever heard of cable TV?"

I was flabbergasted. I am usually not at a loss of words, but last night, I was. I think, in this case, it was a good thing. I'm sure a few nasty insults could have flown easily from my lips if I hadn't been so stunned.

So a lovely evening out with my family (whom I completely adore) was almost ruined by a selfish man who, perhaps, thought he was being funny. Luckily, my children are too young to understand such insensitive comments.

I'm not sure why, but there are a lot of people in this world who think that they can make insensitive remarks to people with large families. (It is a common occurrence.) I can't figure out the logic behind their behavior. Some strangers act like my children were "mistakes" and offer birth control advice. Perhaps some people think we will end up on welfare ?!? I don't know. Whatever their reasoning, they should just keep their nasty, not-so-funny comments to themselves. Because, one of these days, I'm not going to be taken aback and something not-so-nice is going to come out of my mouth and the shoe will be on the other foot.