Sibling dinners

[Anonymous]

Nice idea. We got our three hoverboards and turn the kitchen over to them every night. They hang for hours talking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ages? My sons would have ordered multiple shrimp cocktails, then dinner, then dessert.

That’s lesson kids need to learn.

I have a rule that when there with another family they don’t order anything more expensive than the least expensive thing somebody else orders, generally.

Than the least expensive?

So, if your teen goes out with another family, and they have a younger sibling who orders off the kid's menu, or the mom just has a small salad. Well, then they have to stick with that budget?


My kids are pretty conscious of the price, but that's absurd.

[Anonymous]

I love the idea.

My parents' best couple friends had 3 kids almost exactly the same ages as me and my brothers. One of our favorite family memories is the time the 6 kids got to go out to dinner together. My bother laughed so hard a string of pasta came out his nose. That was about 35 years ago and we still laugh about it all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you go while they are eating? That seems too young to be doing that.

Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we meet friends for drinks, sometimes we go to a different restaurant nearby, sometimes we just stay home. It's not too young at all - the oldest is 12. They're polite, don't make a mess and tip well - it's fine. They'd be too young if they needed an adult to help in some way - to calculate tip, to read the menu, to cut food, to take them to the bathroom, etc.

You 12, 9, 9, and 7 all do this? Right. The poor 12 yo is in charge, so you and DH can have free time.

Exactly! I was the oldest kid and remember being stuck with similar kids of fun "parenting" aka free babysitting assignments! Oh to be a fly on the wall at a dinner while they are out having fun sibling time!

OP here. We've heard from people we know a couple of times who saw them out that they basically just laugh a lot, and do various accents (I don't know what that's about).

PP above. I am glad to hear that! (I hope you give your 12 year old some $$ and let her go on her own special dinner with friends once a month too.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe one day I will let my kids to this, and I allow them to only order from kid's menu plus a dessert. They are 6 and 3 now, so it is really far away for me to dream of now.

PP, you're cute. But if they're old enough to go to a restaurant without adults, then they're old enough to order from anywhere on the menu that they want, not just the kids menu.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am honestly surprised that a restaurant is letting a middle schooler charge a meal on your credit card. Do you give them a note or something?

I give my MS DD my card all of the time to buy fast food, Starbucks, clothing. She’s never been questioned. I am going get her debit card when she turns 13.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe one day I will let my kids to this, and I allow them to only order from kid's menu plus a dessert. They are 6 and 3 now, so it is really far away for me to dream of now.

PP, you're cute. But if they're old enough to go to a restaurant without adults, then they're old enough to order from anywhere on the menu that they want, not just the kids menu.

Give it a rest. PP's kids are solidly within the children's menu age, so my guess is a lot will change in the next 5-10 years for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you go while they are eating? That seems too young to be doing that.

Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we meet friends for drinks, sometimes we go to a different restaurant nearby, sometimes we just stay home. It's not too young at all - the oldest is 12. They're polite, don't make a mess and tip well - it's fine. They'd be too young if they needed an adult to help in some way - to calculate tip, to read the menu, to cut food, to take them to the bathroom, etc.

You cannot be serious. That's extremely inappropriate and a restaurant is not your babysitter. You need to supervise your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you go while they are eating? That seems too young to be doing that.

Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we meet friends for drinks, sometimes we go to a different restaurant nearby, sometimes we just stay home. It's not too young at all - the oldest is 12. They're polite, don't make a mess and tip well - it's fine. They'd be too young if they needed an adult to help in some way - to calculate tip, to read the menu, to cut food, to take them to the bathroom, etc.

You 12, 9, 9, and 7 all do this? Right. The poor 12 yo is in charge, so you and DH can have free time.

Oh FFS, 9 year olds are old enough to babysit

Look I babysat in the late 80s and early 90s when things were MUCH looser and no one wanted a 9 yo babysittet even then. GTFOH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you go while they are eating? That seems too young to be doing that.

Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we meet friends for drinks, sometimes we go to a different restaurant nearby, sometimes we just stay home. It's not too young at all - the oldest is 12. They're polite, don't make a mess and tip well - it's fine. They'd be too young if they needed an adult to help in some way - to calculate tip, to read the menu, to cut food, to take them to the bathroom, etc.

You cannot be serious. That's extremely inappropriate and a restaurant is not your babysitter. You need to supervise your kids.

So OP, the 7 yo goes to the restroom by themselves and takes forever. Then what? The 12 yo goes to help leaving the 9 year olds? While you’re at home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you go while they are eating? That seems too young to be doing that.

Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we meet friends for drinks, sometimes we go to a different restaurant nearby, sometimes we just stay home. It's not too young at all - the oldest is 12. They're polite, don't make a mess and tip well - it's fine. They'd be too young if they needed an adult to help in some way - to calculate tip, to read the menu, to cut food, to take them to the bathroom, etc.

You cannot be serious. That's extremely inappropriate and a restaurant is not your babysitter. You need to supervise your kids.

Restaurant owner here. This is not appropriate, and I would not seat your children. Cue the I won't go to your restaurant! I hope you go out of business! comments

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you go while they are eating? That seems too young to be doing that.

Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we meet friends for drinks, sometimes we go to a different restaurant nearby, sometimes we just stay home. It's not too young at all - the oldest is 12. They're polite, don't make a mess and tip well - it's fine. They'd be too young if they needed an adult to help in some way - to calculate tip, to read the menu, to cut food, to take them to the bathroom, etc.

You 12, 9, 9, and 7 all do this? Right. The poor 12 yo is in charge, so you and DH can have free time.

Exactly! I was the oldest kid and remember being stuck with similar kids of fun "parenting" aka free babysitting assignments! Oh to be a fly on the wall at a dinner while they are out having fun sibling time!

I think it sounds adorable. When I was 12, I would have loved doing this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you go while they are eating? That seems too young to be doing that.

Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we meet friends for drinks, sometimes we go to a different restaurant nearby, sometimes we just stay home. It's not too young at all - the oldest is 12. They're polite, don't make a mess and tip well - it's fine. They'd be too young if they needed an adult to help in some way - to calculate tip, to read the menu, to cut food, to take them to the bathroom, etc.

You cannot be serious. That's extremely inappropriate and a restaurant is not your babysitter. You need to supervise your kids.

So OP, the 7 yo goes to the restroom by themselves and takes forever. Then what? The 12 yo goes to help leaving the 9 year olds? While you’re at home?

OP here. Kids use the bathroom before they leave the house, but if they have to use it in public, two go together.

[Anonymous]

Great idea. Never thought of doing that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you go while they are eating? That seems too young to be doing that.

Sometimes we run errands, sometimes we meet friends for drinks, sometimes we go to a different restaurant nearby, sometimes we just stay home. It's not too young at all - the oldest is 12. They're polite, don't make a mess and tip well - it's fine. They'd be too young if they needed an adult to help in some way - to calculate tip, to read the menu, to cut food, to take them to the bathroom, etc.

You cannot be serious. That's extremely inappropriate and a restaurant is not your babysitter. You need to supervise your kids.

Restaurant owner here. This is not appropriate, and I would not seat your children. Cue the I won't go to your restaurant! I hope you go out of business! comments

Op here. That's fine that you wouldn't allow it. Lots of other restaurants do. Just like this wouldn't work for all kids, it doesn't work for all restaurants. Everyone has to do what works for them.