Tonight, DH and I took SD9 to dinner at Chick-Fil-A. She was very well behaved so it was no issue with her. But there was a lady sitting behind us with her two kids. Her little boy was probably 5. The entire time we were sitting there, she was trying to bribe him into eating his dinner. So she tells him, if you eat your dinner, you are going to get an ice cream cone. Eventually, he wears her down and she tells him that he only has to eat 3 more bites and he can have ice cream. So the kid finally eats the three bites. The mom (who has an infant with her as well) doesn't want to stand in the long line that has formed to get him the ice cream so she offers to make him one at home. The kids tarts throwing a huge fit, screaming "I want ice cream" as loud as he can. Her response, "Stop crying baby. I will get you ice cream."

At this point, one of Chick-Fil-A's workers was walking by and asked the mom if she would like her to get the boy an ice cream cone so she doesn't have to wait in line. The mom says yes and asks if she needs to pay any money. The worker says no. She tells her that the little boy can trade his free coloring book (that was laying on the floor) for the cone. The mom says that is great, as he never plays with them. So the worker picks up the book and starts to walk away.

The kid throws himself on the floor and starts screaming that he wants his coloring book back. The mom starts comforting him and asks the worker from Chick-Fil-A, "can't you just give him the cone for free and let him keep the book?" The worker says yes and gives him back the book. He then gets up off the floor and sits back down.

He gets his ice cream. The mom keeps telling him what a good boy he is and isn't the ice cream good. He wants to go play, but she says no because the baby is tired. He starts whining and she promises him candy when they get home.

When she left, my DH turns to me and says, "Can you believe she was going to give his coloring book away to get him ice cream?"

WHAT???? I asked him if that was really all he thought was wrong with that situation. His exact words, "Yeah, she knew that was going to upset him. She had the baby to worry about so she should have avoided getting him worked up. Its a public place, what was she supposed to do?"

I think my jaw hit the floor. My answer, "I don't know DH. She could have been the parent and enforced some boundaries with him. He wouldn't be that spoiled if she actually parented him."

This is what my DH was like with the SDs when we first met. He isn't anymore, but he wonders why he is having such a hard time with them now. He only started putting restrictions on them in the last 2 years and the are 12 and almost 10.