(no subject)
I was driving the other day, and I passed this place. When I saw the phrase 'children's restaraunt', I knew 2 things. 1) I needed to know more and 2) I would probably be horrified when I found out.
She didn’t cry or scream, she just looked into my eyes with the most intense, yet serene gaze I had ever seen. As if she knew exactly who I was. For me, it was just magic, pure mystical, ethereal, magic. For her, I was just mommy, holding her tight in this strange, bright place she had never seen. That was the moment in my life, when I did not just become a mother to my own child, but I somehow became a mother to every child I saw around me. Ones I never might have noticed before. Amazing how everywhere I looked from that point on, I saw children. Giggles N’ Hugs came about when my husband and I and our daughter could not find anywhere to go and have a meal that actually catered to her needs. All the so called “kid friendly” restaurants* still gave her the same size chair to sit on, unless she was sitting in a high chair.** They still gave her the same size utensils as us, and the kid’s menu food was as greasy and unhealthy as it comes.*** As a mom, I was always thinking of ways to make life more fun for her and easier for me. I thought to myself, how can there not be ONE restaurant just for kids, yet also parent friendly. A place where parents can enjoy a healthy, delicious meal and the kids can act their age. Why couldn’t we go out to dinner somewhere that I didn’t have to keep telling my toddler to sit down and be quiet? Basically, asking her to be like an adult. I also hated the fact that all the “kid friendly” foods were made with artificial cheese or potatoes. Having a very picky eater, I came up with very creative ways to have her get her veggies. I always pureed cauliflower in her fettuccine alfredo and squash in her mac n’ cheese. I always made homemade pizza with pureed spinach in her pizza sauce. She never knew she ate her veggies everyday, but going out to dinner meant NO veggies! Well, not anymore. That is the reason why we offer pureed veg-etables**** in some of the kid’s favorite foods. Going out to dinner shouldn’t mean compromising our standards for our children. All of the food at Giggles N’ Hugs is made with the finest, freshest quality available. We offer a variety of organic, healthy food because we wanted a place that we can be proud to have our own kids eat at. We now have two little angels, and we can truly say that we are proud to have all of your families become a part of our family here. We wholeheartedly believe that everyone needs some……..Giggles N’ Hugs!
Kids aren't adults. I get that. In fact, I probably get that better than most people. And I know I'm not a parent, and I'm sure there are lots of things that I'm overlooking here. I'll grant her the utensil size, that's got to be a pain. Which is probably why a lot of kids menus consist of finger foods. I'll even grant her that most things on a kids menu - when there is a kids menu- is probably all cheesy starchy junk. And while I know I'm about to sound like a TOTAL old fart, dinnertime is NOT playtime. You tell your toddler to sit down and be quiet at the table because that's how you teach TABLE MANNERS. Are they going to stay impeccably neat? No. Are crayons on paper table cloths and small objects to keep them occupied appropriate? Yes. And as for sneaking vegetables into your kids food? It's clever...but it's teaching them bad habits. Kids should learn to try new things, and then they can TELL you what they like. And yes, some kids can be picky and particular and at the end of the day it's more important that they GET their vegetables, than have a lightbulb moment. I'm not saying I'd never do the pureed veggies thing as a parent. Heck, I'd do it for myself. It could be the new South Beach.
I vividly remeber being about 8 years old when I asked my mother to make brussel sprouts, and she looked at me like I had asked to eat human eyeballs. She asked me why I wanted them, and I told her I had read about them in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and I wanted to try them. She had agreed to make lamb chops from the same book, and I had tried those and liked them, I was ready for something new. She warned me that *she* didn't like them, and I said okay. I tried them, and didn't like them. Like, REALLY didn't like them. Haven't tried them since. Ick. I did learn that I liked carrot raisin salad, broccoli - cooked, but still crunchy- with melted cheese or italian dressing, okra, crunchy green beans, cucumber slices with salt and pepper...and I acquired some tastes, and lost others, but I understood that vegetables were important for a good diet, and they kept me healthy. That's a good things for kids to hear from an early age.
This woman has it backwards - having children shouldn't compromise our standards for acceptable behavior. If an adult started acting the way I've seen some kids act in restaurants, they'd be thrown out. Period. If someone were running around in circle screaming, throwing food, and hiding under the tables they'd be locked up! As adults, we have places where it is perfectly okay to throw things, caterwaul, and enjoy fried finger foods. They're called BARS. Now unless you want to make a bar for toddlers, (Which, I'm not going to lie, I might get behind. Edit: Look at the events calendar. Football, live music, Disco Night and Karaoke. It just might BE a bar for kids.) teach them that there are places where they can run, and yell and throw things, and restaurants, libraries, department stores, doctors offices, and places of business are NOT among them.
*What other "Kid Friendly" restaurants are there? Besides Chuck E Cheese, I'm at a loss.
**They don't have booster seats anymore?
***Look at their menu. Go ahead, I'll wait. Count the number of times you see 'fried' in the breakfast menu. Notice the salads don't come in kid size?
***I think she was trying to be cute and say veg-eatables. OW.
Also, nothing should ever be named 'Giggles 'n' Hugs'. EVER. Immediate vibe of child pornography. Gross.
She didn’t cry or scream, she just looked into my eyes with the most intense, yet serene gaze I had ever seen. As if she knew exactly who I was. For me, it was just magic, pure mystical, ethereal, magic. For her, I was just mommy, holding her tight in this strange, bright place she had never seen. That was the moment in my life, when I did not just become a mother to my own child, but I somehow became a mother to every child I saw around me. Ones I never might have noticed before. Amazing how everywhere I looked from that point on, I saw children. Giggles N’ Hugs came about when my husband and I and our daughter could not find anywhere to go and have a meal that actually catered to her needs. All the so called “kid friendly” restaurants* still gave her the same size chair to sit on, unless she was sitting in a high chair.** They still gave her the same size utensils as us, and the kid’s menu food was as greasy and unhealthy as it comes.*** As a mom, I was always thinking of ways to make life more fun for her and easier for me. I thought to myself, how can there not be ONE restaurant just for kids, yet also parent friendly. A place where parents can enjoy a healthy, delicious meal and the kids can act their age. Why couldn’t we go out to dinner somewhere that I didn’t have to keep telling my toddler to sit down and be quiet? Basically, asking her to be like an adult. I also hated the fact that all the “kid friendly” foods were made with artificial cheese or potatoes. Having a very picky eater, I came up with very creative ways to have her get her veggies. I always pureed cauliflower in her fettuccine alfredo and squash in her mac n’ cheese. I always made homemade pizza with pureed spinach in her pizza sauce. She never knew she ate her veggies everyday, but going out to dinner meant NO veggies! Well, not anymore. That is the reason why we offer pureed veg-etables**** in some of the kid’s favorite foods. Going out to dinner shouldn’t mean compromising our standards for our children. All of the food at Giggles N’ Hugs is made with the finest, freshest quality available. We offer a variety of organic, healthy food because we wanted a place that we can be proud to have our own kids eat at. We now have two little angels, and we can truly say that we are proud to have all of your families become a part of our family here. We wholeheartedly believe that everyone needs some……..Giggles N’ Hugs!
Kids aren't adults. I get that. In fact, I probably get that better than most people. And I know I'm not a parent, and I'm sure there are lots of things that I'm overlooking here. I'll grant her the utensil size, that's got to be a pain. Which is probably why a lot of kids menus consist of finger foods. I'll even grant her that most things on a kids menu - when there is a kids menu- is probably all cheesy starchy junk. And while I know I'm about to sound like a TOTAL old fart, dinnertime is NOT playtime. You tell your toddler to sit down and be quiet at the table because that's how you teach TABLE MANNERS. Are they going to stay impeccably neat? No. Are crayons on paper table cloths and small objects to keep them occupied appropriate? Yes. And as for sneaking vegetables into your kids food? It's clever...but it's teaching them bad habits. Kids should learn to try new things, and then they can TELL you what they like. And yes, some kids can be picky and particular and at the end of the day it's more important that they GET their vegetables, than have a lightbulb moment. I'm not saying I'd never do the pureed veggies thing as a parent. Heck, I'd do it for myself. It could be the new South Beach.
I vividly remeber being about 8 years old when I asked my mother to make brussel sprouts, and she looked at me like I had asked to eat human eyeballs. She asked me why I wanted them, and I told her I had read about them in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and I wanted to try them. She had agreed to make lamb chops from the same book, and I had tried those and liked them, I was ready for something new. She warned me that *she* didn't like them, and I said okay. I tried them, and didn't like them. Like, REALLY didn't like them. Haven't tried them since. Ick. I did learn that I liked carrot raisin salad, broccoli - cooked, but still crunchy- with melted cheese or italian dressing, okra, crunchy green beans, cucumber slices with salt and pepper...and I acquired some tastes, and lost others, but I understood that vegetables were important for a good diet, and they kept me healthy. That's a good things for kids to hear from an early age.
This woman has it backwards - having children shouldn't compromise our standards for acceptable behavior. If an adult started acting the way I've seen some kids act in restaurants, they'd be thrown out. Period. If someone were running around in circle screaming, throwing food, and hiding under the tables they'd be locked up! As adults, we have places where it is perfectly okay to throw things, caterwaul, and enjoy fried finger foods. They're called BARS. Now unless you want to make a bar for toddlers, (Which, I'm not going to lie, I might get behind. Edit: Look at the events calendar. Football, live music, Disco Night and Karaoke. It just might BE a bar for kids.) teach them that there are places where they can run, and yell and throw things, and restaurants, libraries, department stores, doctors offices, and places of business are NOT among them.
*What other "Kid Friendly" restaurants are there? Besides Chuck E Cheese, I'm at a loss.
**They don't have booster seats anymore?
***Look at their menu. Go ahead, I'll wait. Count the number of times you see 'fried' in the breakfast menu. Notice the salads don't come in kid size?
***I think she was trying to be cute and say veg-eatables. OW.
Also, nothing should ever be named 'Giggles 'n' Hugs'. EVER. Immediate vibe of child pornography. Gross.