Restaurant Ramblings

So, I have this rule…actually it’s mine and Jess’s rule…it’s about taking Jack out to restaurants to eat. We don’t.
We tried and tried and tried to get him used to restaurants and to behave well but we’d always end up in the car or outside and frustrated and not able to eat, so we stopped taking Jack out to eat for a couple years (we figure). Whenever he can really listen to us (which he can now, but doesn’t) and understand a little better why we have to behave where etc.. I think we will start to take him out and teach him how to behave. This sounds strange because I know and some of you know as well that Jack can listen to us now and he understands what we say. When he’s threatened with time-out or going to bed, he listens. When he wants something, he listens. But no matter what I try when we’re out, he won’t listen! So rather than go out to eat, try to teach him the right behavior now, fail, end up frustrated and upset at him as well as him being frustrated and in trouble, we just choose not to even go there. I don’t really know if he ever will behave in restaurants, but if he doesn’t, he will miss out on many family/friend outings as well as get other priviledges taken away as time goes by.
I think my family thinks I’m crazy! They really try to convince me to take Jack out to restaurants to eat with them like, every week! (my parents mainly). They’re trying to convince me that I need to take him out to teach him how to act while he is at a restuarant or he’ll never be good there. I’m trying to convince them that I have tried that method more than a few times and failed miserably at it EVERY TIME!! I feel like maybe they don’t understand because they didn’t have such a bad problem with any of their kids. Yes, they had to teach them to behave in restaurants, but maybe we weren’t so “strong willed” and independent.
So, I’m not trying to offend my family or friends when I say no we don’t go to restaurants and it’s not because of the money issue or anything like that. I have just chosen to spend positive quality time at home with Jack rather than stressful, insane time out at restaurants. Sorry if anyone is offended by it, but I’m doing what I believe to be the best choice for me and my family (& my sanity!).
On a side note, I’d just like to say that when we are in public or at someone’s house Jack is very well behaved and listens to me extremely well! (the majority of the time-he’s still 2!) I think the whole restaurant thing stems from Jess being ADHD and maybe that having gone down to Jack a little, but that’s yet to be determined.
Anyways, here I go rambling again!
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LoVe!