New Dining Dynamics

Emily comes from a large family, so going out to eat with everyone can sometimes rival the Normandy invasion. Or at least the meal the night before the invasion. And it can be particularly large when her extended family comes down from Illinois for holidays. It's great having family together to share an evening meal with each other. In years past I've found myself on the adult end of the table where we enjoy our food with a nice smattering of conversation - politics, global warming, neoexistentialism, etc.

This past week we met at the Macaroni Grill to welcome everyone who came in town for Easter weekend. I show up and high five the kids, hug the adults - just like old times. The new wrinkle came when we walked over to our 50 ft long table (it reminded me of a table in a 10th century Viking Hall). When the music stopped in this round of musical chairs I was holding the baby carrier and saw that the only open chair was at the other end of the table - the kid's end.

So instead of clinking glasses and talking about money markets, I was hunting for missing crayons, snapping lids of perpetually loose sippy cups, and scarfing my food as fast as I could. Luckily Benjamin is still so young he just chilled out in his carrier and didn't make a peep the entire time. I did recognize, however, in the short amount of time being a parent to Benjamin, it came natural to help my little nieces and nephew navigate through dinner. But I would be lying if I didn't issue a "sigh" every time I heard uproarious laughter at the adult's end. I told myself that they were probably remembering something I had said earlier.

My hope is to have dual citizenship some day soon so I can recommend a good book to an adult while I read the the climactic ending of Blankie to the little ears sitting around me listening to my every word.