Whaddaya Know...We Just Did It!!!

During the girls’ second summer, when they were about 18 months old, my goal was to have them eating an entire meal in a restaurant (without me bringing food from home).  Check!

During the girls’ third summer, when they were 2 ½, my goal was to have them sitting in regular chairs at restaurants, eating from regular plates (such that I wouldn’t have to pack a huge bag with highchair covers and disposable placemats).  Check!

And on tap since then?  Moving away from highchairs at home.

You may know I have been resisting this change.  I promise it’s not – as some have suggested (Husband!) – that I want to keep them babies forever and ever (although if I could, I might).  No, it’s just that mealtimes have been downright pleasant at our house for a long time.  The girls settle down in their seats, remain focused on their meals, and it gives me 20 minutes of “peace”, not having to worry who’s scaling the blinds.

Still, this is our girls’ fourth summer.  They’re 3 ½.  They probably need to work towards shedding the highchair stigma at least by Kindergarten.  Right???

You may recall that we made an attempt at booster seats a couple of months ago.  The seats we bought weren’t compatible with our kitchen chairs, though…so I took that as a sign from above that our girls should continue to eat in their highchairs.

Fast forward to last week, when the girls’ friend K came to play for a couple of hours and joined us for lunch.  We all sat at the table (since I didn’t want to strap the girls in their highchairs while their friend – who is their exact same age – got to eat alongside Mommy and Daddy).

As they have been doing in restaurants for over a year, the girls did fine.

And you know what???  The next day, I just set their places at the table...no boosters, no cushions, no straps…and they’ve been there ever since!

You know, I might have a tendency to over-think things.   

And my modus operandi is usually to assume the very worst situation (usually involving the girls swinging from the chandelier).

And…again…I have been reminded over the past week…sometimes it’s OK to just DO something.  The worst doesn’t always happen.

And…our girls are big girls, and they’re smart girls.  Those highchairs are still sitting right there, and they seem to understand that sitting at the table is a privilege.  If they misbehave and act like babies, they’ll go back to their baby chairs.

There are times when I owe my girls more credit.

Noted, girls.  Noted.

And how very nice it is to eat around our table as a family of four!!!