I was in a Perkins� the other night about 10:00 pm. We were seated almost as we arrived, next to a table of about 12 adults and two children. From the topics of discussion and lack of insight on these topics I would have to assume that most of these folks were lucky to hold a high school diploma. I also assumed that the members of the large party were all related. Just as we sat down, the youngest of the two children (neither of which were old enough to be in school yet) announced that she had to go potty. Moments later she bounded back with her sister announcing to everyone that she had peed. Most everyone at the table praised her, and they went back to talking to each other. Not two minutes later, she had to go again. However, in this case, Grandpa (the only name he was called that I heard) announced to ALL of the customers in the restaurant, that Megan had to poop.

Now, at this moment I was getting just a bit annoyed. A four year old child has no reason to be up at this hour in the evening. I don't care the reason. It's just not healthy. Also, I can understand a child announcing her toilet functions to a restaurant, as this is something children do. I however, CAN'T see why a grown man has to make sure that we all know about HOW the child uses the toilet. I came to the restaurant to eat my dinner, not to lose it.

J ust as soon as little Megan heard Grandpa make his announcement, she was off like a shot to the bathroom with out any adult supervision. While I'm sure this child knows how to use the potty, I'm also sure that is only takes two seconds for a child to be snatched up and removed from the restaurant. By the actions of these adults, it would have taken them about 10 minutes to realize the child was gone. This would have been the case, had the child not fallen on the floor.

It seems that the cleaning crew had just started to mop the tiled floor out in the lobby. Megan, in her mad dash to make more potty magic, neglected to notice the condition of the tiles as she left the safety of the carpeted floor. Only at that point did ANY of those adults even look up from their conversation to take a head count of the bodies at the table. Then a woman (I assume the mother) left her Turkey Melt to scoop up the child. She came back holding the crying child, pointing out that the sign was not put out.

In my life I have never seen a group of people become so smart as this group just did. No sooner did the woman finish her statement about the sign, did the adults start becoming lawyers. I though lawyers spent years in school. These folks morphed right before my eyes. They all shot back and fourth about how the sign should have been put out before the mop first hit the floor. This banter went on for a good ten minutes. The manager came out to see about the child, and one of the adults told Megan to tell the manager that she was going to sue. That got a good chuckle from the table.

While I have to agree that a wet floor sign should have been put out on the floor, I also have to point out several things:

1. Megan is a child.
2. Megan is a SMALL child that probably doesn't know how to read.
3. Megan should not have been running around the restaurant, no matter the condition of the floor.
4. Megan has no business being up at 10:00 pm.
5. Megans mother should have been watching HER children.
6. If Megans mother was too engrossed to watch HER children, several other family members should have been aware of the situation.
7. One of those adults (and I am using this term more loosely as the day wears on) should have taken that child to the bathroom.

From my point of view, Megan was tired and wanted to be in bed. She managed to do what she had set out to do. Disrupt the dinner of everyone in earshot of the crying, and the subsequent discussion.

I feel for that child. I'm sorry that she fell. I'm sorry that her parents forced her to go anywhere at such a late hour. I'm sorry that she will grow up believing that as a parent, it is ok to have children, and then expect the rest of the world to raise it. I am sorry that Megans family didn't seem interested in her needs until she had to have a good loud cry.

I wonder why her family feels that it is ok to ruin my dinner, for the sake of cute potty talk and a bumped head? If these adults can see every legal angle in a lawsuit, why can't they see that this child needs to be in bed? These people are the same people that let their children have the run of the local mall and only notice their children when they break something. These are the same people that blame me for hurting their children, when their kids knock me over.

Ignoring parents of the world, take notice: