Eating out-A privilege.

We started Tuesdays at Moes with my Grandpa. 

Ever since JB and I graduated, Grandpa would take us out once a week for dinner.  We'd head over to his house and he'd be sitting in his corner chair.  Right when we'd walk in he'd always have a BIG smile and chit-chat for a while about happenings with our work or questions about something that I may be working on that he had seen in the paper.  After a few minutes he'd decide where to go and he'd hop up on a mission:  He'd grab his hat, plop it on his head and head out...us following close behind.

He would almost always insist on driving-which was an adventure in itself.

He always had the same staple restaurants:  D's Wings, La Fiesta, Red Lobster and Mellow Mushroom to name a few, though sometimes he would want to try out a new restaurant that he'd read about in the paper and we'd venture there.

Well, during our last period of weekly meals he was on a Moe's kick, which the kids (and JB) grew very fond of.  Grandpa could never get over how Jay, just a little tiny guy at the time, could eat a WHOLE kids burrito.  So, every Tuesday on Kid's Eat Free night we've been there...and the tradition has continued on without Grandpa.

The kids LOVE their Tuesday's at Moes and when we decided this year that we wanted to eat at home more-to keep a better weeknight routine-they were NOT happy...actually, a piece of me was little unhappy too.  It was then that I realized that for their whole little lives we have been going to Moes once a week and they pretty much think that they are entitled to it.

So...I had a John R. idea.  We have been working with them heavily on manners...particularly table manners.  There are some nights when we were completely exhausted at the end of dinner from reminding them over and over about table manners.  JB and I would look at each other and smile "Isn't eating at home together a pleasure (drenched in sarcasm)."  So, a couple weeks ago we said to them. 

-Are y'all missing Moe's? 
-YES!
-Do you want to start going to Moe's again?
-YES!
-Well (placing M-O-E-S in magnet letters on the table), we have decided that for every dinner as a family that we have together that you use your manners (that you know how to use-but choose not to) you will EARN a letter to put on the fridge.  When you spell MOES, we will go the next Tuesday.
-YAY!

Let me tell ya something, just like my John R. bed-time "tickets", this is working!  This is week two that we are heading to MOES and we are ALL excited to keep the tradition alive-and to keep our sanity every night at the dinner table!

I need to remind myself of this more.  Just because we CAN give our kids fun things like going out to eat, ball games, events, plays, zoo trips, etc...Doesn't mean that we should.  They need to deserve it.  

Mom is coming next weekend and I was on the phone with her lining up for her, Jay and me to go to a play.  A few minutes later I called her back and asked..."Should we do the play or all of us go to the circus?...or both."  Mom said "Let's do the play.  Save the circus for when they get older.  Sal, y'all do SO many fun things...you've got to make sure you give those kids something to look forward to!"

Wow.  It's hard, but isn't that the darn truth.  I just need to keep reminding myself:  What is getting something for nothing?  Entitlement. And entitlement breeds brats.

The flip side of this is that grandparents CAN spoil ya and take you out to dinner each week even when you don't deserve it.  Those nights were a still a privilege-A privilege that we got to spend one night a week-just us-with such a great man.  And, I still took them for granted-Gosh, I miss him.