Column
By Kerri Testement
Restaurant brings out the ‘true’ toddler
It doesn’t become apparent that your child has officially become a toddler until you take them to a restaurant.
That’s where the tantrums —?which are usually not THAT bad at home —?become far worse before unknowing strangers.
That’s where there are more mashed potatoes and crackers on the floor than in your child’s mouth.
That’s where your child learns how to make new, really loud noises.
And that’s where you finally realize, “Oh my goodness. My sweet little baby is now a terror on two wobbly feet.”
Such was the case during a recent vacation with our 18-month-old daughter, Katie.
She’s usually a nice kid (really, she is), but the excitement of going on vacation —?and traveling to a different location every few hours — finally brought out the true toddler in her.
It didn’t become obvious until my husband and I decided to eat dinner at a nice seafood restaurant that we had become THAT family with a potentially annoying kid (at least in the eyes of other diners).
The restaurant we selected had some good reviews —?nice views of the beach, good food and decades of tradition. We arrived early, only to find a 30-minute wait already there for patrons cramming in the tiny restaurant.
The hostess said entertainment was available on the deck of the restaurant, which required a short walk though the main dining area.
And that’s when we saw the clientele — senior citizens. Little old ladies with their gray-haired husbands having quiet dinners together. No crayons on the tables. No highchairs hogging the aisles. No crackers all over the floor.
Yep, this was the place that doesn’t welcome a toddler, no matter how cute the kid is.
We asked the hostess to remove our name from the wait list and headed to another restaurant deemed “family friendly.” This second restaurant had a large, cartoon-like crab welcoming diners at its front entrance. Surely, this place must deal with kids.
We were taken to the rear of the restaurant —?a no-man’s land of high chairs, broken crayons and extra napkins. That’s where our server for the evening welcomed yet another toddler, this time our daughter.
My husband and I both worked in the restaurant industry in high school and college. Getting a toddler at one of your tables seems like punishment. The kid always tosses stuff on the floor, they usually annoy other patrons and the parents usually can’t control them.
And now, that’s our family.
Sure enough, within a few minutes of arriving at the massive seafood buffet, Katie had thrown her mashed potatoes to the floor (twice), tried to get out of her highchair to stand on the table (countless times) and had a screaming match with another kid at a nearby table.
We ate quickly, attempted to clean up the mess and apologized to the server. He seemed used to it.
And like the sweet baby we had known for 18 months, Katie returned to her pleasant self as soon as the check was on the table.
Kerri Testement is the news editor of The Braselton News. Her e-mail address is kerri@mainstreetnews.com.
Braselton PD turmoil needs to be addressed
What’s going on in the Braselton Police Department? That’s the question on many citizens’ minds after an anonymous letter recently circulated accused city and BPD leaders of incompetence and worse.
This newspaper doesn’t print anonymous letters, but some of what this memo outlined had already been widely discussed in the community outside of city hall. Some of this may just be rumor, but there’s enough independent verification of some complaints that at minimum it’s fair to say the BPD is having a lot of turmoil.
It’s not uncommon for small town police departments to be hotbeds of bickering and internal disputes. Jealousies — real or imagined — often feed the macho culture that appears to be pervasive in small town police agencies. The size of a police department seems to be inversely proportional to the size of the hats, guns, badges and egos found in a department.
Still, complaints about the Braselton PD appear to have two common threads: First, that the department runs itself with minimal oversight and management. Second, that Braselton city officials are taking a hands-off attitude in addressing the internal BPD problems fearing a bad PR backlash if they discuss it in the open.
But letting these issues fester will only make the problems — if indeed there are serious problems — worse. Ignoring them won’t make the concerns just disappear.
While some of the issues in the anonymous letter may come from petty personality disputes, there are some serious allegations that need an official review. Charges of gambling on city time, misuse of federal funds, conflicts-of-interest, falsifying time cards and ticket-fixing are too serious for city officials to just ignore, even if they have come from an unnamed source. Some of those allegations have been being whispered about for months long before the anonymous letter surfaced.
One way or the other, Braselton city officials need to get a grip on the turmoil at the town’s police department. If people are being unfairly tainted, then clear the air with the facts. If there are problems, as the letter suggests, then fix them.
Don’t keep sweeping the matter under a rug.
