Sitting at the Table

A few weeks ago, or was it a couple weeks ago, or was it last week (you know, the memory fades and the calendar melts and we forget what we had for breakfast an hour after we wolf it down while standing at the counter, handing the toddlers bits and pieces as they walk in circles waiting for mom to blow dry her hair so that we can get out of the house… but I digress). Anyway, sometime back we moved the toddlers out of the highchairs and into their dining chairs. Now we all sit down for dinner like one big, happy family. There are several advantages to this over the highchairs:

1. Cleaning highchair trays are a complete pain. And washing them after breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner completely wipes out the entire day. And that’s no way to spend the weekend.
2. Food spilled from a highchair and food spilled from a dining chair all wind up in the same spot: on the floor. This isn’t really an advantage, it’s more of a keen observation.
3. Another keen observation is that both the highchairs and the dining chairs have seatbelts. So, again, there’s no real advantage to the dining chair, I’m just making a keen observation. I like that phrase, ‘keen observation.’ OK. I’ll stop now.
4. When the toddlers were in the highchairs, there was a certain disconnect. It was as if, we’re eating over here, and they are over there. Sure, the highchairs were pulled up close to the table, but it’s just not the same thing.
5. With the toddlers at the table, it’s a surreal feeling having the whole family sitting together. I really didn’t think it would be such a big deal, but it really does have a psychological affect on everyone. The toddler’s do not scream to get out of the highchair to sit in our laps and they don’t demand to have our food instead of their food (even when it’s exactly the same food). I think they feel like the big kids they are. That’s not really an advantage either, I guess it’s another keen observation. OK. I promise. I really will stop now. And I think that’s the end of the list, because it’s not much of a list anyways, it’s really more a series of… it’s a series of (I can’t help it)… KEEN OBSERVATIONS.

I really am done now with only one last note: I’d like to get rid of our highchairs. They take up a lot of space. OOH. That could’ve been Advantage #6: the dining chairs do not take up extra space. Too bad I’m already done with the list… I’m not very good with lists. That’s my wife’s department. I’m better at rambling…