I love going out without my kid sometimes. We all need a break, and couples definitely benefit from time to connect without distraction. That said, families don’t have to live on boxed pasta or fast food while kids are young.
Seattle Times food writer Rebekeh Denn misses the point in her list of 10 restaurants to not bring your kid. Denn’s recent article “Get a sitter — please — for these 10 great date-night restaurants” suggests that parents can’t enjoy good food (much less good wine) with their kids around.
The chefs of at least a couple of the eateries disagree. I don’t have much to add to Jason Wilson’s (chef at Crush) comment:
“I think that adults can often be as mis-behaved as some children in restaurants, but a family enjoying dinner together trumps any assumption of formality, its a very important part of our culture,” he said.
There’s a “should” missing from that statement. Family enjoying dinner together should be an important part of our culture. Unfortunately, as Denn’s article makes clear, it’s not. Kids should be included at the family table and should be able to enjoy a variety of foods. When we exclude them and limit their diet, how will that ever happen?
High Chair Happy Hour 
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