Boys Will Be Boys

We've been on a pretty good run of getting "asked" or "persuaded" to leave places lately. First we were at Dairy Queen and the kids were playing. I should premise by the fact that we had entered with a crowd but the crowd had long since left and we were just visiting. The kids were playing and one picked up another and the employee told them they needed to leave because that is a liability. We packed up and left. No big deal. Another incident puts us at Chipotles. Once again, in with a crowd and staying until the place had died down. An employee walked over to the children - who were NOT playing at all but sitting nicely and chatting with each other and told them that the garbage cans were placed by the exit doors. Sort of an "encouragement" to leave. We were annoyed so we did just that.

Now, yesterday, back at the DQ the oldest child was outside hanging out with some of his friends from school. I look over just as he is about to leap frog the "thank you" sign for the drive thru - as I get up and race to the door to stop him he goes over and the sign? Well, it is offset on a cement pole. The pole stayed where it was supposed to while the sign bent under his weight - and the fact it is offset from it's support. I continued to go out and yell at him. An employee out there looked at him and then turned back to her book.

Fast forward a few minutes to where it occurs to me that the inside employee MIGHT just be on the phone with the police. I raised my voice and told her the child that bent the sign was mine. Do you see here how I did not volunteer the information when it actually occurred? Anyway, she tells the person on the phone that the child's mother is here and that she will call the owner again and call them back if he want them too. So, I get to have a chat with the owner. For some reason he is impressed with my honesty. Um, the alternative was explaining it to the police and I don't think we want to go there yet. He tells me he will come out and look at the sign and I tell him I will leave all of my contact information at the counter. Once again he is shocked I'm volunteering information.

About an hour later I got a phone call from the owner once again. He has been to his store and fixed the sign. He then says "I'm not sure how often you come in...." I tell him almost every Friday, without admitting any prior offense. He then tells me that the next time I am there to ask if he is around because he would like to buy me a Blizzard.

The moral of this story? If your kid breaks something you might just end up getting free dessert out of it. Wait, is that right?