Having babies doesn't make you privileged

This is a rant. The small ‘bhavan’ restaurant was full by the time I and Suba settled in our seats. The waiters were frantically moving between tables, noting down and delivering orders. We asked for the specials and placed our order.

A minute later, an elderly couple walked in with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandson who was not more than three years old. Since there were no seats, the family sat in whatever empty seats they could find. The old man in the family waltzed to our table and asked his wife to sit next to my wife, and he sat in the seat next to me. No permission was asked. No apologies were made.

He called for the waiter twice and then started shouting at him. The waiter said, “Sir, let me serve water to other tables and I’ll take your order”. The old man replied, “We have a baby! The baby needs food! You need to take care of that first!” He was rude to the waiter. The waiter patiently replied, “I understand, sir. Please give me a minute.” for which the old man’s reply was, “No! I need you to take the order now!” He started making a scene. The manager then rushed in and took the order.

Having a baby doesn’t give you the privilege to cut lines, boss around people, and be rude to them. I’ve seen it in a lot of places where parents and grandparents fighting with others, asking to put their kids first.

If you’re planning to go out on a weekend and know it’s going to be late, you must be prepared. Come to the restaurant early. Or pack a snack. Screaming at an elderly waiter who is single-handedly trying to serve forty people at once isn’t manners.

Always remember that the world doesn’t work for us. Did it work the way you and I wanted? No, right? We always had to wait for our turn. The same applies to our kids as well. This way, they don’t get shocked when things don’t work in their favor later when they grow up.