Stephanie Worsop: Lamenting my pre-baby eating habits

I was naive thinking our eating out habits wouldn't have to change. Photo / Stephanie Arthur-Worsop

COMMENT

Why did nobody tell me having a kid would change everything?!

Just kidding, everybody I came into contact with during my pregnancy would make comments like "enjoy sleeping while you can" or "better organise a getaway before the little one comes" or "bet you'll miss eating out all the time".

That last one always got me. My husband and I love food. Pre-baby, we would eat out on average three nights a week, spreading our patronage among our favourite restaurants in town.

I would always respond to comments like that, saying "as long as you introduce the baby to restaurants early on, there's no reason we can't keep dining out, baby will just get used to it", or "we plan on making sure the baby fits our life, not the other way round".

Oh, how naive I was.

Our boy is nearly 9 months old now and we have been out for dinner once. And it certainly wasn't to one of the more swanky restaurants we used to frequent.

I love being a mum but I do miss the fun banter between my husband and I after work: "Where do you want to go?" "I don't know, where do you want to go?" "Everything I pick you say no, so you pick something." "But I don't know what I feel like." "How about *restaurant*." "No, I don't feel like that." And so on, until we finally settled on a place.

Then, once we arrived, placed our order with the waiter, who had a knowing smile because we always order the same thing, and I took that first sip of montepulciano, the day's tension would slip away.

These days, I'm lucky to get a couple of bites of my dinner in peace before our son realises I'm eating and decides it is the perfect time to have a tantrum.

It's almost like he knows I love food and wants to make sure I don't love it more than I love him.

All this said, the one time we did bravely venture into a restaurant with our son, he was the perfect angel, smiling at all the other patrons and watching the sports reruns on the big television.

So that's one hurdle we could possibly overcome. We may have to eat at 5pm to suit his routine but at least we know he wouldn't make a scene while other patrons tilted their heads in our direction and whispered, "if your baby can't behave, don't bring him to a restaurant".

And I know that happens because I'm embarrassed to admit I was one of those people not even a year ago.

Assuming we could avoid all that, there's still the small issue that suddenly I'm broke all the time.

I don't even know how I had enough money to eat out regularly because now my money seems to just disappear into the abyss of being a parent.

Pre-baby Stephanie didn't even consider that factor when she was smugly telling people her life wouldn't have to change that much.

For the time being, I may have to settle for playing restaurant atmosphere sounds on YouTube and hiding in the kitchen with my dinner while hubby deals with the tantrum.