so we figured up how much it'd be and put the money and a tip on the table and got up and left (letting one of the staffers closest to the door know that we were taking the kids outta there). Immediately. Smack dab in the middle of one of their good loud screams. BOOM! OUTTA THERE. And That's That. Neither of us could stand the idea of letting our noisy little temporary tantrum-throwers disrupt the entire restaurant. You don't have to say anything. You certainly don't have to threaten anything. Don't even have to give them a dirty look. You just suddenly up and GO. Instant response. Instant consequences. Boom! You're GONE. And suddenly they find themselves in the car going home and fun's over.

You do that once or twice (or even three times) and eventually the kids do seem to get the message (ours did) - that Your Behavior Will NOT Be Tolerated In Public!!! You want to go out with your big boy pants and big girl purse and have a Big People's dinner with Mommy and Daddy in a Big People's Restaurant? Then ACT ACCORDINGLY!!!!! Or else you get lurched outta there before you even get the free bread basket and taken straight home with NO big fancy dinner and and it's leftovers in the kitchen for everybody. We were very fortunate in that our kids got this message very quickly. I think we only had to do that once. I think it's the abruptness, the shock value, the sudden and very obvious course change - AWAY from the fun and the excitement of going out to that big fancy nice new place they don't usually get taken to.

It also taught them pretty darn early about how you behave in the "Big People's Places." As in - you behave WELL. And QUIETLY! And with MANNERS. Or you DON'T get to come.