They have to have these experiences to shape them in to good adults, right?

One thing Jim and I pride ourselves on is the vast amount of different experiences that we expose to the children. We have traveled extensively throughout the world, gone to many festivals, museums, national & state parks and have eaten in restaurants of all different kinds. Though, after tonight, it was apparent that we have exposed them to ENOUGH experiences to send them off on their own yet:

Here in the city of Lawton, the dining experiences are not vast. In fact, most of the restaurants we feel safe stepping in to are chains. One such restaurant is the Santa Fe Cattle Company. Though it is a chain, we have never eaten there before coming to Lawton. We ate there one other time before tonight.

One unique aspect of dinning at the Santa Fe Cattle Company is the peanut shells. The children noticed them on the floor as we walked out the last time we ate there. When they asked about it, we said "yeah, you just throw the shells on the floor. Isn't that funny?"

So, we went there tonight...and had the following CONVERSATION/PLAY unfold before us:

Players
Mom
Teresa
(Alan and Daddy in the room)

Setting
entry way waiting area...benches along walls...barrel filled to the brim with peanut shells in the middle of the area...

ACTION

Teresa: Mom! Look! Peanuts!

Mom: Yep. You can have some if you want them.

Teresa: reaching in to the barrel and taking one out (though a little surprising to those in the room because she "doesn't like peanuts") ...looking at mom...she dropped the peanut on the floor and cracked it open with her shoe.

Mom: NO! Don't open them on the floor! Teresa...like THIS: taking one and opening it with her hand.

Teresa: Oh! Sorry!

Teresa: reaching in to the barrel, taking out a peanut and sitting down on the bench to try again. She cracks it open with her hand, looks at Mom...she then threw the peanut and cracked shell on the ground.

Mom: Teresa! Why did you do that? Why didn't you EAT the peanut?!?

Teresa: Oh! I didn't KNOW you were supposed to EAT the peanut! I thought we just threw them on the ground...


At least she knows what a crouton is...that's all I'm gonna say ;)