Adventures at Chick Fil-A

After a fun-filled day at the animal park, I was simply too tired to cook dinner on Friday night. I also recognized that Robby's energy was exceeding mine, and that unless he played more, I was going to be in for a lengthy battle over bedtime. I could have made a picnic and gone to the park; I opted to put him in the car and drive to Chick Fil-A.

Robby loves Chick Fil-A (I have to admit that it is my favorite fast food restaurant). Not only are their french fries my all time favorite, but also the restaurant has a fantastic indoor playground. Robby gets to run and play in an enclosed environment and I get to eat fries and relax. A win-win scenario!

After wolfing down his meal in record time, Robby shed his shoes and took off into the play area. I joined him in the playroom with my tray of fries and chicken strips. By the time I got there, he was busy chatting with a little boy and his extremely pregnant mother.

The pregnant mom quickly exited the play area, opting to sit at a booth nearby and chat on her cell phone. As soon as she left, Robby approached me to discuss her "very interesting shape." I explained that her tummy was big because there was a baby inside and that babies take up a lot of room. I exhaled a sigh of relief when he seemed satisfied with the answer and continued to play.

A few minutes later, Robby approached me again. "Momom, I have one more question." I knew that this probably wasn't going to be good, but I asked him to tell me his question. "Well, that lady has a big tummy because there is a baby inside." I nodded in agreement. "So I was thinking, Momom. Do you have a baby growing in your bum?"

Ouch, that innocent inquiry hurt! I then had to assure Robby that my bum was just big and was not protecting a hidden baby. I put down my fry and quietly sipped my diet lemonade for the rest of the evening.

About twenty minutes and four playmates later, Robby was busy playing with another little boy. Not to mince words: this child was simply mean. He was bossy, rude and extremely loud. Unfortunately he was the only other child in the playroom, so he became Robby's default playmate.

Hiding behind the slide playing some sort of shoot the robots game, the mean boy asked Robby if I were his mommy. Robby said that yes, I was his Momom. The little boy then scoffed and said, "Your mommy has really ugly legs. Her legs are sooooo ugly" and then he proceeded to laugh in his face.

I felt horrible that Robby was subjected to teasing because of my amputation! Knowing that Robby needs to learn to deal with mean children and taunts, I stayed quiet. I have to admit that it took all my resolve to stay silent when all I wanted to do was to scoop up my little boy and flee.

Robby seemed oblivious to the mean boy. After the mean boy stopped laughing, he simply popped his head up and asked where his momom was sitting. The little boy pointed to his mom which prompted her to wave. Robby waved back, and then smiled and said, "Wow, your momom has a really ugly face."

The mean boy ran out of the play room. I received scowls from the "ugly faced mom" until she finally left. While I don't condone Robby calling names and deliberately hurting somebody's feelings, I have to admit that I am proud of my little defender! Maybe I don't have to be concerned about his coping skills.

Who would have thought that an evening at Chick Fil-A could be so eventful!