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When children are picky eaters or typically don't eat very much food, it may not make sense to a parent to order food for them at a restaurant and potentially waste money on an already expensive bill.
It's for this reason that it's becoming increasingly common for parents to either share their restaurant meals with their children or to order one meal for their kids to share while the parents have their own food.
Karlin, or @unbreakablemomma on TikTok, shared her solution, which instead involved bringing her own food into the restaurant for her child instead of sharing her order.
In the TikTok video, Karlin explained that she was going to spend the evening with family while ordering takeout. Instead of ordering food for her child, Karlin packed a snack container with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, banana slices, cubed mild cheddar cheese, and a chocolate Larabar.
She explained that she also would take these containers into restaurants, so she could always guarantee that her child had something to eat that he enjoyed, and so he could start eating whenever he was ready, instead of waiting for the meals to arrive at the table.
You can watch the video here:
Some viewers found this to be a genius idea.
@unbreakablemomma/TikTok
@unbreakablemomma/TikTok
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@unbreakablemomma/TikTok
But others were incredibly critical of the carried-in food.
@unbreakablemomma/TikTok
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In response to these critiques, Karlie responded to some of the critiques, wondering if viewers were "okay."
"'He's missing out on the experience! Core memories!' I literally don't remember anything from when I was two."
"And in the case that we went to a restaurant that didn't allow outside food, I would buy food for him. What do you want me to do, let him sit there and starve?"
"And if he wanted a meal, I would get him one. But he's happy with what I bring him."
Karlie also created a satirical video, covering the recurring critiques she'd received.
Using a sarcastic tone throughout, the TikToker pretended to go out to a restaurant with a doll. While looking at a menu, she pulled her child's food from her bag: an unopened can of green beans and an unpeeled, raw onion.
When the "waitress" appeared at the table and said she could not bring outside food into the restaurant, she threatened to not tip if they did not warm up the green beans for her and then demanded to see the manager.
At the end of the meal, she only tipped four dollars on a "sixty-one-hundred" dollar meal.
You can watch the video here:
Other TikTokers supported her and encouraged the mom to not worry about the negative comments.
@unbreakablemomma/TikTok
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@unbreakablemomma/TikTok
@unbreakablemomma/TikTok
Whether or not people are comfortable with or willing to bring food to a restaurant to provide for their children, it's true for most children that they will not eat much or will be selective about what they eat. At least if their parents bring a snack or meal to the restaurant with them, they're more likely to eat something.