She's got "the look"...

As parents of twins, we have become accustomed to being stopped in stores, restaurants, parks, or other venues and having complete strangers admire our babies.  John loves this, being the outgoing person he is, and while I am usually not one for talking to random strangers, I somewhat enjoy "showing off" the results of those nine months of swollen ankles, an overactive bladder, and permanent stretch marks.  Hey, what new mom doesn't like the smiles and ooo's and ahh's of the occasional onlooker?

So for the past five months, we've enjoyed those smiles, comments, and the endless "double trouble" repetitions.  We know once they get older, the curiousness of others will diminish, and the fact that they are twins will probably not cross the minds of most strangers, especially with how much Drew is outgrowing little Eden!

However, last night we encountered unfamiliar territory.  My parents are visiting, and we decided to head to our local favorite restaurant that we frequent whenever they are in town.  As we were walking to the table, we noticed the usual glances in our direction as they discovered we had two car seats instead of one.  As we arrived at our booth, there was a couple (we'll say over the age of 60) seated at the next table.  As we walked past, I did not see a smile... I saw a look from the woman.  It was not a nice look.  It was a look of... could it be... sheer disgust?!?  She was clearly thinking, "Are you serious?  Not one but TWO babies??  I thought at this age I would never have to see one of those again unless it's my grandchildren, and even then it is by choice.  So much for a quiet dinner... they'll probably scream and crawl over the booth onto our table and drool all over our food.  How could they possibly seat them next to us?"

Now, a quick disclaimer:  We've all had experiences with crying babies or unruly children in public before.  We've all wanted to say or do something if it gets out of control and especially if it directly affects us.  But how many times have you actually intervened, made a face, or said a  comment that the parents actually saw or heard.  Yeah, that's what I thought....  And anyway, this was not a 5-star, reservations-only, gourmet restaurant!  It's a chain!  (Although the food is wonderful!)  Does having two babies not entitle us to the privilege of eating out now?

I was shocked.  These are my babies. And they're sweet and cute!  And they're smiling and happy!  How could you possibly give a look like that?  I quickly blurted out, "They're really good babies, I promise!"  The woman refused to look at me and acted like she hadn't heard me.  The husband smiled and said something cordial (I can't remember what it was).  I was in shock!  If the twins had come into the restaurant screaming and crying, then I could understand "the look", but they were just as happy as could be and quiet too, no less.  And did they not think that if one or both did become loud and agitated, we would take them to the restroom or outside to calm down?  Hello!  That's what take-home boxes are for! (See previous post about the Ippolito's incident).

John missed "the look", but as we sat down and I whispered to him what I had just seen, he reaction was "Alright, Eden. Cut loose!"  However, I was determined that they, and no one else seated near us, would know we had twins unless they looked over at us.  Over the the next hour, we fed them their bottles and had them playing in their car seats while we enjoyed our dinner.  They were perfect!  As the hour passed with no meltdowns, I began to plan our exit strategy.  Should I or would I say something to the couple as we left?  Would we address them directly, or say something to the effect of "Oh, you babies were so GOOD!" as we walked past their booth?  Deep down I knew being boastful and arrogant was wrong and would not give God any glory in this situation.  But I was hoping something would be said.

As we packed up and began to walk away, I was about to speak, but the husband beat me to it.  He said, "Wow!  I didn't hear a peep out of them the entire time."  YES!!  Here was my chance.  I replied, "Yeah, they're usually pretty good in public.  They're used to being around a lot of people."  Then the woman smiled and asked if they were twins, how old they were, yadda yadda yadda...  I was shocked!  She actually became nice and complimented how cute they were!  I wished them a pleasant evening as we walked away.

As I reflected on the night, I was reminded of 1Timothy 4:12: "Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity."  Deep down, I know I felt like I had something to prove to that couple.  But more importantly, I wanted to point to Him and say "We are not discouraged!  You have given us these blessings and we will rejoice and use them as tools to bring You glory for what You have done."  And while our babies' good behavior is not a reflection of our faith, it is a victory to repay kindness for a "look" and to leave the restaurant with smiles and not boastfulness.

With that said... I will confess that Drew and Eden both had "meltdowns" during the car ride home.  At least they have good timing!