Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The Cheese-less Cheeseburger

One of the most valuable--but most difficult--lessons you must learn as a parent is sometimes it just isn’t worth arguing with your young children. Sometimes you have to pick your fights, and let the other ones slide. Ultimately, some children can be stubborn to a fault. You could correct them up, down, and all-around until you are blue in the face. You could present evidence that could win over an entire hostile jury. Yet, they wouldn’t budge a millimeter!

My son has always been more easygoing and my buddy. We think a lot a like, and he has always loved to copy me. My daughter, on the other hand, has a stubborn streak a mile wide (also one of my traits I was so wonderful to pass on). Since that little girl learned to talk, she has loved the word ‘no’ and being contrary.

Don’t get me wrong, she’s usually a sweet and loving child, but when she decides she knows better--look out!

A wonderful example of her sheer stubbornness occurred one fine day last year. We decided to eat out at a restaurant with my grandmother. My daughter, the cheeseburger queen, decided at the moment we were ordering that she no longer liked cheese. I politely asked the waitress to please change her order to a hamburger, rather than a cheeseburger.

However, this only upset my daughter. When the waitress left my daughter started to sob. I asked her what was wrong. And she whimpered, “Mommy, I don’t want a hamburger. I want a cheeseburger without cheese!”

As I was trying unsuccessfully to convince my little princess that hamburgers are cheeseburgers without cheese, the waitress came back with our drinks and overheard our conversation. The waitress, being sweet and understanding, took out her pad and said, “Scratch that; make that a cheese-less cheeseburger!”

Immediately, my daughter grinned from ear to ear, and I mouthed my gratitude to the waitress.

To all the waiting staff that has ever had to take an order for a cheese-less cheeseburger, this is a tribute to you. You are more appreciated than you’ll ever know . . . !

10 comments:

  1. And the tie-in to chesseless is...?
    I know what you mean about different personalities. The child is born with their own and no ammount of arguing will change that fact.

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    1. Did you read the whole post? Because this was a long one, I made it so it can expand. The latter part is when the cheese-less cheeseburger enters the picture. :)

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  2. Love it! Similar to when I order a BLT with no tomato. Still easier to say than a bacon and lettuce sandwich.

    Stopping by from the A-Z Challenge, blogging at Ross County Roundup and Write, Wrong or Indifferent.

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  3. At nearly 13, my son is still very picky about what goes on a cheeseburger. lol I can't count the number of times over the years when we had to send his burgers back because his order got messed up.

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  4. Sounds like my son and youngest daughter when they were little.

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  5. My kids are the same, especially my daughter. Cheeseburger without cheese is a good one :)

    http://sulekharawat.com/2012/04/03/creative-people/

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  6. Kudos to the waitress for being so understanding. I think waiters and waitresses are so under-appreciated, especially when they go the extra mile to make a child (and a parent) happy!

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  7. Oh, how this made me laugh! Thank you! It brought back memories of my Grandmother ordering au gratin potatoes in a restaurant but she didn't want any of that "cheese stuff" on them. After my Mom tried to work through it with her, the waitress interjected, and said, "No problem. We can do that."

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  8. Haha...and I just wrote an entry on how I love cheese, lol.

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