Picking a place for dinner is never an easy task with two young sons who constantly disagree over where to go. This was especially true for Tom and his boys, Roger and Dennis.Tom liked to take his boys out to a restaurant each Sunday after church. And nearly every time there was an argument.
Most of the time, Dennis ended up crying. They almost always settled on something Dennis liked because he usually threw the biggest fit. Roger could be a pain too, no doubt. But, it was Dennis that usually ended up crying and screaming despite being old enough to know better.
On a recent Sunday, Tom asked Connie to join them for lunch. Connie and Tom were friends and she agreed. After church, Connie arrived at Tom's house and they all talked about which restaurant to go to.
"What about Olive Garden?" Tom asked. "I know we all like it and we haven't been there in a while."
"Sure," Roger agreed. "That's okay with me. I'm getting spaghetti!"
"Cool," Tom said. "Is the OG okay with you, Connie?"
Connie nodded. "Sure. I have no prefernce."
"I hate Olive Garden!" Dennis cried. "They don't have hamburgers!"
"Dennis," Tom started. "Having hamburgers and fries all the time isn't really good for you. Come on. You like spaghetti and you know it."
"I hate spaghetti!" Dennis lied. "I want to go to McDonald's!"
"I honestly don't mind if we do that," Connie said. "I don't have a preference."
"Dad! I don't want to go to McDonald's. I don't like it," Roger moaned.
"Okay, how about Julio's?" Tom offered.
"Sure," Roger answered.
"No! I hate Julio's!" Dennis wailed.
Tom pursed his lips and looked at each of his boys. "Okay, then. I see where this is going and I don't want to have another argument. Roger, Dennis, suggest alternatives."
"How about Chili's?" Roger asked. "They have hamburgers and I can get fajitas."
"That sounds fine. What about it Dennis?" Tom asked.
Dennis folded his arms over his chest and dug his heels in. "I want McDonald's! I won't go anywhere else but McDonald's!"
"Tom, it's okay to go to McDonald's," Connie offered. "I really don't mind. Like I said, I don't have a preference."
"Dennis, I don't want to go to McDonald's and Roger doesn't want to go to McDonald's. Your brother offered an alternative. So, I want you to suggest someplace else you'd like to eat."
"I don't want any place else! If we don't go to McDonald's I'm not eating! I'm sitting right here! You can't make me go."
Tom was getting upset and Roger was frustrated. Connie sat quietly and said nothing. The simple task of deciding on a restaurant was rapidly expanding into a full meltdown for Dennis.
"Dennis, why do you want to go to McDonald's?" Tom asked.
"I told you! I want a hamburger!"
"But there are other places to get hamburgers," Tom chided. "Since you don't want OG or Chili's, how about the Ale House? They have really good burgers."
"He just wants a Happy Meal with a free toy!" Roger sneered. "That's the only reason he likes it. You know he never eats all of his hamburger anyway!"
"That's not true!" Dennis wailed. "You just never do anything I want to do!"
"We always do what you want, you big baby!" Roger yelled.
"Alright, boys. That's enough," Tom said with mounting frustration. "Dennis, Roger's right. You always cry and scream to get your way. It's time to compromise. Suggest someplace else. We're not going to McDonalds's!"
"Fine!" Roger shouted. "If you want a hamburger so much, let's go to Burger King!"
"No!" Dennis screamed while stomping his feet. "I only want McDonald's!"
"Dennis, there's no reason to get this worked up. Let's just agree on something we can all enjoy and try to get along," Tom said attempting to reason with Dennis who was already in full tantrum mode.
Tom and Roger were frustrated as usual. When Dennis did this, he made life miserable for everyone. Connie was uncomfortable being there.
"Tom," Connie interjected. "It's okay wherever we go. So why not compromise and go to McDonald's?"
Tom was even more frustrated. Connie wasn't helping. She was only encouraging Dennis to be more of a tyrant.
"Let me guess," Tom said knowingly. "You have no preference. Right?"
Connie's eyes drew down. "You know, what? I think I should just be going."
"Fine. Sorry, today didn't work out. You know how Dennis can be," Tom said.
"I suppose. Then again, you didn't exactly try to work with him," Connie said before leaving to the sounds of Roger yelling at Dennis and Dennis crying and throwing himself on the floor in a tantrum.
The next day, Connie was having lunch with some coworkers.
After talking about work and other things, Mary pushed salad greens around on her plate as she thought out her question. "So, how did lunch go with Tom yesterday?"
"It didn't," Connie lamented. "They couldn't agree on a place to go. As far as I know, they didn't go anywhere."
"Wow. Those boys are a handful. Especially Roger. He's always trying to get his way," Alyssa added.
Mary nodded. "Tell me about it! And Tom is such a tyrant. He never bends on anything. It's his way or the highway."
"What happened?" Fran asked.
"Oh, the same," Connie sighed. "They tried to decide on a place to eat and none of them would compromise. Tom suggested Olive Garden, but Dennis wanted McDonald's. It degraded from there."
"That's usually how it is with Tom," Mary said smirking.
"Yeah, and Roger suggested a couple other places that Tom was fine with but none of them would agree to McDonald's for Dennis' sake. They completely wouldn't compromise."
Fran's face pulled into confusion. "Wait. Tom and Roger offered alternatives and Dennis didn't. It sounds like Dennis was the one not compromising."
Connie, Mary, and Alyssa stared at Fran.
"Clearly you don't know the meaning of the word compromise," Mary said. "This is all Tom's fault.
Exasperated, Fran blurted out, "But, Dennis was the one not willing to compromise. Surely you see that?"
"You don't understand kids and parenting, do you?" Connie said. "Tom and Roger were just being difficult. If they didn't go out for lunch yesterday, it's their fault."
"That's right," Mary and Alyssia agreed.
"Clearly, you three are morons," Fran said and picked up her check to leave.
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