Celebrating Forty at Bushwood.

The Golfer turned forty yesterday, or as the boys call it "The Big 4-0", and we celebrated in style.  We got all dressed up and went to our country club for dinner.  (I do indeed realize that saying the phrase "our country club" sounds all snobby and snooty and if you're thinking that you'd be correct.  But if you know the Golfer's profession--which most of you do--our belonging to a country club makes complete and total sense.)

In order to take the boys to the formal dining room for dinner, I had to buy them their first sport coats.  At first I was resistant.  I mean, who wants to spend a lot money on fancy clothes for your kids that they will grow out of?  Not me.  But as I said, it was the Golfer's 40th and all he wanted was a nice dinner with his family.  Jackets required.

Now in most fancy situations, I would be a little nervous about the boys acting...appropriately.  They are boys.  Boys are loud.  Boys are loud and silly, especially when they shouldn't be.  Luckily for me, yesterday I had developed quite a miserable head cold and was doped up on cold medicine which means I was very relaxed and could really care less how they behaved.  Plus, I felt like I was underwater and couldn't hear a thing.

But a funny thing happened.  They were very well behaved.  Even with all of the fabulous Christmas decorations (and as you will see from the pictures below, they were indeed very fabulous) they were better behaved than...dare I say it...than they have every been.  They sat quietly at the table with their napkins in their laps.  They used their manners.  They didn't beg to leave or annoy each other in any way.  When the carolers came by our table to sing (yes, there were carolers) they listened quietly.  They were everything that I have ever wanted my children to be.

I'm not sure what it was.  Maybe it was the Shirley Temples or perhaps their ties were tied too tight.  I'm sure tonight when I take them to Chick-fil-A for dinner they won't be nearly as well behaved.  But the Golfer and I did come to this realization last night: getting your kids all dressed up and taking them to a fancy restaurant is a good thing.  They learn to behave.  They practice using their manners.  They experience adult behavior.

We don't ever dress up anymore.  There's no reason for our boys to wear a sport coat.  But I think that this practice of acting like nice young gentlemen is going to be a very good thing.  So it looks like more dinners at Bushwood* are in our future.  And that's a good thing.

By the way, the Monkey liked his bow tie so much he wore it to school today.  With his Lakers T-shirt.

(*Okay, so that really isn't the name of our country club.  If you're a Caddy Shack fan then you'll recognize it as the name of the country club in the movie.  It's the "affectionate" name we given our club.  And one thing that Bushwood does really well is Christmas!  Not just a gingerbread house, but a whole village!  They don't mess around at Bushwood.)