As a waitress, I deal with a lot of people. A lot of them piss me off for various reasons. But few things piss me off as much as people who have their children on diets.
The first time I saw this, it was a mom and daughter. The mother was rail-thin, and didn't look healthy (pale skin, dark circles, limp hair, etc.). Her daughter was about ten, and looked like a healthy kid. Maybe slightly plumper, but not enough that I would've even noticed it if it weren't for the woman's behavior. She wouldn't even let the kid order her own meal. She made her share a meal with her. And not a regular meal, either. Mother and daughter shared a house salad--no bacon, low fat cheese, and fat free ranch--and a low fat baked onion soup. I heard her mention Weight Watchers points. The girl wanted something else; she wanted a drink other than water; I heard her pleading to order something off the kid's menu. Bitchy mom says no. I saw the girl by herself in the bathroom later, and I wanted to say something, something to tell her she was beautiful and her mother's a bitch, but I didn't find the words before she finished washing her hands.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a family of four in my section--mom, dad, and two boys. One was about five, the other maybe nine. When they ordered their dinner, the parents ordered the five year old broccoli when he said he wanted fries with his pasta. His brother got chicken fingers and fries. I didn't think much of it, until the younger boy asked for a second drink and was told no--but then his brother ordered one too, and their mom said "Oh, that's fine. It's just him that's got restrictions." and she waved her hand at the younger son. Still, I didn't overthink it until I came back with something and the parents had whipped out a calorie counter and were telling the youngest boy how many grams of fat he'd had that day! The older boy was stick-thin; the younger one was normal looking. He was a normal, healthy, chubby-cheeked baby. And his parents had him on a fucking diet.
I just don't understand how people have gotten so freaked out about fat that they're willing to compromise their childrens' health, both mental and physical.
