Jessica Biel On Taking Kids Out To Eat: 'You Don't Enjoy It At All'
Jessica Biel thinks dining out with kids is just as stressful as you do
If the thought of taking your kids out to eat makes you want to hide under a table, you’re not alone. It turns out even Jessica Biel worries about her kid going into full meltdown mode in the middle of a crowded restaurant.
In a recent interview with E! News, the 33-year-old mom admitted going out to eat with her 10-month-old son, Silas, still gives her crazy anxiety. “Since he’s so little still and I’m still kind of learning how I do it in a very smooth and like elegant way, it’s terrifying,” she says.
Of course, Biel probably takes her son and husband Justin Timberlake to way fancier places than the Chili’s and Olive Gardens we’re used to, but the struggle is real no matter where you’re eating. Says Biel, “You get to a place, you want to make sure the diners around you are not being bothered, you’re full of anxiety, you’re trying to go as fast as you can — you don’t enjoy it at all.”
Girl, preach.
Most parents can relate to the frenzy of fishing lost crayons and coloring pages from under the table while nursing a watered down drink and trying to shove cold food in their faces, and that’s what inspired Biel to open her very own family-friendly restaurant. Based in Los Angeles, Au Fudge is intended to be a place where parents can relax. It features kid-safe toys and natural ingredients, and Biel says it’s great for “all kids from ages 0-109.”
“We just want you to feel stress-free about it,” says Biel, “And know that they’re playing with things that are safe, that we don’t use chemicals here, that there’s not just a bunch of plastic everywhere and we’ve really tried to think very thoughtfully about your family because it’s our family, too.”
While most of us are unlikely to find ourselves in Biel’s swanky L.A. eatery anytime soon, it’s nice to know that even a wealthy celebrity who can afford all the help in the world still struggles with taking her kid out for a meal. I mean, she’s so stressed about it that she opened her own restaurant. That’s a testament to what a shit-show meals with kids can really be.
As crazy as it is sometimes, the only way for kids to learn proper restaurant behavior is through trial and error. They have to keep going out and making mistakes, and parents have to keep correcting them and showing them the ropes. Eventually, everything clicks and you stop having nightmares about spilled drinks and booster seats hurled across the room. As the mom of a well-behaved four-year-old, I can promise that it really does get better. Hang in there, Biel. You won’t be eating cold Filet Mignon forever.
