When the son was teething, his mother took him out for dinner, and the waiter’s kindness made them feel at ease. Jessica Ibarra’s 18-month-old son, Dominic, is teething, is “fussy” and has a difficult day. The pain of a child’s multiple teeth can cause irritability,
excessive crying and waking up at night, and Dominic feels the worst. Jessica thought that giving Dominic a soft pancake might make him feel better, so she took him to the Coffee Republic in Fort Worth, Texas to buy one.
“Tried to take my baby to breakfast this morning, at Cafe Republic Fort Worth, Texas,” Jessica shared. “He is teething, so I thought a pancake might make him feel better.”
While at the restaurant, Dominic was still feeling irritated and tried to climb around to different tables in the restaurant. “He was being super fussy, and trying to climb all over the place. I was really stressed about him bothering other guests,
so I was going to ask for the bill without touching my food. Jessica thought that packing up their food and going back home was the best idea since she didn’t want to bother any of the other customers, but as she was getting ready to leave without having had a single bite,
her server, Laura Zaku, stopped by her table. “Started to try to pack up and hurry out,” Jessica wrote. “Our server walked up, and asked if she could help. (I thought she meant help me box up my food.) Instead, she (asked permission), picked him up and said ‘I will hold him,
so you can feed yourself. Eat, mama. I know you probably never get the chance to. I’ve been there!’ Laura picked up Dominic and comforted him in her arms for 5 to 10 minutes, where he “melted”, and Jessica was able to relax and eat her meal.
“He melted in her arms, and stopped fussing. I got to eat for a few minutes without wrestling a toddler. Can’t explain how much that meant to me. Servers are incredible. Moms are incredible. It takes a village.”