The Chest House Restaurant

Author: Kelley R. Taylor

Like most children, when my two older sisters and I were little, we had no idea just how much time our parents spent tending to our needs while working full-time jobs, or how difficult it was to find alone-time with one another. Yet many years ago my parents discovered a way to enjoy a husband and wife date night while entertaining us—their children

Their unique family night still stands out as a beloved tradition for our family. You see, when my sisters and I were five, six, and seven-years-old respectively, my father designated one Friday night a month as “Chest House Restaurant Night.”

He gave the evening the name because one of my sisters and I had a large, rectangular, toy chest in our shared bedroom. When Chest House Restaurant Night came, dad would drape our toy chest with a crisp, white tablecloth and arrange seating around the base. Then he and my mom would enlist our help in arranging a complete decorative place setting for the three of us.

When the setting was in place, my mother would arrive with an amazing feast: one of our favorite dishes and our preferred beverages. The three of us would sit down in our room, and wave goodbye to our parents who would then head downstairs, to the dining room, for their own “Chest House” dinner.

On Chest House Restaurant Night, mom and dad would eat a meal free from cutting food, wiping spills and listening to our constant chatter. They’d have one special evening, albeit short, to talk about “grown up” topics, savor their meals, and revel warmly in each other’s company. Meanwhile, my sisters and I enjoyed an evening of children’s chatter, sisterly love, and very good eats. After dinner, mom and dad would revisit our Chest House Restaurant to serve dessert.

That’s when we’d talk about our evening. We were always thrilled to hear how their dinner went, but anxiously waited to tell them about the million or so things that happened during our dinner. Once dessert and conversation were over, we worked together to clear our “table” and close the Chest House Restaurant—until the next month when we’d all prepare for our special evening “in.”

Now that I am a parent, I appreciate the quiet times my husband and I get alone and relish the times we can find a competent babysitter. In fact, I often think of the Chest House Restaurant where wonderful nights prevailed, no babysitters were required, no fancy clothes were necessary, and no additional money was spent. What we got in return for our parents' creativity was invaluable.

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