I have got to stop this waitressing thing!

I have been waiting tables for a long time now.  I started when I was 17 and did it until I graduated college.  I did the real job thing for a while after college but when my first son was born I didn't want to put him in daycare so I quit my job and Alan worked during the day while I went back to serving the masses at night.  Now don't get me wrong, the money can be good, but there are days that I don't even average minimum wage.  Today I had a party come in that just makes my shake my head and wonder why I even bother.

Usually I am happy to get a party of 7 (ok hostesses stop laughing now, I am as long as you don't stick me with all kids, which I know you all love to do).  Bigger parties mean bigger tips and also a guarantee of at least 18% as we can add the gratuity onto the bill.  Well, as soon as these 2 ladies with their 5 kids sat down I knew I was in trouble.  The ladies were total bitches, which I kinda let slide because when I am hanging out with 5 kids I can get bitchy too.  The ladies split an appetizer for their lunch (seriously, why are you even here) one of the kids orders buffalo wings and the others just all get kids meals.  The check was ridiculously low for a 7 top, but whatever, let's just get them fed and out.  After I bring the drinks over the ladies ask if there are free refills for the kiddies.  I explained that the boy who got the wings was charged for a regular soda and he had free refills.  As for the others, 1 drink comes free with the kids meal and if they want refills it is a one dollar charge and then they could have all they want.   One of the ladies says then that she wanted a refill for the kid who gets them free.  So I ran to the kitchen and filled him up another root beer.  It hadn't even been a full minute after I dropped it off that they were waving me back for another refill.  WTF, how can a kid be THAT thirsty.  I go get him another refill and after I left the table I turned around to see if he was going to suck it down again.  Oh no, it seems he wasn't that thirsty after all.  But the other kids must have been because she was pouring this refill into the glasses of the other children!  Thus stealing from us!!!  Thus really pissing me off. 

I can be one of the cheapest people in the world, I was raised to be frugal.  Hell, I keep my heat set at 62 because I hate seeing a huge gas bill and I have had the same winter coat for about 10 years.  I must say that I never would have thought about saving a buck the way these ladies did.  Maybe it is because I believe in Karma and think if you steal (and technically they were) it is going to come back and bite you in the ass.  Was the $4 it was going to cost to get all the kids UNLIMITED drinks really gonna break the bank?  You paid with a gold card for goodness sake so I doubt it.  Maybe I am just getting old and cranky, or I have been doing this for too long.  Whatever the reason, it is time to start playing the lottery, or maybe my husband should just actually rob banks, rather than just being accused of it.