Who stays with the children when the speaker goes out?

My wife and I accidentally go to a nice restaurant to eat. My wife’s mother lives with us and she stays with the children. This makes it very easy for us to go out for the evening.
    Last week we went to the restaurant in a new hotel. We had a wonderful meal. First, we had soup. Then Helen, my wife, had beef with carrots, and I had beef with potatoes. For dessert, I had some ice cream and Helen had fresh fruit. We had several cups of coffee after we finished eating. The food was delicious, the quantity was large, and it wasn’t too expensive.
    Our children don’t like to eat in restaurants because they have to sit and be quiet for a long time. They would rather go to their grandmother’s farm. Their grandmother -- my mother prepares everything they like. She usually has fried chicken, corn, and hot biscuits with honey. She always serves plenty of chocolate ice cream and cake for dessert.
    I’m always surprised that my father doesn’t weigh a lot more when I see how much he eats. But he works very hard on the farm from about 5 o’clock in the morning until it gets dark in the evening.
    When my parents visit us in the city, we usually take them to a restaurant; I know they enjoy it, but my father always eats something else after he gets home. The quantity may be large in the restaurant, but it is still not large enough for a hungry farmer.