Family Dinner Table Etiquette
The Best Lessons are Learned at HOME
My husband and I raised 10 children.
We didn’t have a lot, but we didn’t let that stop us
from teaching our children proper table manners.
Now, this doesn’t mean that our home was like
a military school, but our children did learn how to behave.
Meal time was kind of crazy…We didn’t have a table large enough
to seat us all, so we had 2 tables in the dining room.
You could always tell when I served something that they
really really likes – because it would get very very quite
for a short time. LOL Feeding a large family is a little
like feeding a litter of puppies. When you have
just one puppy the tend to just pick up their food…
but feed a whole litter at one time, and they consume everything
in sight, sometimes without chewing!
We ate off of china, melamine, plastic, and paper plates.
Often, we had simple fare, but now and then, a very
special meal was prepared. My children learned the difference
between a regular fork and a salad fork.
They learned to place a napkin in their lap, and to say “would you
pass the potato’s please”.
They didn’t mind at all, because we made learning etiquette fun!
Sometimes we would have very proper “teas” after school.
Little finger sandwiches and pastries on dainty plates…making sure that
we always held our pinkies out!
Even the boys had fun.
Having them learn to set the table started early on,
and the only real problem that we had – was little ones
tossing their utensils into the trash when scraping their plates.
Older siblings helped the younger ones, and everyone did
a lot of laughing and having fun – which should be a
“staple” in family dining.
Whenever possible, we took the kids out to eat…usually just
to fast food places, but we occasionally went to a nice place.
My children were usually well behaved, and acted appropriately.
Were they perfect? NO But I’ve been to many many restaurants
with screaming babies, fussy toddlers, and elementary aged children
being allowed to run wild.
NOT MY KIDS.
If for any reason, one or more could not sit and eat properly, then
we marched the miss-behaving child or children to the rest room
or out to the parking lot. A few times one of us had to sit in the car
until the rest of the family finished, but this usually only happened
when we had an over tired little one, or one who wasn’t feeling well.
These lessons have been passed on to my grandchildren, and I can
honestly say, that eating with them – whether at home or in a restaurant
is a pleasant way to spend time with them.
Remember that learning is fun – if you make it fun, and set a good example.
The family table is where so many many wonderful lessons are learned.
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“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.“