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Practicing Table Manners at Home

by Evelyn Turner4/25/2008 4:07:48 PM

Have you heard about kids graduating from college without basic table manners? There’s a whole industry that has sprung up around teaching teens and young adults how to “mind their manners” at the dinner table to help them succeed in life.

Start preparing your kids for their future careers by practicing etiquette at home.

You have a teaching opportunity every time you sit down to eat with your children. Give them these basic life skills before they have to undo years of bad habits or unknowingly offend that potential employer over lunch during a job interview.

Here are some of the basics you can start teaching kids, even toddlers.

• Elbows off the table.
• Napkin on the lap.
• Don’t start to eat until everyone is seated and has been served.
• If you are closest to the bread, for example, offer it to the person next to you before you take a piece.
• Chew with your mouth closed.
• Don’t talk with your mouth full.
• Ask for the food to be passed to you rather than reaching across the table.
• If you don’t like to eat something being served, take a very small helping (some families call it a ‘no thank you’ bite) to be polite.
• When you are finished, you have two choices, depending on your family’s norms. Either asked to be excused from the table, or sit and visit with the family until everyone is done. When you are finished, place your napkin loosely crumpled next to your plate. Don’t refold it.

One way to make family dinners special is to have a fun and fancy night once a week. Dinner doesn’t have to be filet mignon; spaghetti would do just fine. Make it fancy by dressing the table with a tablecloth, using cloth napkins, and perhaps setting out some candles. Put out the extra silverware such as a salad fork, dinner fork, table knife, and spoon for each person.  Of course, no knives for the littlest diners. 

Turn off the TV and turn on some quiet music. Invite everyone to share their favorite part of the day.  Help each other mind their manners. They’ll have fun during this special family time and build skills for their future.

A Note About the Author: Evelyn Turner

Evelyn Turner is the owner of The Easy Entrée, where you’ll find hassle-free home cooking. In her spare time, she loves to read and go boating in the San Juan Islands. Evelyn and her husband Richard also enjoy seeing (and spoiling) their two grandchildren, Kyle and Rachel, ages 7 and 5.