Some parents pale at the thought of taking their kid into an eating establishment. What could happen? How will they behave? Will they make an enormous mess? How does one prepare for such an outing? I’ll tell you. Start them early and start them at home.
When you are at home, make your kids stay seated at the table the entire time. No going around visiting the other guests, no carrying around sippy cups or food. When it’s mealtime, they are seated in their chair, period. Even after the meal is finished, have them stay seated until everyone is done. They are not the king or queen of the banquet. I hate when I’m out with my family and see kids toddling around digging their hands in other people’s plates, coming up to other people’s tables with food all over their mouths and teeter tottering around everywhere running amuck after they’ve finished their meal. It’s not cute. We’re not perfect when we go out and we’re not perfect when we’re at home, but we try our best and correct when needed.
Another thing. When ordering from your server or fast-food cashier, have your child speak their order to the attendant. They are a person too and it teaches them good manners and respect for servers. This is paramount for character-building, and it can be taught very early. We talk over the menu before ordering and have our children boldly speak what they would like. We also model this for our family as we respect our servers and tip well and not speak unkindly even if the service is lacking. You never know what that person is going through in that season of their life.
So, load up the car and head over to the Guad, and I challenge you to practice these skills with your families. Don’t forget to put your napkins in your laps and keep your elbows off the table!
