You probably taught your kids manners when they were little, but table manners become a much bigger topic when kids become teens!
You may feel like it’s too early to start talking about eating out on a job interview, or with college professors, but those things will come up fast, and you probably wont be able to do a crash course by then.
This subject is not just for little kids. They may be the earliest skills we teach them, but there is always room for improvement. Once kids are in middle school, it is time for them to learn more advanced concepts.
The best way to teach your middle schooler manners is to keep it simple.
When children use proper table manners, it makes dining with them a more pleasant experience for everyone. This is something that older kids should understand.
When you are sitting at the dinner table, you should put your napkin on your lap, hold your pinky out when taking a sip of water, and place your fork upside down on your plate when you are finished.
That’s proper table etiquette after all. Should your child follow those rules?
Is there a formal set of table manners that children should follow? Probably not, but there are surely some manners that they should follow while eating at the table.
You Should Know Many Table Manners are Cultural!
First and foremost, table manners are largely cultural. Eating with your fingers from a common bowl in the middle of the table is considered impolite in many countries around the world.
While kids in previous generations were expected to strictly follow table manners or face punishment, I think it’s important to teach our kids that other families may have different eating habits, in addition to teaching them table manners.
This allows them to be respectful and accommodating to the different ways families may eat as they grow up.
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