The Revival of Common Courtesy {6}

Tamy over at 3 Sides Of Crazy has started a weekly feature to share common courtesy and etiquette tips. Each week has a different theme, this week is Mealtime Manners.

She asks: How do you bring your family to the dining room table for a family meal?


I'm so guilty of not bringing the family together for meals. Most evenings we don't eat at the same time, and occassionally we eat while watching a movie or working. We definitely want to eat together as a family once we adopt so our children are brought up eating meals at the table properly.

I mentioned last week, "I can't remember the last time I heard a child asking if they may be excused from the table." It's definitely something I'm aware of and I know when we have children that we must be the example. Children can not be expected to follow our words not our example.

Honestly, not knowing which utensils to use is not a major faux pas, chewing with your mouth open, tilting your chair back, talking too loudly, and elbows on the table are. No one is going to be offended if you accidentally use the salad for your meal or your teaspoon for your soup. It's a good thing to learn, but being gracious and respectful of other diners is far more important.