Do your children use cutlery correctly?

[bravoyankee]

My children are 9 and 7 and still use their cutlery in the wrong hands. They are rubbish at cutting food and my dd stabs food with her fork facing the wrong way.
I've told them a thousand times and they still don't do it right.
We were at a family meal with my 2 and 2 x 10 year olds at the weekend and all 4 of them held their cutlery in the wrong hands.
They both have school dinners every day so they use cutlery at least twice a day and still haven't got the hang of it.
Any suggestions?
I'm sure I was reminded daily at school to swap my hands over when eating school dinners. Do they not do that these days?

Holding a knife like a pen would enrage me more

Its a slog, I admit

Using cutlery, staying seated during dinner, not getting up and dancing etc etc

I doubt one dinner lady supervising 30 kids has time to ensure they’re holding their cutlery properly. This is really a job for parents.

Also, the cutlery is laid on the side of the hand that uses it, how does it get swapped?

Nope but then neither does dh who is 38

I don’t think the way round they use it matters, as long as they can use it properly. It’s so much more comfortable for me to use it ‘the wrong way round’ people have nagged me my whole life, I wish they’d channel their energy into something actually worthwhile.

One of mine uses it the 'wrong' way round. She always has. Tbh I didn't care because she was using it and I don't think it matters if she is doing it differently

No, and I don’t care either. As long as they’re eating, not making a mess, not chewing with their mouths open I’m happy.

She did until she started junior school. Now it's a battle.

constant Reminders up to about age 10 - then the penny dropped

It doesn't matter which hand they use! Mine are younger but I'm still teaching them how to cut food properly, improving though so will get there eventually.

This

I eat left handed which I assume is what you mean by eating with the wrong hands! Seriously why is this an issue, its what feels comfortable for me, my son is also the same although we are both right handed.
As long as table manners are used as well as cutlery why does anyone care what hand holds what bit of cutlery. 😡

I'd love them to use cutlery wrong! Mine are 7 and 12, presented with a sit-down meal every night, ignore the cutlery and eat with their fingers. And it's not like I don't tell them 5x a meal to use it. Longing to graduate onto holding the fork the wrong way round...

There's one particular advert on tv for some food or other at the moment, and the children's use of cutlery in the ad makes me cringe.

Left-handed people use a knife in the left hand with fork in the right, and of course that isn't an issue at all. What bugs me is when people hold their fork in their fist prongs down, and stab the food with it!

Constant reminding, no short cut though mine used them properly by 6/7 because they wanted to please nanna (couldn't care less about me moaning at them!)

I use mine the 'wrong' way. (Left handed, even though I'm right handed.) My dad is left handed so everyone assumed I just copied him when I was little. I'm not sure why it needs to be an issue?

I'm not totally bothered about the wrong hands (I think it bugs the grandparents more) but their cutting skills are horrendous. How can a 9 year old not cut an omelette into smaller pieces?!
Yes to the eating with their hands all the bloody time too!

Ive used mine the wrong way round forever, no idea why I started that was but it's now a habit. I can eat with cutlery in the correct hands, but usually end up swapping with out even realising. I'm tidy about it though, still eat neatly and don't hold the cutlery awkwardly.

DS1 holds his cutlery normally.

DS2 is another matter, but he has suspected dyspraxia (awaiting assessment). I've never seen someone cut food up like he does, but he holds all things weirdly - can't unlock doors confidently etc. Its like his brain is wired differently

Of course they do, but we started them early and we always eat 99.99% of meals at the dining-room table. We also tried not to make a fuss about it, started them off on appropriately-sized knives, forks and spoons, as well as giving them encouragement and praise.
It didn't happen overnight, but by the time they were 3 - 4 they were competent.
It is, of course, my personal opinion, but I think that early encouragment of good manners and good table manners are vital and much easier to pick up and instil if started as early as possible.

Id hope so, they’re in their 20s!

But yes, by ten they most certainly did!

the wrong way round wouldn’t bother me. The stabbing and inability to cut would.

We did all of this and mine do not use it properly. I’ll keep trying, but we had no luck in the picking it up easily department. Then again, my DS has a strong tendency to refuse to do anything he’s asked (hello, adhd), so it was never going to be an easy ride. Holding a pen was another thing he simply refused to do in the way I showed him (he does it for school though). I remind and show him how to use cutlery daily, but can I get him to do it? I just hope it’s going into his brain somewhere and being stored for later in life.

One of my friends is right handed but uses her knife and fork like a left handed person.

She says she wishes her parents had made her switch rather than ignoring it as she doesn’t like it when others comment and ask if she’s left handed. She says people always notice at a formal meal when she’s picking the cutlery up and switching it around to eat. Apparently fish knives are also an issue if used at a restaurant.

I have younger relatives that eat like most Americans do with just a fork in their right hand (often using it to saw at the food). Maybe it’s come from watching lots of US TV as kids or because they haven’t grown up eating all of their meals at the table as a family.

Holding a knife like a pen is awful. Don’t know why, but it gives me the ick.

With regard to the cutting thing, are they using knives that will actually cut the food? Those ‘kiddie’ knives have no edge and all you can do is tear food apart.

There do seem to be a lot more adults around who can’t use cutlery properly. You see it a lot on American programs and films.

Both of mine do and have done since they were about 7, I think. Although eldest ds (who is now 27 and has lovely table manners, thank god) had to be reminded not to 'tear' his food for a while longer ("Use a sawing motion not a chopping motion").

Table manners/eating noises are one of the very few things that I've been very strict about. XH was a noisy eater (lip-smacking, sloshy chewing and loud finger-licking) and frankly it contributed to our break up- I didn't want my kids to do the same things.

If either of my children had been left-handed I would've been fine with them holding their cutlery in the 'wrong' hands though-the knife being in the dominant hand makes sense to me.