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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think 8-10 year old should be able to eat at a table without covering the floor?

48 replies

Sparrowlegs248 · 01/05/2017 08:56

Spent a bit of time with children of this age recently. Every single time, the table, floor and chairs are covered in bits of food. In one case the child's fave is also covered in food. Foods that aren't particularly difficult to eat (chips, pizza, chocolate, all eaten with hands)

My children aren't this old yet so I don't know if it's usual. Surely not?

OP posts:
Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 01/05/2017 08:56

Face not fave

OP posts:
bigchris · 01/05/2017 08:57

No that's not what happens with my 10 year old
She can occasionally spill something but she knows to clean it up

Launderetta · 01/05/2017 09:02

It's not normal. It's not polite & sadly IMO is related to decline in families eating together at the table, choosing lap trays & 'lazy' finger food instead. I'm equally disappointed at the apparently increasing amount of children who eat with their mouth open. Also talking with a mouthful of food. It may make me sound like a fussy old snob but I don't care; simple manners like this are a basic requirement of polite behaviour.

FaithAgain · 01/05/2017 09:03

Do they have co-ordination difficulties with other things? Are they very clumsy?

WhooooAmI24601 · 01/05/2017 09:04

11 and 6 year olds here and both can eat pretty perfectly now. The only exception is spaghetti bolognese which is the food of the very devil and they get it in their hair, eyebrows, clothes. It's like a tsunami of red sauce.

WhooooAmI24601 · 01/05/2017 09:06

Launeretta We went out for tea with friends over the weekend and their DCs all ate with fingers and with mouths open. I appreciate that everyone parents differently but I'd ask mine to close their mouths if they ate that way as I'm quite strict on table manners. They thought it was hilarious that their DCs took food off other people's plates, too.

Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 01/05/2017 09:08

No other difficulties. My not quite 2 yr old made less floor/table mess with pasta. More on his face though.

OP posts:
Twoevils · 01/05/2017 09:09

Eating a lump of food off the fork like a lollipop is my worst bugbear. And despite constant reminders my kids both do it. Having just spent time on scout camp it seems they are not alone Angry

SecretNetter · 01/05/2017 09:10

You say children...is this a party environment or school dinners, something with a lot of dc?

Mine are 7 and 9 and there's very little mess after meal times but there's generally a decent amount of mess when 10 dc haven been eating together...but the table can look filthy with lots of kids and it might just be from a few crumbs each.

my2bundles · 01/05/2017 09:11

I have a 9 year ld, treat foods as you describe pizza, chips etc are eaten with hands and can leave a mess as they can on adults hands. Everything else is eaten wth cutlery, there us an occasional spill as children are not perfect as should not be expected to be, but there is not excessive mess.

PaintingByNumbers · 01/05/2017 09:11

one of my kids is like this, bless, he is also super forgetful and hyperactive. he cant help himself so I dont make a big deal out of it, just encourage him to clean up afterwards. depends if you think they are doing it out of laziness, ignorance or clumsiness I guess.

Believeitornot · 01/05/2017 09:14

My 7 year old is an incredibly messy and loud eater and I spend most meals times telling him to eat quietly and eat tidily! It's so draining. But hoping it will sink in as I think he's stopped listening Hmm

My 5 year old is much neater at eating. Probably because she's heard me telling her brother off all the time!

CountryCaterpillar · 01/05/2017 09:15

I think they should.... My 8 year old struggles. She closes her mouth, is bright,polite...but everytime needs reminding to sit on her chair properly. She doesn't seem to "see" what she is doing.

We've always had family meals, we eat nicely etc. We are constantly reminding her :(

Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 01/05/2017 09:16

Between 1+3 children at a time, in a family meal setting. I don't think adults get pizza all over the table and faces though, I don't.

I just think they can't be bothered. Some also eat like pigs, cramming a chocolate cookie in as fast as possible leaving bits all over the floor.

I expect some cleaning up after my toddler, didn't really expect as much/ more at these ages.

OP posts:
CountryCaterpillar · 01/05/2017 09:16

There will be cereal on the table and some on the floor if she's done it all herself. Or rice. Or peas....

my2bundles · 01/05/2017 09:18

To add to my last comment, pizza is eaten using hands, as are chips when served with pizza. If you expect children to eat these things without leaving some on their face, hands and leave crumbs then it is you who is being completely unrealistic.

megletthesecond · 01/05/2017 09:20

In theory yes. But my 8yr old still makes a mess.

Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 01/05/2017 09:23

mytwo is it unrealistic to expect 8-10 year old not to leave pizza, chips, tomato sauce all over the table, chairs and floor though? The toddler had his cut into smaller pieces and actually left no mess other than dry crumbs on the table. The older children left smears of sauce down the chairs, bits of pizza struck to the floor etc.

I can imagine something including rice, peas etc to be more difficult, but not something that can be pick-up and bitten.

OP posts:
Believeitornot · 01/05/2017 09:23

There will be cereal on the table and some on the floor if she's done it all herself. Or rice. Or peas....

This sounds like ds. To be honest he's too busy trying to do the "next" thing and can't sit still. His brain goes nineteen to the dozen and it's hard for him.

Drives me nuts.

FrancisCrawford · 01/05/2017 09:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mari50 · 01/05/2017 09:27

I'm not sure, my DD is 8 and is almost incapable of eating a meal without some of it ending up down her front.
I had two of her friends round for a play date recently and there were chips/peas/etc on the floor afterwards.

TheMonkeyandthePlywoodViolin · 01/05/2017 09:28

My DD is like this

I'd better put her "i have sN" badge on to deter judgy tutters.

Life would be easier if people just concentrated on their own kids.

angryladyboobs · 01/05/2017 09:29

My 4yo does but only with messy food.

Actually, fuck that, she gets messy any time 🤔

RitaMills · 01/05/2017 09:29

My 7 year old is like this, god please don't tell me it will last until he's 10? 😖

Every dinner time is a fight to get him to eat with his knife and fork and not his hands, he can't keep the damn food on the plate and there is always an argument when I make him clean up after himself after he's dropped food onto the floor/all over the table.

Okite · 01/05/2017 09:29

Oh god, some of my children can be like this. We eat together at a table and I CONSTANTLY remind them to not talk with their mouth full (one dd), not eat food off a fork like a lollipop (ds), keep their bottoms on chairs and chairs flat on the floor. It's so tedious and it never seems to make any difference, I wish I knew how to stop them other than constant reminders! I hate bad table manners.
They do have the job of cleaning up after themselves though, one of them will wipe over the table and another will sweep the floor.