What do people think are acceptable table manners in a 6 year old?
I am getting increasingly wound up by my 6 year old DS (lack of) table manners. She does sit still (most of the time) and eat most of her food and has even recently started trying out new stuff. But she can't stop using her fingers to move food around; sitting on her knees instead of bottom; holding her fork in a weird, twisted stabbing way (maybe because she's left-handed, but she never used to); talking with her mouth full; slouching back in her chair; and always has her elbows on the table. I find myself spending every meal saying "don't do this" "don't do that" nag nag nag, which is making meals a miserable experience for all of us. On the other hand, I'm afraid that if I don't say anything she'll get into bad habits which will be impossible to break later. And I hate the idea of her eating like that at her friends' houses.
Any advice? Should I ignore it? I've thought about doing a star chart for good behaviour, but there are so many little things wrong, it gets really complicated!