kids using cutlery

[TheCreamCaker]

Do your children hold and use cutlery properly? I mean the knife in the right hand, cutting the food, with the fork in the left hand, holding the food?

My 10 year old GD hacks at vegetables with her fork in her right hand. She holds the knife in her left hand, but holds it in her fist if you know what I mean. Her younger sister is a bit better.

My son doesn't live with them, so when he has the children, he doesn't like to criticise. He says it's not important, so long as they eat their food. Their mum is rather casual with it, and casual with most things they do (they don't look after things, don't respect the stuff belonging to others, etc). What do others think?

What do others think?

What I think is that your DS needs to start parenting a bit more effectively.

I'm a teacher and I spend a lot of time in the dinner hall at school. It would frighten you how many children eat like this!

Children really aren't being taught basic skills in the home like they used to. A lot of parents just don't see this kind of thing as important, and that's their choice at the end of the day.

I remind children in the dinner hall daily to eat with their fork and knife in the correct hand. It makes no difference - ten seconds later they've reverted straight back! 😂 It's a habit.

I'd probably expect better knife and fork use at that age but I think you need to be very careful how you address this and the other bits of behaviour you mentioned. You risk being cast as the evil mother in-law here (I understand your son is separated from their mother but I couldn't think of a better term) if you bring it up directly with the girls' mother. I agree with PP that your son needs to step up a bit here but I can also see why he might be a bit reluctant to rock the boat in case of not seeing his girls as much etc etc.

Tread carefully would be my advice.

PanicBuyingSprouts I agree, he should. As I say, he doesn't live with the children, so it's up to the mother to enforce cutlery etiquette on the other 12 days per fortnight that my son hasn't got them.....and she's very casual all round

Mattieandmummy I wish I knew the answer. The mother is very strange - she completely blanks me (my husband too) unless she wants to find something out. She's a very unpleasant person. My son really ought to be saying something but what good would it do? He has the children 2 nights, every other weekend. So those remaining days are with her, at their home, where she allows them to wipe their greasy fingers on the settee (they did that on our leather settees that we'd had 3 weeks, I felt bloody furious but kept my cool)