6 year old messy eating

[Phos]

My 6 year old is still a messy eater. She won’t use a knife and fork properly, even though I think she can (no fine motor issues), wipes her hands on her clothes and spills practically every meal. I’m fed up of ruined clothes! Anyone else had a kid who still can’t eat properly at this age and what did you do to sort it because I think I’ve failed pretty badly as a parent in this respect.

You haven't failed. Mine are still messy at 7 and 10. I don't care they will realise one day that we don't eat like that and that they might just want to listen to what we say. Prompt them all the time falls on deaf ears. I'm not punishing something like that because at the end of the day what mainly bothers us as parents is what other people think. I've moved onto couldn't give a stuff about what people think. My children are fine and will get it in the end.

@NoKnit its a fair point. My husband is more bothered about more of it than I am because of being middle class (I’m common as muck)

The one thing that does make me irate is how she wipes her hands down her clothes AAAGH