Table Manners .. important?

[Twiglett]

Do you teach your children

to use cutlery correctly
to chew with their mouths closed
to sit properly at the table
to not talk until their mouths are empty

if you don't, why not?

i am talking kids above the age of 5 who should know better

PP there are many excuses.

1 - age of child
2 - motor skills of said child
3 - tiredness of child
4 - unfamiliar cutlery ie, too big

It's not always a case of knowing better though. I cannot see my 4 year old being able to use a knife and fork properly by the time he is five. I used to be a stickler for it - he was miserable, so was I, some things have to be let go.

So in answer to the OP

Yes
Yes Yes and Yes

But it isn't working.

Yes to all. I fully accept that when DD was younger these were things she was learning. Now she is 5 these are things we do expect but still need reminders. And obviously we relax certain things depending on where we are and what we are eating. To stay seated at the table is something we never relent on.

We have eaten out in cafes and restaurants with DD since she was a newborn, so she knows how we expect her to behave there, and what we will and will not allow. Eating out is important to us, so it was important that DD knew how to behave appropraitely there.

Eating and talking we are less strict about, so long as we can't actually see a mouthful of food spitting out! We see meal times are an important time for chatting together.