pve design- illustration for Sheridan Road Magazine
My children know that their father and I take great pride in instilling good manners, especially at the table. Over the years we have had many young guests join us at our table and I am often surprised at how some youngsters do not know how to properly hold a fork and knife. I take pleasure in educating them about the finer things and how in past cultures that your upbringing was not only a sign of your education but also a sign of good social behavior.Trying new cuisine is also something we highly encourage in a society that seems to cater to children with a limited menu of chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. Tasting new foods, trying new things instills a sense of confidence as well as adventure. Our children love Mussels, Lobster, Escargot, and realize how fortunate they are to have such delicacies.
We do have a few rules in our home such as no hats indoors and no cell phones during meal time. (unless an emergency requires a pick up!) Do you abide by any rules to reinforce good manners in your home and do you feel the need to influence others with proper etiquette? It is after all an art of fine living. Having good manners is after all being open to share one's best behaviors, is it not? Do you reward good behavior?
One gal who is all about Gracious Living and the art of living with good etiquette is Mindy Lockard.
I have had the pleasure of meeting Mindy and she even came to our local school for a morning of good manners and tips for good behavior.
18 comments:
oh yes....lots of rules, but I always tell my kids I'm breaking my own rules by letting you....________. But good manners always! When we have a young guest at dinner and they have excellent manners, I tell you it melts my heart every time!
Excuse me...I forgot to tell you how much I love your beautiful illustration! I love the lettering too!
xo
annie
Dear Annie,
Thank-you. I think saying "Thank-you" and "Your welcome" say so much. Hope you and your family are all living a life in good graces and good manners too.
pve
Julie,
I love hearing that your son has the best manners when you are not around! They will certainly come in handy when you move to London.
pve
We've always in forced good manners....and I think she is pretty good because she complains about her friends lack of manners.
I've never understood people catering to their children's limited palettes. They're supposed to wait until college to begin to expand? In our house -we ate what the adults ate! Good manners are so important!
This is SO true, Patricia! Nothing makes me prouder of my children than someone commenting on their manners, especially in a world where people are increasingly getting ahead by behaving in ill-mannered ways.
Enjoy your day! xoxox
We try to instill respect...however, their poor mama (me) doesn't have the slightest clue about proper use of forks, spoons, and eating etiquette. Growing up, my mother did have us set the table with one knife, fork, and spoon. My husband comes from a family of 6 boys, and they just tossed the forks in the middle of the table. Now I do the same..."Do you want a fork or a spoon? Here you go...." Ha ha!
Love this! We're not parents yet, but manners are big on our list of things we want to instill in our children. {Although if our dogs are any indication, we'll have our work cut out for us!}
I especially love the bit about exposing your children to different foods. SO important and obviously something we struggle with in the US. Always lovely to read about parents who emphasized the importance of a varied cuisine :)
Please and Thank You and a good hand shake go a long way in our households... That and polite behavior at family dinners where they must eat whatever is on their plates!
xxoo
C + C
This is for sure something that has gone by the waste-side which is a shame. I do believe it is the parents responsibility to make children understand manners are important. I appreciate when I do see them exhibited in people, small and big.
Interesting post
Rosemary
I adore good manners. I like please, thank you, yes sir, no sir, yes mam, no mam. May I be excused. Respect your elders. We all need to work on the thank you notes and letter writing.
Often, ladies and girls should be allowed to wear hats indoors as they are often an important piece of their clothing ensemble especially in spring and summer.
Do you prefer the American style or European style of knife and fork use? We taught both, for as natives of Louisiana the European style is often used in our state. During travels aboard one tends to fit in in the sense of "when in Rome do as..."
My mom was and is such a stickler for manners, and I am SO glad she was! I hope to pass along the same to my daughter. A simple, please, thank you...a handwritten note...holding a fork and knife properly, all valuable lessons.
My daughter and her husband do not permit the boys (14, 13 & 10) to use any electronic (including phones) media from dinner time through the evening. It makes for wonderful family time and fun for all.
Manners make the world a much better place.
Great post.
Mary
Who knew that good manners would mean so much in a time where it seems many police are parenting us - my daughter witnessed two women fighting and using some very choice four letter words. The police were there. When will we learn that good manners are learned and begin at home.
Let's all join together and say "Thank-you" and "Your welcome" or "Allow me" - common courtesies seem to be a lost art.
pve
love this. kudos to you for being intentional about raising thoughtful, mindful adults with gracious table manners and social etiquette. these things don't happen in a vacuum! i was just talking with my bff last night & she was sharing how intentional she is with making sure her son knows that helping out around the house is not just for the girls! she's so mindful of the type of husband she's raising...
nice!
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