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Review by
Louella Moreland
Peggy Post and Cindy Post Senning have continued the family tradition of
etiquette writing with "Table Manners for Kids." Meant for younger readers,
this concise and often funny volume covers everyday table manners, table
settings, trickier situations, social dinners, special meals and manners for
hosting a dinner.
Emily Post, the queen of etiquette, once wrote: "All the rules of table
manners are made to avoid ugliness. To let anyone see what you have in your
mouth is repulsive, to make a noise is to suggest an animal, to make a mess
is disgusting."
Most adults would agree with her statements, but let's face it, after a
hectic day of work, school, soccer practice, music lessons and laundry, just
getting food into a family's stomach may be all a mother or father would
ask. I know. I was a single mother with two very active kids. What is a
parent to do to prepare children for the world beyond the kitchen table?
In our era of fast food and casual dining, children may not have the
opportunity to practice the social etiquette they will need to exhibit as
they proceed to eating out in nicer restaurants, more formal dinners with
adults present or at friends' homes. An invitation to one of these occasions
should not bring on chaotic warnings and wide-scale panic! With the help of
the Posts, you and your children can read and learn together the accepted
ways to handle most situations.
Even very small children can get into the habit of hand-washing before
coming to the table. "Please" and "Thank you" should come at early ages. A
3- or 4-year-old can help set the table and learn where the fork, knife and
spoon are placed. More complicated place settings (including how to eat with
chopsticks) are included for older children.
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Why not practice most of these at the evening family meal from an
early age? If your family likes the convenience of paper products,
you can still set them in the proper arrangement. On Sundays or
other holidays, set a more formal table. My kids loved these
"special dinners" as they grew up and looked forward to making the
table look pretty. Birthdays were always a great time to "fancy
things up" without spending a lot of money!
The Posts' humorous cartoons scattered throughout the book allow
us to laugh at familiar situations that have caused embarrassment or
tricky maneuvering that everyone can remember having to face at one
time or another. After all, no one can be prepared for every bump in
the road, but your children may appreciate your efforts to
"civilize" their table manners as they grow older and broaden their
dining experiences.
How do I know? Guess! Let dinner time be a family time that
everyone looks forward to at the end of the day. Laugh and learn
together. After all, isn't that what families do?
Even though I personally have rated "Table Manners for Kids" at
ages 4 and up, a reader would probably have to be 9 or 10 to read
the book on their own. So parents, check this book out and start
looking at it as a family. We have books on other "manners" as well.
Come in and let us help you find one to fit your needs.
[Text from file received from
Louella Moreland,
Lincoln Public Library District]
(Ms. Lou's blog:
lincolnpubliclibraryupdates.blogspot.com) |
