Seconds Immediately After Firsts

[Angelsj]

We also wait to eat until everyone is ready. Everyone who is able (about 2 and up) get their own drinks and made-up plates (we do not do family style) and take them to the table. When everyone has their food and is sitting the line leader says grace, we all say amen, and then I say "you may eat now". Patience is a virtue

Yep, except I carry the plates, they carry the cups. We wait for everyone to sit, and pray together. They all applaud (no idea how that started) and then they eat. ::

[Heidi]

We also wait to eat until everyone is ready. Everyone who is able (about 2 and up) get their own drinks and made-up plates (we do not do family style) and take them to the table. When everyone has their food and is sitting the line leader says grace, we all say amen, and then I say "you may eat now". Patience is a virtue

You know something crazy? Our QIP actually frowns on this sort of thing because the children would have to wait more than 3 minutes to get their food. Apparently, in LALA land somewhere, children don't need to learn to wait 4 minutes.

[Hunni Bee]

I agree JoseyJo. Patience must be learned, better sooner than later.

Like someone on here said once, I doubt any of these kids have ever really been hungry. Yet they are clamoring for food, all yelling at once, stuff their mouths, lick the plate....its not necessary.

Glad to see manners haven't completely gone out of style yet

[LK5kids]

I also have the rule no one can eat until everyone is served.

[Familycare71]

I LOVE seeing this!!! Sometimes I feel like I am the only one left who cares about table manors!! I do all the above - including the no thank you bite . I also am huge on eating with your mouth closed (start around 2) and not eating or drinking loudly!
It amazes me the lack of manors any of these kids come in with! So happyface all of you for teaching it

[coolconfidentme]

See, this one is weird to me, because I don't give seconds until a plate is empty. In Germany (I grew up German), that would be considered super rude. An exception would be made if someone really, really, hated the one bite of something on their plate. If dck doesn't like peas, and put 2 peas on their plate and tried one, I'd let that go.

Not picking on you, just noting the difference. I like how you really go old-school with the manners. Too bad they go to school later, where they are taught to sit on their coats and shovel down food as quickly as possible...

A child cannot have seconds until they eat everything here too. We have old school manner, but one child is a GIMME kid. We have tried to direct him to use table manners, but it was a daily chore. Now when he says, "GIMME some grapes!" I say, "No thank you".., & ignore his demands until he says please which he hardly ever does. You can remind him until the cows come home & he will do it all over again the next day. He is rude & disrespectful in everything & we are ready to term him.

[JoseyJo]

A child cannot have seconds until they eat everything here too. We have old school manner, but one child is a GIMME kid. We have tried to direct him to use table manners, but it was a daily chore. Now when he says, "GIMME some grapes!" I say, "No thank you".., & ignore his demands until he says please which he hardly ever does. You can remind him until the cows come home & he will do it all over again the next day. He is rude & disrespectful in everything & we are ready to term him.

We have a just turned 3 who has been w/ us since July. He KNOWS how to ask nicely but won't do it until we tell him how every day, every meal. Now I just say "no you may not until you ask right" then ignore until he does. If he is really hungry he asks right, if he's not then he keeps playing around and in a few minutes I excuse him from the table. Very slooowly it is getting better, I think he asked right on his own x1 this week!

[coolconfidentme]

We have a just turned 3 who has been w/ us since July. He KNOWS how to ask nicely but won't do it until we tell him how every day, every meal. Now I just say "no you may not until you ask right" then ignore until he does. If he is really hungry he asks right, if he's not then he keeps playing around and in a few minutes I excuse him from the table. Very slooowly it is getting better, I think he asked right on his own x1 this week!

I think most parents today do not teach kids good manners in general which makes it hard for us. They parent with the bribe method. The GIMME kid parent told him today, "If you are good today, I will buy you ice cream." She then whispered to me, "Make sure he is good, I want ic cream after work." Regardless of how he acts, he will get ice cream & knows he doesn't have to be good to get either...