How to Get your Children to Behave in a Restaurant

You are finally seated at your table in a restaurant and starting to relax for an enjoyable meal.  You hear the screams from the children at the next table.  Then there's the sound of the flatware being banged on the tabletop. Now the children are up and running around the restaurant.  Oh my goodness!  You try not to stare.  Has this happened to you?  I have certainly experienced this.  In fact, if that behavior is going on in a restaurant, you can bet it's happening right next to my table!  And...9 times out of 10, the parents are on the phone or chatting with their table guests and not paying attention to their children while all the shenanigans are going on.  I realize that parents need time out...especially the Mamas!  But I also think that more parents should make sure their children are behaving like civilized human beings in public.

An Italian restaurant in Washington state is concerned about the unruly behavior of rowdy children in their restaurant.  They offer discounts to the parents of well-behaved children!  How do y'all feel about this?

Listen to this...Lord have mercy,  McDain's restaurant in Monroeville, PA has banned children from eating in their establishment.  You can read more about this here.

Other restaurants around the country are posting signs reminding parents to make sure their children aren't screaming, running around the restaurant, or misbehaving in any other way.  I have to tell y'all that my Daddy never needed to be reminded about his children's behavior in a restaurant.  One wrong glance in the wrong direction and we were history!  Seriously!

 Find a Babysitter  recently wrote an article "How to Get Your Kids to Behave in a Restaurant."  It is a very interesting post...explaining steps parents can take to prepare children for "Dining in public" and reiterates that parents are ultimately responsible for teaching their children how to behave in public.

So, how do you feel about parents receiving a discount if their children "behave" or what do you think about restaurants posting signs with "rules of behavior" or even banning children?  

Teatime for Children

National Hot Tea Month is the perfect time to have tea with children. Teatime is the perfect opportunity to teach children how to behave at the the table.
The secretary is set today for a Children's Tea.
"Children's Tea & Etiquette," by Dorothea Johnson, John Harney, and Ann Noyes is the perfect little book for those who want to breed good manners in young minds! This book is available on my sidebar under: "Miss Janice Recommends."From the invitations...to the thank-you notes, Ms. Johnson takes the reader through Introductions at Tea, Taking Your Chair, Napkin Etiquette, Drinking Tea, Eating the Tea Foods, Leaving the Table, Using Magical Words, The History of Tea, and Recipes for the Adults.

Children should be taught how to sit at the table...Sit up straight, with the hands resting on the lap. The tea napkin {serviette} is picked up and unfolded on the lap, not above the table. A tea serviette is opened completely. Children should be taught to blot their lips with their serviette...no wiping!

For children ages 3-5, serve a beverage like pink lemonade. It's important at this age that they learn how to hold the teacup and how to sip a beverage. For 6-8 year old children, you might serve a fruited tea at room temperature. For children 9 and up, you may serve a light hot tea.

Handling the Teacup:
Place the index finger through the handle, with the thumb placed on top of the handle to support the grip, and the second finger below the handle for added security. The next two fingers naturally follow the curve of the other fingers. It is considered an affection to raise the pinkie finger while sipping tea or any other beverage. Look into the teacup while sipping the beverage.
Savories, scones, and tea cakes are not necessary for 3-5 year-old children. It's best to serve them cookies/ cupcakes. For 6-8 year-old children, tea cakes, PBJ's, and fruit are more appropriate. For children ages 9 and up, a full course Afternoon Tea is de rigueur.

I placed a tea knife and fork at the setting, as this is the perfect time to teach children how to eat a cupcake with a knife and fork {we don't want to be messy, especially at teatime}.

There are two basic methods of handling & using table utensils at tea--the American style or the Continental style. You may teach your children one or both of the styles, but I believe it's easier for young children to learn the American style.

In both American & Continental style you cut your cupcake the same way. The fork is held in the left hand to secure the cake, and the knife is held in the right hand to cut the cake. Cut at the most one or two bites at a time.

In the American style, after you cut your cake, you then lay the knife on the tea plate, near the upper right edge with the cutting edge facing the center of the plate, and switch the fork to your right hand. Your left hand should remain in your lap unless you are cutting food. Holding the fork with the thumb over the end and the index finger underneath and the tines up, you then pick up the cake with the tines or slipping the cake onto tines and eat!

Be sure to rest your fork with tines at the 10 o'clock position and the handle at the 4 o'clock position when you are sipping your beverage. The knife rests on the upper right edge of your plate.

Remember to use the three-finger rule {use the thumb, middle, and index fingers} when picking up food with the fingers {cookies and cream puffs}:

Y'all have a tea-lite-ful day!!!

Back To School Etiquette

It's back-to-school time! Autumn is around the corner and it's time for children to hit the books and get involved in extracurricular activities.

One of my sweet readers "Mrs. Kindergarten" sent me some photos of her classroom...ready for the students to arrive for their first day of class. Mrs. K has been teaching for 21 years and has the most precious classroom...she calls it "a busy, happy, and fabulous place." Take a peek inside "The Swamp" y'all...


Mrs. K sends me photos of her cute Lilly loot and you can see that her classroom reflects the love she has for pink & green and all things preppy!

So the teachers are ready, but are the students? Back-to-school time is a great time to start fresh with your child's behavior training. Good manners should start at home. Unfortunately if parents don't know how to behave, then children rarely have a chance to learn etiquette skills. Nowadays, most parents send their children off to school with the attitude of "You fix 'em--I don't have the time."

Parents should take responsibility and teach their children how to behave before they send them off to school.

On my sidebar to the right, you will find "Miss Janice's Recommended Etiquette Training Reading List." The following three books are listed there and are excellent sources to help you teach yourselves and your children social and dining etiquette.

~"Emily Post Etiquette," by Peggy Post
~"New Manners for New Times," by Letitia Baldrige
~"More Than Manners," by Letitia Baldrige

Remember that today's children are tomorrow's leaders. Here's some tips that might help you get started teaching your child how to behave:

~Teach your child to share with others.
~Teach your child to wait their turn.
~Teach your child not to interrupt when others are speaking.
~Teach your child the importance of being honest.
~Teach your child the importance of good sportsmanship--not everyone will be a winner and children need to learn that when they do not win, it's not the end of their world! Children should be taught how to lose gracefully.
~Teach your child the proper forms of address for their teachers. Children should show respect to their teachers and use titles when speaking to adults; i.e. Miss, Mr., Mrs., and Ms. In the South, some teachers are addressed as "Miss Janice", instead of Mrs. Gibson...it's a Southern thing y'all and a sign of respect! I would like to add that parents should also address the teachers with a title and refrain from addressing them only using their first name.
~Teach your child how to accept others with disabilities.
~If you show respect to others, your child will learn a valuable lesson from you. If you practice kindness by using words like "please, thank you, you're welcome, and excuse me," your child will learn another valuable lesson from you.
~Don't forget to praise your child when they show good manners!

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

A GIVEAWAY TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL THANK-YOU DAY!

Today, I'm celebrating National Thank-You Day! What a great time to stop and recognize small acts of kindness. There are many reasons to write a thank-you note. Acknowledging a kind deed or gift are just a couple of reasons. Writing a thank-you note shows that you are grateful for the act of kindness shown to you. You are repaying kindness.

To be perfectly proper, thank-you notes should be written on 'monogrammed notes' or 'correspondence cards.' Monogrammed notes are good-quality folded notepaper, white or ivory, and include a monogram (or name) on the front. Correspondence cards, which have no fold, are made from three-ply stock, white or ivory, and measure 6 3/4 x 4 1/4 inches. Your name is printed across the top. Here are just a few of the pieces of my thank-you stationery wardrobe...

Monogrammed Notes...Begin writing on page 3 of the foldover card.
Monogrammed Notes...Begin writing on page 3 of the foldover card.


Correspondence Card...Begin writing on page 1.

Please do not e-mail your thank-you note--that is an etiquette faux pas! Begin your note by telling the person how thoughtful they are and how they always find the perfect gift for you. Mention the gift and how you will use it. Close by thanking them again.

Small children should be taught that presents are given to them as acts of kindness. If you want your child to be thoughtful and courteous, you must train them to send thank-you notes.

Failure to write a thank-you note is an etiquette faux pas and it will be remembered. It is never wrong or too late to send that thank-you note!

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
~William Arthur Ward

THE GIVEAWAY:

I am very thankful to all my followers and readers and I want to say thank-you by offering this giveaway...full of some of my favorite Paula Deen products.

Here's what the giveaway incudes:

The Paula Deen "Hey Y'all" apron...just like the one I wear!
A bunch of Paula Deen products...all my favorites!
All these products are from Miss Paula's collection...BBQ Snack Mix, Cake Mix, Cookie Mix, Cookie Tin, Gift Tags (2), Spatulas (2), Egg Whisk, Cupcake Cups

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix, Blueberry Muffin Mix, Bread Loaf Liners, Rooster-Motif Measuring Cups, Rooster Motif-Measuring Spoons, Recipe Cards, "The Lady & Sons--Just Desserts" book, latest editions of "Cooking With Paula Deen" magazines, and a Coupon Holder.

All the Paula Deen goodies will be stuffed insided this darling Paula Deen Market Tote!

HERE ARE THE GIVEAWAY RULES:

~For one entry please leave a comment
~For 2 entries, let me know that you are a follower of my blog
~For 3 entries, let me know if you are a new follower of my blog
~For 4 entries, let me know if you shared about this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, your Blog, at your Church...wherever!!!

The giveaway will close Thursday, September 30th at midnight and I will announce the winner on Friday, September 1st! (Edited: that should read Friday, October 1st!)Good luck to y'all!

NATIONAL CHILDREN'S GOOD MANNERS MONTH

It's back-to-school time! Autumn is around the corner and it's time for children to hit the books and get involved in extracurricular activities.

National Children's Good Manners Month
Back-to-school time is a great time to start fresh with your child's behavior training. Good manners should start at home. Unfortunately if parents don't know how to behave, then children rarely have a chance to learn etiquette skills. Nowadays, most parents send their children off to daycare or school with the attitude of "You fix 'em--I don't have time."

Parents should take responsibility and teach their children how to behave before they send them off to school. Remember that today's children are tomorrow's leaders. Here's some tips that might help you get started teaching your child how to behave:

~Teach your child to share with others.
~Teach your child to wait their turn.
~Teach your child not to interrupt when others are speaking.
~Teach your child the importance of being honest.
~Teach your child the importance of good sportsmanship...not everyone will be a winner and children need to know that when they do not win, it's not the end of their world! Children should be taught how to lose gracefully!
~Teach your child the proper forms of address for their teachers. Children should show respect to their teachers and use titles when addressing adults; i.e. Miss, Mr., Mrs, Ms. In the South, some teachers are addressed as "Miss Janice", instead of Mrs. Gibson...it's a Southern thing y'all and a sign of respect! Also, I would like to add that parents should also address the teachers with a title and refrain from addressing them using only their first name.
~Teach your child how to accept others with disabilities.
~ If you show respect to others, your child will learn a valuable lesson from you. If you practice kindness by using words like "please, thank you, you're welcome, and excuse me," your child will learn another valuable lesson from you.
~Praise your child when they show good manners!

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."