Dos and Don'ts of dinner table etiquette #KraftHomestyle

Aahh table etiquette. The words bring to mind Miss Manners columns and my mother harping on me about keeping my elbows off the table. I'm quite sure I didn't appreciate her advice when I was a child. Now that I'm an adult, her advice makes a little bit more sense.

We all want to enjoy our meals together but I like to think that if the kids had to eat dinner with the Queen that she wouldn't be horrified by their behavior. Because that's my hope, I tried to introduce etiquette at a young age. As soon as they were old enough to grasp things, I always placed a toddler spoon on the high chair near their food. They weren't always able to hold it properly but eventually they did learn.

Now as the kids are teenagers, etiquette isn't about what they can do. It's more about what they remember to do. A few things that are extremely important to me at the dinner table are:

1. Absolutely NO electronics at the table. If you cannot take a few short minutes to be unplugged from your DS, cell phone or MP3 player, there is a problem. I do not want my meal interrupted by dings, buzzes or bells.

2. Elbows do not belong on the table. I know. I know. It annoys the heavens out of me to see kids hunched over their plates with their elbows on each side like vultures. Sit up. Take the elbows off the table. It looks better.

3. Yes, you do need to eat what's on your plate. You may not make negative comments about what's on your plate. You don't have to like it. You do have to eat it.

4. Your knife should not be used as a ramp to get on your plate. Do not lean it off the side onto the table. When you're not using your knife, it should rest evenly on the plate off to one side.

5. Napkins go on your lap. They do not get tucked over the collar of your shirt. You do not need a bib. We're all adults here.

6. Bring your fork to your mouth. Do not lean your head into your plate toward the fork. The idea is to sit up straight and not gobble.

7. There is a specific way to set the table. Yes, the fork has to go on the left. Yes, the knife has to go on the right. No, you cannot do it a different way. When my kids were little, we used to draw a sample plate with utensils & cup on a piece of card stock and then laminate it. That way they'd remember how to set the table correctly.

Family dinner time can be fun but it shouldn't look like a pack of vultures have descended on the dinner table. We still have casual dinners in the living room in front of the television sometimes. But when we sit down at the table, I want them to know how to eat properly. What are some ways you helped your kids learn etiquette?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.