Our Family's Dos and Don'ts of Dinner Table Etiquette!

SocialMoms and Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese have teamed up to bring a new blogging program that asks mom bloggers like myself to look at dinner time tradition and etiquette, and share the Dos and Don’ts of dinner table etiquette.

Well here are a few of my Family’s Dos and Don’ts

Dos:

The kids help me set the table. I think it is fun to involve the kids in the dinner preparations, and as they get older, I hope to have them start preparing part of the meals as well. I set out the plates, cups, utensils, and napkins and allow them to put them at each place setting.

We like to sit down together as a family to eat. Sometimes the days are so hectic with appointments, work, and school, that this is the first and only time we may actually see one another that day. We talk about what happened during the day, things that are important to us, and discuss things that may happen through the rest of our week.

We say grace as a family at the dinner table. It is important to our family to pray before our meal because it is part of our religion. We and many other families across the planet are doing the very same thing and saying similar words, and it is such a great feeling to know that we are carrying on that tradition and honoring the Lord. Plus, we are now passing this down to our children, so they can continue to do the same for future generations.

Don’ts:

We don’t leave the radio, TV, or any other electronic device on while we are eating together. This is time to spend as a family without any outside distractions. Plus, it is important to pay attention to chewing when the children are small, and any distractions in my opinion, could lead to choking.

We don’t discuss stressful things at the dinner table. It is the absolute worst way to ruin dinner when stressful topics are brought up while eating. Not only does it make me lose my appetite but it is also a way to induce choking or indigestion. Those types of topics are left best to times when the kids are not around, and you can discuss them in a calm environment.

We don’t talk with our mouths full and the kids are not allowed to roam around while they are eating. Again, it is important to stay focused on eating. Talking and moving around while food is in your mouth can lead to choking. The kids are allowed to talk at the table, just as long as they have finished chewing.

Some of the things that I would like to change at dinner time would be:

Not answering the telephone during dinner. Most of the time, it is solicitors calling, and it is just taking away time from the family. Unless it is an emergency, the phone calls can wait.

Not getting frustrated when the kids don’t eat their dinner. This is a really hard one for both my husband and I. When the kids don’t eat, we worry if they are getting proper nutrition, we see the kids wasting the food, and then, as the cook, I get frustrated because I worked hard to make a meal. We just have to remind ourselves that it isn’t anything personal, and that the kids eat what they need, and as long as we are providing healthy choices, they should be fine.

What special traditions do you do at the dinner? What are some of the things that you wish you could change?

I would love to hear from you.

KRAFT HOMESTYLE is a delicious, convenient and easy way to serve homemade taste without the hassle. Any of the three yummy varieties – Classic Cheddar, Hearty Four Cheese or Old World Italian – combine a rich cheesy meal with hearty noodles and crunchy golden breadcrumbs on top. It’s homemade taste without the hassle. To learn more about Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese, CLICK HERE.

At Home Moma

“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.”

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply