Home > Feeding Frenzy > Archives > 2008 > August > 04
Monday, August 4, 2008
In case you were wondering, that’s a napkin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We recently hosted the son of a friend who lives in Seattle for a week while he attended a CDC summer camp.
We had not seen Ben, now 16, since he was a baby. He grew up to be a super sweet kid, who I am sure was ordered to be on his best behavior during his visit. And he was - he couldn’t have been more polite or thoughtful.
Having someone else join your family for an extended period of time is always an eye-opening experience. There are certain idiosyncrasies that get your attention. With Ben, it was that he never used his napkin. Throughout the meal, it remained pristinely folded on the side of his plate. Even when we reminded our son, Jack, to place his napkin on his lap, Ben’s hand didn’t make a move towards his.
My husband and I became fixated on it, not knowing whether to say something. It became our thing to watch him through the meal to see whether he would reach for it at any point, but every day it went untouched, even when we took him out for sushi.
Have you ever had a houseguest with a less than hygienic habit? Would you say something to a teenager about table manners or just let it slide, as we did?
Permalink | Comments (28) | Post your comment | Categories: Family foibles
