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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
What’s Appropriate Table Behavior for Your Child?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WHAT’S A KID TO DO? What table behaviors are appropriate when you’re dining out?
Photo: Charlotte B. Teagle/AJC
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I have an 11-year-old daughter, and that she dines out with me from time to time. Sometimes it’s just the two of us, other times it’s with my entire family. Since I got married, it’s often the three of us.
As she’s gotten older, she doesn’t need as much attention at the table and is often as much a part of the dinner conversation as the adults around her. But sometimes she needs a distraction, especially if it’s a long meal where things aren’t arriving from the kitchen promptly.
I’ve been adamant about laying down the law of what’s appropriate and what’s not at a dinner table: no Nintendo playing, no reading — I think both of these encourage anti-social behavior because she can avoid making conversation, which is a skill that needs to be honed by taking part. And conversation should be as much a part of dining as eating.
But I’m fine with her bringing puzzles or gamebooks filled with crosswords and word searches. Our favorite is hang man. Games allow her to interact with other people at the table yet let her feel she’s doing something she wants to do — and it helps pass the time for her. Of course, bringing a friend along at her age is a nice solution to her possibly getting bored, too.
What types of things do you allow your children to do at the table when you are dining out? What do you feel is appropriate? What isn’t?
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