:D table manners should not die. and totally agree with the article in Good

We learned table manners! My Dad was very particular on how we held our forks and chewing with our mouths closed. Then again, we also ate family meals around the table.

My father always made sure we had proper table manners and I pass that on to my children.

Drive through mentality? You've got to be kidding. Drive-throughs existed when we were kids...no, what's killed table manners is the growth of single-parent family. Studies show that children raised by a single parent are more likely to grow up in poverty. If you're struggling just to get the basics covered (Rent, heat, electricity, med bills, etc.), there's going to be less focus on how a child behaves at the dinner table. And probably more drive-through meals just because mom doesn't have time, she's so busy trying to get by. Sad reality, unfortunately.

I am 24 and was bought up to sit round the dinning table and eat our meal with the family. No TV, no phones, no distractions. I will pass this down when I have children. I think table manners are highly important. However, some families just don't sit round the dinning table. Some families don't even have one. I knew friends who would come round to dinner when I was younger and be amazed that we all sat round the table. I was also amazed going to their house that they sat round the TV and ate. It all depends on the family. If a child has truely terrible table manners; all you got to do is look at the parents.

This reminds me of that funny commercial where people are walking around eating, and other people are gasping in horror because the eaters aren't sitting at a table. Table manners are important things to learn. What if you go out to eat with clients or bosses? Whether we like it or not, people judge you by how you act. I believe it's best to know how to behave at a table with folks.

Perhaps the lack of 'internet manners' is reflecting the lack of 'table manners'...

the salad fork is on the outside.

Not enough of us even sit at the table as a family anymore. Often we eat dinner around the TV, this is important family time in my opinion! Good article

Interesting post.

I never had stern table manners (no elbows on the table, etc) but I did know to chew with my mouth closed, to not yell or scream, and to make sure to say please and thank you. I agree with a previous comment, "Perhaps the lack of 'internet manners' is reflecting the lack of 'table manners'..." How incredibly true. Table manners should not die. They are essential teaching tools for children later in life to behave well in public and with others. What if it was meeting your fiance's parents for the first time, or your boss or client? Interesting read, thank you for posting!

I always appreciate those with good table manners....as a kid I thought it was annoying, but as an adult, I get it ;-)

This is very sad to hear...when I was young my stepmom wouldn't allow us to eat unless our elbows were off the table, silverware was held properly with the pointer finger on top of the utensil and you sat up straight with you chair pushed in...we had to set the dinner table with the knife's edge pointing in toward the plate and so on and so forth. She used to joke about sending us to a school to learn etiquette where you'd have to balance books on your head if we forgot the elbow rule lol. I can understand people aren't eating at the table as often but chewing with your mouth open? Now that should be an unspoken rule if you ask me...

Oh, Etsy, you know how to get me where it hurts. I've become the biggest dinner nag going. "Sit down! Why are you chewing like a cow?" If table manners are going to die, it won't be at my house. It just leads to better behavior overall.

I think it's so much harder to teach children good manners now since so many parents have varying work hours and don't always eat around the table anymore. We try and do it once a week for our granddaughter so she has that at least, and she really loves it. We do too :D

My parents did a very good job reinforcing table manners with most of my siblings with the exception of one of my brothers who would always fight it. I think its sad that families today don't take time to have sit down dinners. children are missing out on quality family time.

No elbows on the table!!! Hahaha, people crewing with their mouth open is worse than nails on a chalkboard to me!

"Manners maketh the man." Good manners are just another name for social skills, or being capable of being pleasant and agreeable in the company of others, which are definitely dying out these selfish days.

Oh yes. Sit up straight. Chew with your mouth closed. Don't play with your food. Say please and thank you. Eat what's put in front of you (I drew the line at Brussel spouts). Ask to be excused before leaving the table. I remember them all!

Thank you for this article! Unfortunately it might fall on deft ears, as those of us who were brought up with good manners are now forced to live with rude, lazy people. Its a small thing, like saying please, thank you or holding a door open for someone. I see manners slipping away everyday.

This made me recall how my mother bemoaned that she never taught me any table manners (and she said this in the 1980s). But I did chew with my mouth shut and was generally polite--but I sat on my knees, was a fussy eater and rarely sat still (and often forgot to ask to be excused). I think general manners are more important that strict dining rules--if one has manners, one will not truly offend.

In an age where most families only gather around the table for special occasions, our family has always tried to eat together. Table manners are learned through example and although some of my son's friends (he's 21) are surprised to sit at the table when they come over, they soon relax. Conversation flows and we are often still sitting there long after the food is gone. It's one of my greatest pleasures as a mom and grandmother to sit and eat together with my family.

In my home, we sit down for dinner and napkins go on your lap. We don't purchase disposable paper napkins, we prefer real napkins. Oh and we prefer real food too. I know it is hard for many families to have sit down dinners each night, but it is such a wonderful gift to your children. We usually end our dinners with some reading. Shel Silverstein is the kids favorite right now. Good food and good literature is a great way to end the day! I hope other families can find the time to do this too.

Table manners are important. I am trying to teach my kids table manners. One day at a time.. lol.

I dont think strict dining is really commonplace these days but I do think politeness and courtesy for other people is on the downturn just in general not only at mealtimes!

Just want to point out.. 2 men in that photo have their elbows on the table LOL I never quite understood that rule..?

I work in a restaurant. I don't think it's just table manners that are dying... I would say *all* manners are dying. You don't know how many childrens fists I have to dodge, how many times I've had macaroni and cheese thrown at me, how many time I've seen parents allow their children to run screaming around the restaurant, and when I look at the parents to see how they are going to react, do you know what I see? NOTHING. No reaction at all. It's not fast food, it's not teachers, it's not anyone but the parents who are allowing manners to go completely down the drain.

So true!

I appreciate this post. Unfortunately, we're living in an increasingly rude society. We're bombarded by cars tailgating us, strangers "flipping" us off, and children stampeding through stores like cattle. Manners begin at home. We were taught to say "please," "thank you," and respect our parents. While driving cross-country, I can't count, how many careless kids we saw at restaurants. They ran around unsupervised, while their self-centered parents ignored their bad behavior. It's time to return to the "good old days," and start acting like our ancestors. We've gained in technological knowledge, but seem to have lost the art of gracious living. One of the reasons that I enjoy wearing a fedora, is because it reminds me of a slower, gentler era. I'll still tip my hat to you, however, as you run by me.

BTW, can you do a post on cube etiquette? I'd write one, but then my co-workers would know exactly what bugs me :-)

Respect your food - It might bite back.

I've recently had to put a ban on cell phones and lap tops at the dinner table.

I was always told to stop "arranging your food" !! I was creating even them !!!

Maybe if parents were talking with their children instead of nit picking on their manners everyone would focus on the dining experience. Diner time should be a time to share your highs and lows of the day, not a time to be berated with all of your faults or really faults that your parents are obviously looking for. Is it really a faux pas if your elbows are touching the table while you share your day. Be thankful of the people who are sitting near you and be thankful for being able to eat with one another oh "please pass the peas".

OH...this has bugged me for so long, I am glad you posted this article.If you don't think there is a lack of table manners just look around you at a restaurant. Children running wild or worse yet with loads of toys on the table, people talking loudly on cell phones, elbows on the table, eating with fingers and I actually saw the other day a "gentleman" leaning back in his chair while picking his teeth.....and not to mention the total lack of dress code too. My husband and I went out for Valentines day at a wonderful restaurant and there were people wearing tee-shirts with slogans printed on them. Is it really too much to ask for a shirt with buttons and ...horrors...a tie? I just saw a segment on Sunday Morning where they are teaching ballroom dancing to students in NYC. I feel they should do that nation wide and throw in a manners class too.

It begs to differentiate between good table manners from good manners in general. Many people have good manners as they say yes, please and thank you, and they know to hold the door for some one else. But not only are those people few and far between these days, but those lovely manners do not always preclude good table manners. Unfortunately you can be quite polite and still chew with your mouth open and eat with your fingers. So it's not hard to wish for the days of elbows-off-the-table and sitting-up-straight. Especially when people don't know not to blow their noses at the table.

Thank you for the post--so true! I'm in my mid-30s and learned "please/thank you", table manners, and general respect for others. Along with teaching our eldest (3 yr old) good manners, were also trying to (hopefully!) raise a non-picky eater who isn't wasteful. (No supper treat unless everyone "eats well and has good manners!") We work hard for what we have, whether purchased, created, grown, or harvested. We're persistent and teaching by example...and goodness gracious, no fast food! I love that my daughter thinks her own whole apple is a treat :-)

I was fortunate to grow up going to a summer camp which taught table manners and had a class you could sign up for that taught posture. i don't believe I would have learn otherwise. Looking back, not only do I know which way to pass the dinner rolls, I find I have stronger self respect. I enjoy sitting up straight and chewing with my mouth closed. it says a lot about a person and how they practice self care. I was once complimented by a very large and burly bouncer at a club while sitting at the bar. He said " I just want to say you have very nice posture." Very unexpected. lol

Table manners are important, is part of being well educated...like using thank you, please, excuse me, learning how to read, write, and adding...it is part of our daily lives. We as parents teach by example---proper use of our manners when eating shows respect for others around us. Thank you Chappell...I am always looking forward to your articles every week.

Happiness life...enjoying!

So true. Many times, I'm shocked by the lack of good manners in my class. People compliment me on the fact that I don't chew with my mouth open or put my hand in other peoples' food. Generally, I believe good manners aren't something that should be complimented - perhaps as encouragement to continue in good behavior - but good manners should be expected of the capable.

Agree. Slow-food trend and more awareness towards good old proper cooking, chewing and sitting from the social, ambient and health perspectives may reintroduce table manners. Great subject and interesting opportunity to outlook at ourselves. Cheers and bon appetitte to all!

I want my kids to chew with their mouths closed regardless of where they are eating - family table or drivethrough. It is hard to enforce through - they see their peers chewing with their mouths open and think it is OK. I am amazed at how many people I see chewing with their mouths open in restaurants, good ones too. I think it really has nothing to do with not eating at the family table. It has lots to do with parents slacking off, picking their battles - and missing important ones.

I am proud to have grown up in a family where dinner at the table, even if we're having drive-thru cuisine, is still a constant. I don't imagine my sister or me having children that don't experience this great family tradition, and thereby, learn their manners!

Table manners are part of being considerate of those around you. I don't want to see what you're chewing up with your mouth open! To blame the lack of general consideration for others on fast food is silly. You can have manners wherever you are. And even during the depression when there were many struggling with poverty children were still taught table manners. So please, there are no excuses for poor manners. I think it's just easier to ignore bad behavior than do anything about it. My family eats together almost every night we don't pick on each other about manners but we are considerate of each other. And it certainly doesn't keep us from having a good time or good conversation at the table.

Table manners are taught; not haphazardly learned. This was my dad's mantra and so every visit to a restaurant was a battle for me. Not even Dear Abbey could spout off more etiquette rules than my dad. I have to laugh now, though. Children DO need civilizing and learning proper table manners is part of that.

I do think that table manners are dying, and so is the tradition of eating dinner together as a family at the table. I hear of so many families now eating in front of the TV and it just breaks my heart. When I was young, we ate at the table (and we didn't have a TV in our kitchen) and we talked about the day and caught up with each other. Good times :)

My family hardly ever sat at the table, except for when I was very little, but now I'm married I love sitting at the table- so the training must have paid off

Interesting post, made me missing about my family !!! Thank you :)

My mother raised four of us mostly on her own and we always sat down to the table as a family. We used please and thank you. We didn't reach over each other and she did have time to cook us real food too, even being poor we ate healthy. I don't think all single parents are so busy they can't sit and eat with their kids. Most of my friends came from two parent homes and never ate as a family. Now as an adult in a traditional home we eat together three meals a day. But I agree home cooking and natural living help contribute to wanting to sit down and enjoy each other and the food! Politely of course.

Great, thought provoking read....It sure does seem hard to get an entire family in one place at one time with our seemingly fast paced lives....and does seem that even table manners could be flying past as well! I think it will take determined effort to teach manners to my kids!

Nice post! My dining room table growing up was not for dining - it housed all of my mother's artistic projects! I thought that it was completely normal for the three of us to have dinner sitting on pillows at a lobster trap in the living room with a sheet of glass over the top. I was called to "the lobster trap." Thought it was so bizarre when I had dinner at a friend's house and we were seated at a traditional table. Regardless of the setting though, manners were paramount! I think they can be taught and valued in a variety of settings.

My children have manners, in general, not just at the table. They actually get confused when other adults end up fawning over the fact that my children are polite. I homeschooled them for years and I don't think I would have made it a week if my children were never taught to be civilized. The best place to see ill mannered wild life is at any Disney park on any given day. I am not quite sure how parents can tune out their child swinging from a chandelier because it drives my family (even my kids) bananas!

Enjoyed reading your post Chappell on table manners, thank you. It wasn't always easy with sporting events, practices to make time for dinner at the table with our kids but~ I made time to sit around the table and discuss the days events and listened to our kids talk and helped them learn table manners. Think about it~ million dollar business deals are made during lunch and the golf course too. :)

It breaks my heart that so many families are missing out on teaching some very basic and very valuable life lessons as simple as how to eat at the table with good manners. To not chew and talk with their mouths open, not to interrupt others that are conversing and constantly wanting to be the center of attention and being disrupting by not patiently waiting their turn to speak. These things do not suddenly and magically happen, learning good table manners, when one is older. It has to begin when we are young by being taught what is and isn't acceptable behavior and also by sitting at the table with adults to have as an example.

Teach your children when they are young and always correct them if they do something wrong. It's an ongoing process.

I really try hard not to put my elbows on the table. But sometimes I can't help it! :)

This is a hot topic for me .Big time national news if you ask me.When table manners die so will I.

My son tells me that at their school's lunch time, no one eats with their mouth closed, except his best friend. Ever since he was a toddler, I have been teaching him good table manners plus to be considerate. We cannot give up. If any of his friends do that with me, I instruct them to do it --in a funny way.

Manners are about thinking of other people, trying to live in a way that shows them some respect. Today we are told 'follow your heart' and 'be yourself, don't worry about what others think'. We are encouraged to disregard the feelings of others. I certainly believe we should be individuals, but concern for others is a help not a hindrance. On a slightly different note, I never understood the elbows off the table rule until I had kids. If their elbows are on the table every move they make shakes the table and drives my husband nuts :)

I have picked up some fantastic books on etiquette and manners from etsy and I am in love with all the information! There is every reason to know how to conduct yourself in various settings and nothing wrong with being introduced to good manners early. Love it!

We eat dinner as a family almost every night. We talk about our days, share our stories and yes work on table manners. I want my children to grow up to be able to hold a conversation without talking with their mouths full, elbows on the table and cell phones in hand. Great story.

Here comes the crabby old lady in me, but It sometimes seems that ALL manners are flying out the window. Talking on your cell phone while being assisted by a clerk? Texting during family meals (my niece - banned from doing it at my house!)? Wearing headphones in an environment where others are trying to connect with you? Unacceptable behavior. Manners are mandatory!

"Please and thank you. Pass it on." Just saw this new commercial the other day. I guess it has come to this -- public service announcements now remind (or teach) viewers the basics of common courtesy.

It's so satisfying to read all these comments from like-minded people. :D It's especially satisfying to know that there are young people who still value manners, because we will want our kids to value these things, too. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who interrupt others when they're speaking, and I feel that if more people had been taught not to do this - by having dinner together as a family, for example - they would have learned how intolerable and rude this is.

We always make time for family dinners at the table....and personally I don't know any families who don't.

I am wondering about table manners. I know a wonderful and intelligent 12-year old girl whose [other] grandmother declared when the child was about five "her table manners are atrocious". Oh, goodness. Little has changed in seven years, though when she comes to our house she is expected to use a knife and fork [properly] and a napkin. That has made for some trying meals with exasperation from all sides. But, as her granddaddy and I told her, she must know how to act at the table when at friends' homes or out to eat. We must at least make an effort and hopefully our efforts will pay off in the future, for all parties. As my grandmother said "you're not born knowing everything"; you must be taught. However, despite all this, I must make an excuse for the folks in the story photo. It looks like they are eating ribs. All manners fly out the window when it comes to ribs. I am guilty myself.

I wasn't raised with good table manners, but I make sure that I behave the best I can, especially when dining with others.

Save about 3 times a month which were deemed "free for all days" my family always sat down together at the dinner table to eat every night. It was always really important to my mom that we take that time as a family. Getting to invite a friend to dinner was a special treat. Now that Im grown and on my own just living with roommates I find the times when everybody sits down to a meal at the same time to be some of the most memorable.

Anyone & Everyone... Please, just chew with your mouth closed & keep your napkin handy!

Television ads that promote their crunchy food product with the sound of the open mouth first bite encourages bad manners. Lip smacking on food ads makes it difficult to convince kids that it is bad manners at the table.

That is what my dining room table looks like to. Kids and thier homework and me and my sewing machine. It is nice in the evening to be all around working together on projects, but seperate. I hope my girls see that we can multi task our passions in our everyday life. Never stop dreaming.

I always loved meals and sitting and talking around the table for hours with family and friends. That is so enjoyable to me. My parents weren't strict about "elbows on the table" but I learned the basics, and my husband and I teach our children the same. My son knows to ask if he can be excused, to sit up at the table, and he chews with his mouth closed, we've never had to ask him to do this- he does it on his own somehow! Which is odd because he's only 5. But anyway, I think I enjoy meals around the table so much for the conversation and spending time with those I love. I look forward to family get-togethers where my aunts/uncles/cousins and I will sit and talk forever even after the food is all gone. That is where some very memorable times have been spent, and I wouldn't change that for anything. I hope I can pass that love down to my kids, and they to theirs, Lord willing. :)

Thank you for bringing this up! Here in the UK, I just don't feel that other parents are encouraging their children to eat with their mouths closed. They're more focused on how much of their meal their children eat, not on how they eat it. Not many parents eat with their children any longer, so they don't model good manners to them, either. It's not just my childrens' generation of under 10s, it's the teens and early twenties that are chomping and lip-smacking too!! I feel really strongly about this and it's great to hear that some other people still feel that way too!

With so many people today struggling with social and self esteem issues, the business of everyday life, school, work, entertainment, etc. we have to have a greater avenue of communication. We need to find ways to listen to each other and address any problems or concerns with family and children, and I feel that an important place to do this is around the dinner table. Manners and the teaching of them have a much larger affect on overall life skills than maybe we are emphasising. I would say my family table manners cause me to show more courteousy as an adult, to understand the importance of listening and patience. I feel the need to be sensitive to those around me to create a comfortable environment to work or learn in. I desire to present myself in a manner befitting one conscious that others are looking on and perhaps learning from my example. As I relay these table manners to my own children it gives me an opportunity to discuss with them why they are important and how they can be important building blocks in their future.

I so love the highlighted post about how the dining room table was really an artistic workspace for all of moms art projects at the time...lol, I can really relate to that ! We live in a small, humble house, our dining table is not only our space for all of our meals, but it acts as my work space on a daily basis ( as well as my kitchen) we only do the take out thing maybe once or twice a month, I cook ALL the time,lol. After the youngest gets off the school bus, my art work gets pushed aside & dinner prep commences. I try to teach my children manners in every aspect of life, think I'm doing a good job ,so far. We talk about our day, laugh & even have had some of the best life conversations around the table during our meals, without elbows on the table, saying please & thank you & if you have food in your mouth, no talking ,laughing or chewing with it open ! It works out well, lets everyone get a chance to say something, & I can always tell which one of my kids didn't really enjoy my cooking that night by who was the "chattiest" lol. The only thing I do let slip by ( this is going to probably drive a few of you crazy) is licking your fingers if any form of BBQ is served ,that is unless my mom/grandma is over for dinner ; )

Agreed!

Do I dare suggest it might be partially because of the microwave oven? I found, since we've gotten rid of the microwave oven, when the food's hot, we have to come eat it, all at the same time.

I love that we eat together as a family. My husband and I have created a "norm" of eating at the dinner table together and using proper manners. Nothing super strict but basic manners and we communicate about our day. I sure hope table manners (or other important common decency and politeness) aren't dying out!

In our 580 sq ft unit we don't even have room for a "dinning table." Much to my dismay the coffee table in front of the TV is the best option. After months of arguments my son (14 months) is finally accepting that I won't give him food unless his butt is firmly planted on a proper seat. If we had an actual table to eat at I think things would be easier but we make the best of what we have.

OMG!! How did this lovely artist's profile highlight get turned into a conversation about table manners? Everyone has different ways of communicating!! I share the curiousity she talks about. I am constantly asking why too!

The header to the blog post "How are your table manners?" evoked such passionate responses from all. I imagine we are all weary of daily interactions with people who just don't care, huh? During a recent outing while an entire restaurant was infuriated when a Mom ignored her son's destructive behavior, I turned to her and asked "Are you OK with him behaving like that? Would YOUR MOM have allowed you to do that?" She replied, "YES, she would have!" I said "Well, I guess we know where the lack of manners originated then, don't we?" The patrons started applauding as she left with her brat in a huff! Enough is enough...

I'm looking for Emily's Post ~ you know (Emily Post) lol! This is a great topic, Thanks. Reading the comments is like having a peek into the Dining Rooms (or glass-covered Lobster Traps) of the full spectrum of society. I was born in 1960 into a family that did have dinner together nightly around a casual kitchen table. We practiced good but relaxed table manners. My biggest influence came from my Grandparent's Home. They were active in many Civic and Political social groups, and my Grandmother did a lot of entertaining in the home. There, we practiced a higher class of table manners, but it was fun like playing Tea Party with a lace table cloth and tall pink candles most every night. Sadly, those days are decades behind me now. At this point I've been a single mom for nearly 20 years, and we rarely sit down together to have an organized meal. This topic is inspiring me to plan a sit-down family meal, just me and my 12 y/o son, at least once a week, probably on Sunday. I strongly believe that parents need to teach children good social table manners, and a knowledge of how to use utensils, plates, wine glasses vs. water goblets, etc. When our kids are grown these skills will allow them to confidently handle any social situation they find themselves in. It's Important!

My children have the wriggliest bottoms and they seem to wriggle the most at dinner time! The only thing that helps them to stay still at the dinner table is serving up their favourite meal of sausages, tatties, gravy and veg! I hope that with maturity they will learn to sit still for longer, but for now they are of course fidgety children and I wouldn't expect anything else! I grew up with a single mum and certainly didn't find that living in 'poverty' stopped us from having a proper meal at the table or being taught table manners. My mother was the queen of 10-15 minute creative meals, home for 6, dinner on the table by 6:15, I still don't know how she does it... Though admittedly, the cat was fed liver under the table once, but who likes liver???

Whats really sad is that I went to my daughters school and had lunch with her. I was shocked at how MOST of the children were eating. We practice good table manners, and sometimes my daughter looks at me like I am the meanest Mother in the world for getting on her case about it, but like so many of you have said, she'll appreciate it when she's older!! And, I do have more respect for parents who practice this, as it shows me that not only do they discipline their child at the dinner table, they must have discipline in the home as well, which is much needed for children to learn Respect, and shape them into Kind, Caring, Respectful, and Responsible adults.

Always grateful to my Mom for my perfect table manners even though we often sat at TV trays watching the news from the VietNam war. I have 2 rooms for art & weaving/sewing studios now but I still clear the table when I need a bigger layout space and then put my toys away before bed, another thing my Mom taught me! And yes, my Mom became a single Mom, but that didn't change our economic staus much. She had hopes my life would be better and it is. I also love to have friends over for dinner and I ignore their table manners and just love them the way they are. Good thought and memory provoking article!

I was raised in poverty with an abusive mother who was simply at her wits end and a father who worked hard for months on end as an over the road truck driver just for the privilege of coming home for a few days a month to take care of much needed truck repairs and to have his children resent the fact that he wanted things done in an orderly fashion and this included eating together. My mother, who is anorexic, was never into shopping or providing food with what little money we had so the only time I ever saw food other then some scrambled eggs here or some white bread broken up and put in a bowl with milk poured over the top, was when my father came home. It was a treat but since we had no dinner table, to eat together meant TV trays in the living room. My father did not want the TV on but we ate during all the evening shows and we never understood why he tortured us so. After leaving home early and have a long stint of homelessness in my life, I have since learned a lot and if I had the chance to do it all again, I would have been the child my father could be proud of, one who was pleased to have him there. I was ungrateful! I should have appreciated what little time I had with him and I regret that now. If I ever have kids, it will be much different in many ways but I will be sure and have a nice place to eat with them, distraction free. I have no idea what kind of incentive my father had to work so hard for us for the little he got in return. As far as "table manners" go I don't even know what that is aside from elbows on table and slurping soup (I learned that in movies) but I know I was rude to my father by taking him for granted the way I did. I'm glad that other people in life are at a point that they can be concerned with manners. It gives me hope that there are plenty of families whose basics are met to the extent that they can worry about more then just the most important things in life. I think eating together is something that is really important doing it with class is a bonus.

My table is also always filled with my projects but we all sit down together at a half cleared table, make more messes and enjoy each other's company - i think that's really what its all about - ending the day together, messy or not, and making time for each other over a meal. I know it won't ever be as formal as my family dinners were and that's just fine by me, but my boys will know how important it is to talk to each other about our day and be thankful and definitely be polite. It's all moderation that makes it work :)

Our kitchen table is also filled with projects that get pushed to the side in order for us to have our family dinner together. My family often jokes that we may be eating dinner on the floor one day if i don't get my projects more organized....I try, really I do. Regardless of the mounting piles taking over our kitchen table we do always eat together. It is very important for us to have a family dinner together even if it is surrounded by saw dust and paint, lol!

My daughter is 3 yrs old and I am constantly reminding her to say please and thank you, manners are manditory with me. I can't tell you how many times i've held tbhe door for a stranger only to hear silence after they pass through. My funny, yet maybe snide remark is always "after you my highness". Manners begin in infancy, i remember as a kid my father having us sit on our opposite eating hand if we used our thumb to scoop food on our fork, lol! Makes me proud when my daughter says "please, thank you, and excuse me" without being told.

I share a lunch room with 100% men: manners are DEAD. These are educated men, in business casual clothing, who refuse to chew with their mouths closed.

My kids, who are adults now, have commented on the fact that most of their friends families never ate together. We have always done so as I was raised that way. It's sad to know that some families NEVER experience and appreciate this special time of day.

My 11yrs old will tell you....my mom is a dictator at the table!!!! lol I think table manners are SO important. Thanks for this. It help to realize I'm no alone :-D

As a busy mom of three under the age of 13 I make it an everyday must to sit down together for dinner. Kids need that time to sit as a family together. Not to mention, kids who eat their meals together as a family have much less risks of having eating disorders. Granted its an effort on everybody's part since we have to clean either one of our table to be able to have that meal together, its is all worth it. As my kids grow up and there is more after school activities, I have to admit that our dinner time changes daily from 5:00 to eating as late as 8:30! Now that can be challenging! I just enjoyed reading your lovely article!

I'm only 19, but the world has changed drastically over the course of my young life. I've seen vhs, dvds, and now blueray. Cassettes, CD's, and MP3 players. When I was little nobody had a computer or cell phone! I have 5 and 8 year old brothers, and their childhood is turning out to be drastically different from mine! It makes me incredibly nostalgic and, to be honest, a bit sad. So, I think with that said, I believe that table manners ARE dying out. Most kids today don't seem to have regular manners, let alone table manners! I know it's not going to happen, but I wish this crazy, fast-paced world would just slow down and give us some time to live!