The Child at the Table

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 20, 1911

The Child at the Table

MANY persons, although they would not acknowledge it, prefer to seat a child at a second table rather than teach him such rudiments of good breeding as will make his presence acceptable at the common table. It is a mistake to leave the supervision of a child’s meals to a servant, or to neglect them entirely. If a child’s table manners and actions are such that he can not eat quietly with his elders, there is an indication of a deplorable lack of training.

It is true that the average child has but little respect for table customs and observances. The little head bends unrebuked until it nearly touches the plate; the fingers are used as freely as the silver, and much of the food is daubed upon the face. One might recite worse offenses without being in any way extravagant.

One thing is universal: our children eat too quickly, and the food is improperly masticated. To this may be directly blamed the poor stomachs of the last generation. One must admit that there is rarely a perfectly healthy family.

As soon as the child is old enough to feed himself, he should be taught to hold a spoon properly. It is a wrong idea to give a child a spoon, a knife, or any article from the table to be used as a plaything. Do not tolerate any playing with the silver, dishes, or food. If the baby in the high-chair throws food or spoon upon the floor, reprove him, and take away all that remains, denying him the right to feed himself until the habit is corrected. A child soon learns.

Do not place too large a portion of any food upon the child’s plate. A little, and not too many kinds at a time, is much better. Call a child’s attention to any spot or stain upon the cloth; and if the youngster is old enough, make him bring a damp cloth and carefully clean it. After a few times, the child will exercise the necessary ounce of prevention, and the lesson will be of far more value than any amount of reproof.

A child should not be allowed to grow capricious in the selection of his food. Many mothers have to prepare two or three meals because the different members of the family will not eat the same diet. One mother confessed that she had to serve five different breakfast foods, and that each member of the family wanted eggs prepared in a different style.

On the other hand, the little one must be allowed some individuality at the table. Any actual dislikes should be respected. The child should not be forced to eat food that is distasteful to him; but care should be taken to see if the dislike is genuine or is merely caprice.

As the meal is often the only time of the day when all the members of the family meet together, teach the child to come to it clean and smiling, with only pleasant speech. Teach him the effect of a right condition of the mind upon the digestive organs of the body. Instil a pride in his own table deportment and in the perfect appointments of the table. If the setting of the table falls to him, teach him to look upon it not as a duty but an art. Allow him to arrange the flowers unaided, gently guiding his taste; and although the effect may be almost grotesque at first, you will be rewarded by his interest and improvement in table manners.—American Motherhood.