Table Manners

I know they are still really young, but I feel as though our dinner table is more like a barnyard than a place for us to bond as a family. I, personally, don't like having to correct the children all throughout our meal...I get serious heartburn. So this led me to a brilliant idea: Set up the kids' table in the kitchen and allow them to run their own dinner. When Matt was working late this week, I made pancakes for the children and told them that they would be "dining alone this evening". They set their own table, complete with silverware. I filled a pitcher with water and allowed them to pour their own drinks. It was so beautiful. I loved watching them. Sarah was the queen of the tea party, of course. She even spoke with a British accent. So funny. I allowed Joseph to have a butter knife, and he took such a long time to cut his pancakes precisely that he had a meltdown: he was so hungry, but it had to be done a certain way and he had to be the one to do it. I just soaked in the moment. Tommy was my independent angel. He wanted to be just like the big kids, so he held his fork properly and asked Sarah about the weather. Nate was so confused, but he enjoyed the show. He had a front row seat and LOOOOOOVED when the water spilled all over the table and floor. I have never heard him giggle like that!

Dinner took 45 minutes (an accomplishment because the children can usually only stay in their seats for about 12 minutes...max.) and by the time they were done they were all laughing so hard that they didn't even realize that they had done their own dishes and mopped the floor with all the water that spilled! Matt and I had a peaceful dinner alone that night. I felt so strange not having the kids at the table with us that I started to cut Matt's hamburger into bite-size pieces. I missed the kids, but maybe once a week we will give this a try. It was really nice being able to chew and swallow.