Tips for Restaurant Dining with Kids: Angels at Any Table

A different atmosphere, no cooking and no clean up? Eating out is certainly a relaxing event for adults. But when kids are added to the mix, time spent in restaurant can get chancy. Here are some ways to de-stress the dining experience.

Practice at home
Don't let valuable time spent at home go to waste. Instead, use it to practice all those great manners you want your kids to demonstrate when they're in public. Exercise good dining behavior by eating at the table. We can't expect our kids to sit happily around a restaurant table if they never do it at home. Even if dinner is a boxed meal from your favorite Chinese place, gather round the table to eat. Ban the television and instead use the time to entertain one another.

Keep mealtime fun
Silence may be golden, but there's a lot to be said for a good conversation. Take full advantage of the time together. Tell stories, catch up, and even discuss current events and your own philosophies. More than great food, good company is what makes mealtime memorable.

Use basic table manners daily
Mealtime calls for a certain level of politeness. Verbal manners go beyond the usual "Please" and "Thank You". Teach your child when it's all right to tell his server he doesn't want any more food, and how to decline a particular dish. As adults, we know that on occasion it's better to withhold certain comments than to say them. A good mealtime rule is to not say or do anything that might cause another person to say, "Ew!"