Spaghetti Slurping 101

In an effort to raise kids with impeccable table manners, kids that I can actually take out to dinner with me someday- and I'm not talking a Chuck-E-Cheese dinner, but one at a nice place with *gasp* fancy cloth napkins - I forget that kids need to be kids sometimes.

What did I like to do when I was a kid? Slurp my spaghetti noodles, thats what.

The other night at dinner, I slurped an extra long noodle and the look on 4 year old Gracie's face was priceless. "What did you do?" she wanted to know.

Um, I slurped a noodle. Everyone knows how to do that.

But, as it turns out, when a kid has a parent who says things like, "sit up big," and "stop goofing around or, you won't get dessert," and "seriously, I mean it. Eat your dinner or you're going straight to bed," they don't end up learning the fun things, such as slurping that extra long noodle.

I didn't plan on being an uptight parent. It just kinda came naturally. But just look at the laughter on Gracie's face once she figured out how to slurp the long noodles, too.

Was it worth the lapse in her Miss Perfect Table Manners training? You betcha.

Moms out there, go on and make spaghetti for dinner. And, while your impressionable little kiddos are watching, slurp up the longest, slurpiest noodle you can find.

The laughter will be worth it!

xoxo,