Parents, you are the best teachers to your children! As an etiquette expert, my job is to be a support to all families that I coach. Remember, dining with your child and engaging in conversation must set the precedence in a child’s life before true manners will occur. In today’s blog post, I will discuss some of the behavioral skills I train my students and go over some of the upcoming Dining Etiquette Classes and Summer Camps I am offering this May and June.
Parents, Manners Matter at the Dinner Table
On one of my travels, I observed others around me dining with children from all over the world. Wow! I never saw one phone or one iPad at a restaurant. Parents were constantly engaging with their children and, as a result, the children were very well-behaved. On one occasion, I sat beside a family of four from the UK who engaged with their children during the entire meal. The Dad was polite and demonstrated respect towards the Mom, who instructed the entire dinner. There’s no doubt that these children will learn how to act properly at the table.
In a recent Harvard Study, research showed that a person’s success in their profession correlated to their mastery of social skills. This definitely proves that manners and social skills are important at the dinner table and workplace!
As parents, teachers and grandparents, we should never take our children for granted. They are watching us every day!
If they do not learn manners and social skills from family, they will adopt social skills from media outlets or those they are around. Children become a reflection of what and who they are around. Parents, understand that you are anointed and appointed Mom and Dad and you have been given a gift. What you do with this gift is your Thanks to God.
Below, I have listed some of the manners I can address in my Children’s Social Skills and Dining Etiquette Classes. These following are behaviors your child should be aware of and be practicing daily by age 8-10 at the latest.
- Know the true meaning of Etiquette.
- Know how to engage in polite conversation and maintain an awareness of who you are talking to.
- How to properly invite a guest to visit.
- How to hold silverware.
- How to speak with purpose.
- How to use a napkin.
- How to chew properly.
- How to drink from a straw.
- How to hold a glass.
- How to properly eat soup.
- Posture at the dinner table.
- How to interrupt politely if needed.
- Body language.
- Respect for teachers.
- How to meet and greet and give a proper handshake.
- Hat etiquette.
- The importance of patience.
- The differences between proper and improper gestures.
- Respect for firemen.
- Respect for police officers and how to speak and listen to officers.
- Church etiquette.
- Awareness and respect for other cultures.
- How to never say “I do not like that food”.
- Family Etiquette – Respecting one’s family is the beginning of manners. Children must be taught that talking about their family is the same as talking about themselves.
- How to properly use one’s voice and the difference between an inside voice and an outside voice.
- Store Etiquette – Why one should not place their hands on merchandise in stores.
- Eye contact.
- How to give and receive a gift.
- How to write a Thank You note.
- Basic safety and travel etiquette.
- The importance of standing when an adult or guest comes into one’s home.
- Hosting an Event – All guests should be walked to the door and children should stand with the parents until each guest is out of sight.
The above must be practiced and, in order for practice to occur, a parent must spend time with their child. Social graces grow in social situations. This summer, involve your child in your tasks! Take them to the soup kitchen or senior living center. Have them make cookies for neighbors and hand-deliver them together. Teach your children real joy and that it is better to give than to receive.
Enroll your Children in one of Lisa’s Upcoming Summer Etiquette Camps!
This summer, I am offering a variety of summer camps for children and teenagers. Reach out to me at https://etiquette.adcockcreative.dev/contact/ to request more information. Or, view a number of my camps and book directly at https://etiquette.adcockcreative.dev/etiquette-camp/. I look forward to working with your children!
- Etiquette & Social Graces Workshop for Children and Teens – Offered Sunday, May 18, 2025 or Wednesday, May 28, 2025 from 2-3:30 PM.
- Etiquette Camp: Social Graces & Self-Presentation for Children – Offered June 2-6, 2025 from 9 AM – 12:30 PM.
- Dining Etiquette for the Teenager – Offered Tuesday, June 3, 2025 from 5-7 PM.
- Etiquette Camp: Basic Table Manners 101 – Offered June 9-13, 2025 from 9 AM – 12 PM.
- Manners 101 with Emphasis on School Etiquette – Offered Sunday, June 15, 2025 or Sunday, June 22, 2025 or Sunday, June 29, 2025 from 2-4 PM. In today’s competitive world of academics, children and young adults are judged by first impressions. By giving your child the behavioral skills they need to navigate this competitive world, you will help your child stand out from the crowd and reach high levels of achievement. In this course, the “why of manners” is taught. Manners start with a servant’s heart where sacrifice is a personality trait. Book this class today and facilitate respectful community engagement with your child.
- Etiquette Camp: Back to Basics – Offered June 16-20, 2025 from 9 AM – 12 PM.
- Etiquette Core Skills and Social Etiquette (K-2) – Offered June 23-26, 2025 from 9 AM – 12 PM.
Kindness Counts
We hear the word “kindness”, but what does that word really mean? Kindness is an adjective with no power unless a person acts with a soul of desire. Kindness must start in the heart with a desire to meet the needs of those around us. Teaching children how to develop cultural awareness is a multifaceted asset. It improves life skills. Etiquette and manners start in the home and then these skills will transfer to the school environment. Your child’s teachers will receive your children with the training they have been given by you as a parent. Schools are for knowledge. Often, because of poor manners, children can become the target for a misdiagnosis because they don’t understand the importance of respect, obedience and manners 101.
Get Help with Lisa’s Dining Etiquette Classes in Dallas
Lisa Burdette is a Dallas area etiquette expert. She offers private and group dining etiquette classes as well as training in interview skills and social graces. She has successfully helped many individuals with polishing their professional image and increasing their personal confidence at work, in school and in their personal lives. In addition, Lisa has worked with corporate clients such as the Toyota Corporation, the Bank of Texas and others to assist with workplace etiquette training and workshops.
Ready to elevate your child’s social skills with dining etiquette classes? Reach out via our Contact page or Book Online and request your session with Lisa today!
