tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post4406646474445551537..comments2023-04-27T07:44:05.082-05:00Comments on Sibling Revelries: Sit! Stay!Kh. Pattyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723456768472634887noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-89737457360424885552010-12-03T00:45:17.111-06:002010-12-03T00:45:17.111-06:00Lynn, thanks for reading! :)Lynn, thanks for reading! :)Kh. Pattyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723456768472634887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-11191781671675703412010-12-03T00:45:02.652-06:002010-12-03T00:45:02.652-06:00Elizabeth, thanks for your comments. Blessings to...Elizabeth, thanks for your comments. Blessings to you too!<br /><br />Michelle M., I think you're right about lots of expectations and lots of grace. Well put. We also have them take their dishes to the kitchen after we sing. I don't remember if I wrote that.<br /><br />Leila, of course! Thanks for stopping by!<br /><br />Michelle D., you can come over and we'll stand on our chairs for you. :P<br /><br />Jodie Anna, I have that exact thought about bedtime. "Wow. I did it again. I can't believe I've gotten everyone to bed every night for over five years now!"<br /><br />Matushka Anna, that's EXACTLY how Maggie sits! Half her bottom is on the chair, sort of "sitting," and the other leg is standing! People tell me I don't know what it's like to have a boy, but with Maggie, sometimes I think I already know! For some reason, "napkins in laps" elicits screams of discomfort and protest, so we haven't insisted on that one yet! The girls help clear the table as much as they can, and just having them with me helps me not to feel so much like the family slave. ;)Kh. Pattyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723456768472634887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-47766844388856756102010-12-02T13:50:59.789-06:002010-12-02T13:50:59.789-06:00Thanks for writing Patty. I always enjoy it.Thanks for writing Patty. I always enjoy it.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-75694190687008668932010-12-02T12:09:43.277-06:002010-12-02T12:09:43.277-06:00I liked this. We've gotten lax about saying th...I liked this. We've gotten lax about saying the post-meal prayer. I need to get that going again.<br /><br />I can relate to the wriggly-child syndrome too. The boys especially don't want to actually "sit like they're going to stay". Part of them is touching the chair and the rest is poised for take-off! I think we've gotten as far as "pass this please" and napkins in laps but it's hard to expect a whole lot with such an age range. I do have the girls clear the table after dinner. It's a big help. Of course, they're older than yours too.<br /><br />Good luck!Matushka Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-67897803851665808932010-12-02T11:46:55.369-06:002010-12-02T11:46:55.369-06:00sometimes when I set a nice dinner down on the tab...sometimes when I set a nice dinner down on the table for my family I literally think "wow, I did it again!" lol Life can be so hectic with little ones. I remind myself not to compare with others (we all learn and grow at our own pace) and that kids learn mostly by example. Parents who are polite and have good table manners will rub off on their kids...eventually! (I hope) ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-88459437363214718902010-12-02T11:26:06.638-06:002010-12-02T11:26:06.638-06:00Wait, I think you and Andrew SHOULD stand on your ...Wait, I think you and Andrew SHOULD stand on your chairs!!! The thought makes me smile, too.Michele D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-75706922685132625492010-12-02T11:14:47.064-06:002010-12-02T11:14:47.064-06:00Thanks for the link!
I love your post. I love that...Thanks for the link!<br />I love your post. I love that families have their own sweet ways of getting to where they want to be, and yours is very sweet indeed.<br />Saying grace at the end of the meal is a very old tradition. Even my Moslem father would say "Thanks be to God" in Arabic at the end of the meal.<br />We never got into that habit but I wish we had! Good work on your tradition.<br />XOXOLeilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432158981260636910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-26557971107479114662010-12-02T10:58:02.635-06:002010-12-02T10:58:02.635-06:00We have be fortunate in that we don't have to ...We have be fortunate in that we don't have to force our kids to stay at the table. It just hasn't been an issue. That isn't to say that we aren't constantly telling them to sit on their bottoms :) They are energetic, wiggly kids, so it takes a lot to get them to actually sit probably and eat. But we insist upon it, and they do it. <br /><br />I was thinking just this morning, before I read your post, that I need to get the children in the habit of clearing their dishes after they are done eating. They oldest are definitely big enough to do this. This especially applies to breakfast and lunch, which we do not always eat together or if we do, I am usually finishing quickly so that I can get something done while they are occupied. <br /><br />I think it is good to expect a lot from children, but to give them LOTS of grace. Explain what is expected, but don't punish them or embarrass them if they don't do it or if they forget. I was raised with very formal manners, and I appreciate that about my parents. They gave us the freedom that children need, but encouraged us to behave properly, especially when at the table.Michelle M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17971436981332903683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5602038461808265711.post-83369275851400668202010-12-02T10:42:52.911-06:002010-12-02T10:42:52.911-06:00Nice. Yep, balance, progress NOT perfection. A fe...Nice. Yep, balance, progress NOT perfection. A few months back I was talking with a priest who was visiting the area and he commented that usually perfectionist things are a sign of pride. yikes. hits home with me! :) I think it is really good that you are seeking reasonable balances and that you value the dinner time with your family. I totally agree that eatting as a family at dinner esp. is really important not only for one's family but for the society at large. <br /><br />Blessings on the Nativity fast and season! <br /><br />ps - loved all the pictures. way too cute :)elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00962587884124992942noreply@blogger.com