Teaching Manners

On Monday, the skies were gray and the weather a bit chilly, so I decided to put on my "uniform" (aka, my comfortable clothes) and hoped the girls would be low maintenance. Yeah right!  They were very aware it was "Monday- Funday"!

I attempted to tantalize them with puzzles, coloring books, paints and legos to no avail.  Beaten down, I decided to switch things up quickly.  Hair brushed, shoes on, we all jumped into the car for a spontaneous outing.  But, where to go? I thought hard.  Not the zoo--way too much walking for this lazy day.  Ronald McDonald didn't appeal to me either.  Even in comfy clothes the idea of crawling up those brightly colored tubes to save a stuck child didn't entice me.   

 Before I reached the freeway, I had another idea....Lately, we had been working on our table manners.  Each daughter enjoyed the pleasantries of "please pass the bread" and "may I please be excused from the table"?  We had gone over the use of a napkin and how it was folded gently into one's lap.  I was confident that my daughters were ready to fly solo. "Hey, I know what we could do, girls, let's go to a real restaurant"!

Okay.  So, it was Monday, noon -- maybe not the best decision, but I proceeded naively not remembering what it was like (in my past life) to be on a designated lunch break with only a certain amount of time.  I moved quickly from my seat, closed the door and reached for the passenger door to help my daughters step onto the pavement.  With the door wide open, I encouraged the kids to hurry along.  Unknowingly, three nicely dressed business men were behind me waiting.  Annoyed, one of the men attempted to squeeze through the narrow channel while the other two turned and went to the other passenger door.  I wedged the girls closer to the car allowing him to pass, smiled and jokingly said, "Sorry, it takes a bit longer with my little crew."  Without a gesture or a nod of acknowledgment, he swiftly slid into the already revved car and left with his cohorts.

Since 'manners' was my theme for the day, I knelt down beside my daughters and explained the importance of patience with all people in the world (and especially women with children!).

Taking our place inside the restaurant and reminding them of all the basic manners to remember we ordered our lunches. Our napkins were folded in our laps as were our hands.  "May I please have a grilled cheese sandwich with white bread?  Thank you."  "May I please have chicken nuggets, but no spicy sauce?  Thank you."  Well, that went well, I smiled proudly. Thankfully a coloring book was provided for the wait.  I quietly continued the lesson reminding each to stop their coloring project and thank the waitress when our lunch was served.   

Looking across the restaurant I saw a table where four women sat.  It didn't appear they were friends.  No one spoke.  Two looked off, bored, one was wildly texting. The fourth, however, smiled as she watched my girls color in their books.  We made eye contact and I returned a smile.  My imagination went into high gear as I pictured her as a mom longing to be at home with her children.  What she didn't know, I thought, is that there are days I would gladly switch places. 

I turned my attention back to my table just in time to see our waitress advance with our tray of delicious food.  The girls dropped their crayons, sat up straight and in unison said "Thank you!"  The waitress dropped down to their level and complimented each for using such good manners.  They smiled broadly--"Mom said we had to", the younger one blurted as she reached for a nugget.  The waitress looked my way as she got up to move on, "It doesn't happen often, you should be proud of them, ma’am."  The meal was a success; no spilled milk, no outbursts, and lunch hungrily devoured.  There is no doubt in my mind -- I am here for a purpose -- today, at least!