Open Letter to Parents: Please Re-Prioritize This Important Lesson For Your Kids
Dear Lovely Fellow Parents;
This letter is addressing all my fellow parents who have have neuro-typical, able-bodied children who are over 2 years old. Think of it more as a plead for commonality — to get us on the same page for the sake of our kids (and ourselves). I don’t usually care how someone else parents their children as long as they do it with well intentions and love, I can recognize that we are all doing what we believe to be right.
There is one area of parenting that I personally have a hard time understanding how there could be so much difference when there doesn’t need to be. I worry that we have all become too busy or just don’t value this as a society as much as we used to, but I am here — begging that it is re-prioritized into each of our parenting lessons.
Please teach your kids how to eat with their mouth closed (& quietly)!
I mean maybe I am naive (and if I am, please tell me if I am), but I don’t think there is any culture, belief, religion etc where eating while making loud disgusting noises and showing the world your half-chewed food is looked positively upon.
It really grosses me out. I am pretty lenient when it comes to how children behave in public because I have children who sometimes let their sillies get the best of them. I understand the loudness that can happen, the not listening when they should, the not sure how to act, the crying and so on.
I don’t get how — something we do at least 3 times a day can be so overlooked when it comes to teaching proper etiquette. It’s not difficult — something most neuro-typical/able-bodied 2 year old’s can have mastered — and it will save me (and others I am sure) from almost puking up our lunch by listening to/watching a child eating theirs.
Thank you!
Signed;
Devan (slightly-neurotic-about-food-and-icky-sounds)
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Amen! It drives me up the wall. I’ll admit that with me personally, it’s probably a bit of an abnormal, neurotic hang-up (like certain sounds repeated, loud door-slamming, jingling of keys, etc.), but that is one of the worst etiquette offenses in my opinion. It’s actually why most of the time I elect to eat alone. Sad, but true. I’m glad that my daughter has a pretty firm grasp on good eating manners.
My husband was never taught (until he met me of course). I see his mom and grandmother do it too – so frustrating! I get a weird pleasure out of picturing my children correcting their grandmother and great-grandmother on this in the future.
I think one thing that’s important to understand here is it may be considered culturally rude here in the U.S. but in other countries, it simply isn’t a priority. I have learned the hard way to overcome this almost consuming pet peeve due to amazing friendships forged with other cultures over the years. Although I may believe its neglectful parenting at times, I tell myself to first look at the parent as an individual & ask myself: do they consume their food with an open mouth? Do they instill other valuable and common-courtesy like manners in their household? And if the answer is yes, I simply get over it.