Teaching The Kids How To Set The Table For A Fancy Breakfast

We hosted a casual reception at our house last weekend and had a lot of leftover disposable plates, cups, and utensils. The kids thought those items were "fancy" and demanded they get to use the "fancy" dishes at every meal. You would have thought we were eating on gold-plated Lenox based on the excitement of my children.

Obviously we live a glamorous lifestyle when plastic-ware is considered good china.

I decided that all of the Fancy Dishes talk warranted a real lesson in culinary elegance. It was time to teach the kids how to set a table!

Several years ago I offered to help my mother-in-law with dinner and she said, "Why don't you set the table?" I found myself very glad I had been married to her son for several years because she was about to be very disappointed in me as the wife of her son. "Um, where does the fork go? And the spoon? And the knife?" Even after learning how to set a table that night, I still often have to double-check references when I set tables even now. Since we don't often eat dinners where we set the table in advance, how to do it is still not part of my long-term memory.

So, I printed up a sheet for the kids that drew out how a place-setting should look and I gave them the "fancy" dishes to set their places for our "fancy" breakfast this weekend. They learned where each of the utensils went, they folded napkins, and they put their cups above the napkins which is the most genius part of the design since it keeps the drinks OUT OF THE ELBOW AREA.

Taking the time to teach the kids this lesson means that the next time we have family dinner I can say, "Nikki, please set the table," and she'll be able to do just that. I don't think Wes could do it on his own yet, but with his sister's help he could do it too. And they are learning how to do it 30 years earlier than their mother learned it.

Both of the kids thought that those plastic dishes were way too nice for our usual cream cheese bagels. "Mom! These dishes are FANCY! We need FANCY FOOD!" Therefore, we decided to do yogurt parfaits and scones. The kids designed their own parfaits with granola and fresh fruit and they discussed the latest episodes of their favorite shows using their best fake English accents. Because, evidently "fancy" also means "British."

All in all? A yummy breakfast served with a side of etiquette. And two really dreadful accents.