By Grandma
Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed.
- Robert Gallagher
Giselle: I wanna go on a date
Edward: A date?.........Whats a date
Giselle: Well, its where we go out and we talk about ourselves our likes and our dislikes… a date?
- Giselle from Enchanted
"The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them."
- Ralph Nichols
“You have to be willing sometimes to listen to some remarkable bad opinions. Because if you say to someone, 'That's the silliest thing I've ever heard; get on out of here!'—then you'll never get anything out of that person again, and you might as well have a puppet on a string or a robot."
- John Bryan
"One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider a problem, can change our whole outlook on the world."
- Dr. E. H. Mayo
"There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for. And questions are the breath of life for a conversation."
- James Nathan Miller
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The Art of Conversation
Posted: Wednesday, December 01, 2010
No Tooting At The Table!
Posted: Sunday, November 14, 2010
By Aunt Susan
You know what I’m talking about. It goes by a lot of names. Toot, Thunder Pants, Butt Burp. There’s one that starts with “F”…not flatulence… the other “F” word and yes it’s a four letter word and rhymes with Bart. And they all mean GAS!
So what happens if you’re at the table and you or someone drops a stink bomb…And it’s a bad one. Do you quickly exit the room before you lose your dinner? If it’s you who cut the cheese… do you blame the dog? Uncle Bob didn’t think anything of blasting his trumpet at the dinner table the other night. (He takes great pride in being a one man jazz band) I asked him “Would you do that if you were having dinner with the Queen?” And he answered “No. But I’m not having dinner with the Queen. I’m having dinner with you”
Worse are my boys who let one rip and then instead of saying “excuse me” they laughed. When one does it… it’s like an invitation for the other to join in the competition. “Oh come on!” I say…”I’m trying to enjoy my dinner here!” I asked one of them…”if your girl friend was here would you do that?” He says his girlfriend likes his toots. “Yeah right! Sure she does”. They just started dating and I’m sure she laughs at all his jokes.
Can’t you tooters feel one coming? Don’t you have any control? Get up and let it out somewhere else!. Not where people are eating! You’re polluting common air space. The dinner table should be a “No Toot Zone” I do understand sometimes it just comes out…all on it’s own…totally unplanned for. What should follow is a sincere “Excuse me”…not “Beat that!”
Someone tell me what country is tooting at the table not considered rude?! Can all you table tooters take your tooting there please? Honestly I think number one for Tea Party Etiquette should be “No tooting at the table! And if you do....the word is “Excuse me”
You know what I’m talking about. It goes by a lot of names. Toot, Thunder Pants, Butt Burp. There’s one that starts with “F”…not flatulence… the other “F” word and yes it’s a four letter word and rhymes with Bart. And they all mean GAS!
So what happens if you’re at the table and you or someone drops a stink bomb…And it’s a bad one. Do you quickly exit the room before you lose your dinner? If it’s you who cut the cheese… do you blame the dog? Uncle Bob didn’t think anything of blasting his trumpet at the dinner table the other night. (He takes great pride in being a one man jazz band) I asked him “Would you do that if you were having dinner with the Queen?” And he answered “No. But I’m not having dinner with the Queen. I’m having dinner with you”
Worse are my boys who let one rip and then instead of saying “excuse me” they laughed. When one does it… it’s like an invitation for the other to join in the competition. “Oh come on!” I say…”I’m trying to enjoy my dinner here!” I asked one of them…”if your girl friend was here would you do that?” He says his girlfriend likes his toots. “Yeah right! Sure she does”. They just started dating and I’m sure she laughs at all his jokes.
Can’t you tooters feel one coming? Don’t you have any control? Get up and let it out somewhere else!. Not where people are eating! You’re polluting common air space. The dinner table should be a “No Toot Zone” I do understand sometimes it just comes out…all on it’s own…totally unplanned for. What should follow is a sincere “Excuse me”…not “Beat that!”
Someone tell me what country is tooting at the table not considered rude?! Can all you table tooters take your tooting there please? Honestly I think number one for Tea Party Etiquette should be “No tooting at the table! And if you do....the word is “Excuse me”
Where are your manners?
Posted: Sunday, November 07, 2010
By Grandma
Good manners are essential to good character. It is our responsibility as adults to teach children basic social graces. Teach them to say “please” and “thank you” and if they forget, and you are in the company of others, do not bring it up at the time. Doing so would be like you’re telling the child that they are rude AND stupid. They will feel humiliated. There are no bad students, just bad teachers. Wisdom, patience, love and long suffering. These are attributes we need to be able to teach our children. Provide a safe loving environment for them to make mistakes. For this is how they learn.
The best way to teach is by example. As a cue you can say to the child…”Isn’t it nice of Mrs. Jones to have us over for tea? “ And this is followed by you thanking Mrs. Jones. If your child does not pick up on your cue, don’t draw any attention to it. Just let it go. You will need to prep him next time BEFORE hand. Or you can have a secret reminder like pulling on your ear lobe. Tell your child when you pull on your ear lobe it means you want to hear him say “thank you”. What ever you choose as your secret reminder do it with a sneaky smile and maybe a wink so the child views this as a loving reminder just between you and him . Have your child give you the secret reminder if he thinks you have forgotten to say “thank you” . When manners are practised at home it becomes natural. Do you say “thank you” to your child when he does something nice? Do you have an environment for learning manners? Do you make it fun? If you make it fun he will want to learn. For table manners I can’t think of a more fun way to learn than tea parties.
How do you teach your child manners?
Teach children manners early
Good manners are essential to good character. It is our responsibility as adults to teach children basic social graces. Teach them to say “please” and “thank you” and if they forget, and you are in the company of others, do not bring it up at the time. Doing so would be like you’re telling the child that they are rude AND stupid. They will feel humiliated. There are no bad students, just bad teachers. Wisdom, patience, love and long suffering. These are attributes we need to be able to teach our children. Provide a safe loving environment for them to make mistakes. For this is how they learn.
The best way to teach is by example. As a cue you can say to the child…”Isn’t it nice of Mrs. Jones to have us over for tea? “ And this is followed by you thanking Mrs. Jones. If your child does not pick up on your cue, don’t draw any attention to it. Just let it go. You will need to prep him next time BEFORE hand. Or you can have a secret reminder like pulling on your ear lobe. Tell your child when you pull on your ear lobe it means you want to hear him say “thank you”. What ever you choose as your secret reminder do it with a sneaky smile and maybe a wink so the child views this as a loving reminder just between you and him . Have your child give you the secret reminder if he thinks you have forgotten to say “thank you” . When manners are practised at home it becomes natural. Do you say “thank you” to your child when he does something nice? Do you have an environment for learning manners? Do you make it fun? If you make it fun he will want to learn. For table manners I can’t think of a more fun way to learn than tea parties.
How do you teach your child manners?
Princess Tea Party Event
Posted: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
By Aunt Susan
This past weekend, we did a Princess Tea Party Event at a local indoor playground. Parents pre-registered their daughter(s) for the event. There were 20 girls in all, ranging from 2 years old to 6 years old. Just the right number of girls for the double size party room. On hand for the princess transformation were the Fairy Godmother, Snow White and the Grand Duke. From youngest to oldest, the girls took turns choosing their princess dress. Recognizable Disney Princess dresses were the first to go. Then anything pink with flowers attached to it. Can you guess which dress was the first to fly off the rack? Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. It’s a Disney Princess and it’s pink. The mommies did not want to miss out on all the fun. But the Fairy Godmother had to scoot them out of the room. With so many people in the room it was getting crowded and hot! The Fairy Godmother had to promise them that they could have their own tea party another day but for now they’ll just have to watch all the fun from the windows.
With everyone in their princess dresses, it was time for tiaras. make-up and pixie dust. Next was a princess singing lesson with Snow White. Everyone sang so lovely….just like a real princess! Then it was time to learn how to befriend little animals. As you know princesses have a way with little animals. Mice will help sew dresses and bunnies will help clean so it’s important to know how to talk to them. Next a lesson on how to walk elegantly in your princess dress before the fashion show parade. Snow White led the way out to the main area. The parents pulled out their camera phones and snapped away.
Then it was back to the party room for a short etiquette lesson before we sit down for tea. On the menu, fruit, tea sandwiches, cookies and apple juice (our version of tea). Each table took their turn to get picture taken by Cinderella’s carriage. Each girl sat on a chair in front of Cinderella’s carriage and the Grand Duke let them try on Cinderella’s glass slipper. A photo in front of the carriage and a photo inside the carriage.
When the clock struck midnight it was time to change back to their regular selves. A magical time was had by all.
*note; all the dresses in the photos are from Rosie's Boutique
A girl trying on Cinderella's glass slipper
This past weekend, we did a Princess Tea Party Event at a local indoor playground. Parents pre-registered their daughter(s) for the event. There were 20 girls in all, ranging from 2 years old to 6 years old. Just the right number of girls for the double size party room. On hand for the princess transformation were the Fairy Godmother, Snow White and the Grand Duke. From youngest to oldest, the girls took turns choosing their princess dress. Recognizable Disney Princess dresses were the first to go. Then anything pink with flowers attached to it. Can you guess which dress was the first to fly off the rack? Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. It’s a Disney Princess and it’s pink. The mommies did not want to miss out on all the fun. But the Fairy Godmother had to scoot them out of the room. With so many people in the room it was getting crowded and hot! The Fairy Godmother had to promise them that they could have their own tea party another day but for now they’ll just have to watch all the fun from the windows.
This little girl is wearing the "Pink Princess" dress from Rosie's Boutique
With everyone in their princess dresses, it was time for tiaras. make-up and pixie dust. Next was a princess singing lesson with Snow White. Everyone sang so lovely….just like a real princess! Then it was time to learn how to befriend little animals. As you know princesses have a way with little animals. Mice will help sew dresses and bunnies will help clean so it’s important to know how to talk to them. Next a lesson on how to walk elegantly in your princess dress before the fashion show parade. Snow White led the way out to the main area. The parents pulled out their camera phones and snapped away.
Then it was back to the party room for a short etiquette lesson before we sit down for tea. On the menu, fruit, tea sandwiches, cookies and apple juice (our version of tea). Each table took their turn to get picture taken by Cinderella’s carriage. Each girl sat on a chair in front of Cinderella’s carriage and the Grand Duke let them try on Cinderella’s glass slipper. A photo in front of the carriage and a photo inside the carriage.
Off to the ball in Cinderella's carriage
When the clock struck midnight it was time to change back to their regular selves. A magical time was had by all.
*note; all the dresses in the photos are from Rosie's Boutique
Boys and Tea Parties
Posted: Tuesday, June 01, 2010
By Grandma
What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails and puppy dogs tails.
That’s what little boys are made of.
Old Nursery Rhyme
Boys love tea parties. They’re not just there for the food. They love pretend play as much as any girl. Even stuffed animals and dolls join in for a spot of tea and a biscuit. Girls and boys can dress up for the occasion. With daddy’s hat and mommy’s shoes they can pretend they are grown-ups having grown up conversations. Tea parties encourage children to take time to nurture relationships and to interact with one another. A time to socialize. A time to bond. A time to make cherished memories.
Little boys do not discriminate between what is for boys and what is for girls. It’s all the same to them. They might even want to dress up in a princess dress. This typically happens when there is an older sister. Don’t worry about it. Beneath the costume, their true authentic self remains intact. No costume can alter that. Boys want to dress up too so have options available for them. Have a pirate costume, a knight costume, a dragon costume amongst his sister’s collection of princess dresses. I have a 2 year old grand son who can kick a soccer ball in mid air right across my living room. He goes to bed clutching his hockey stick and he loves tea parties. When he is a grown man sitting down for dinner with his family we can say this important ritual of breaking bread with his loved ones is reminiscent of his love for tea parties.
If you have any stories or memories of boys and tea parties we’d love to hear them.
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