Two moms shared the table with four "little ladies" at one of my favorite teahouses. The girls beamed with excitement. We were practicing our manners, placing our napkins on our laps and gently pouring the hot cocoa out of their beautifully decorated teapots. They even stuck their pinky out, because they insist, that's what the queen would do!
However, they got louder by the second!
This particular tearoom really caters to little girls. Our server Jemma gave the girls each a fancy hat and a boa! It seemed impossible to expect them to whisper softly as they shared stories and made birthday wishes. I think a few of the patrons were a bit annoyed with the girls raising the noise level in the otherwise quiet team room. We really did try keeping them to at least a dull roar, but if you don't practice taking them out for "lady like" adventures, how else will they learn?
I found some good tips by Elizabeth Pantley, Author of Perfect Parenting and Kid Cooperation. Pantley suggests you have clear expectations and talk with your children before a social event. She even suggests role-playing with younger children. If they misbehave in public, try to correct them in private. Otherwise, you'll risk embarrassing your child and making the situation worse. Pantley also says give the kids a lot of praise to encourage their good manners.
I think we survived our tearoom outing just fine. We didn't break any china and frankly that's a huge accomplishment! We do need to keep practicing lowering our voices. Pantley suggest practicing at home. I might just try the role-playing.
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