Do you ever look at your children around the table and think “Were these kids raised in a barn?”

And then think, “Wait; they’re only 5,3,2, and 1, maybe this is normal.”

And then think, “I don’t care! We have got to learn table manners!”

Maybe that’s only me. I think these things often. One of the biggest areas I don’t understand is the little skill of silverware usage. Currently, my one year old wants to use her fork for everything because she just figured it out and is so excited. I spent months working with the other ones to master this skill at the appropriate ages. So why do they want to eat with their fingers now?

We were sitting at dinner tonight; Paul was actually with us. Everything had been fine and we were almost done. Gracie, who was done, held her fork up high above the table and let it drop… clatter, clatter, clatter. Paul looked over at her and gave her some serious instruction regarding what a fork should and should not do at the table.

“Gracie, you don’t ever bang your fork on the table. You don’t ever scratch the table with your fork. Your fork shouldn’t even be on the table unless Mommy put it there before we ate.”

“Yessur,” she replied.

Paul began to turn away from her and then with tongue-in-cheek added something like, “You don’t even use your fork to eat your food…”

“I do!”  Sophia exlaimed as she grabbed her last piece of pork with her FINGERS and popped it in her mouth.

Laughter poured out of me so suddenly that I had to cover my mouth to keep my food from, um… coming out. Paul looked at me to see what was so funny; all I could do was point to Sophia. He glanced over just as she pulled her fingers from her mouth.

He began laughing, putting his head down and shaking it.

Hope was already laughing hysterically as she had caught the moment with me.

Sophia began laughing because she thought she knew why we were laughing. (which made us laugh harder)

Mckayla laughed because that’s what she does.

We laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

It was so funny; so Sophia; and so forgettable.

That’s why I wrote it down here.