There was something about yesterday that made me very proud. While at the birthday party the kids were all very well behaved. I don't mean just my kid. All the kids beyond the usual mild tantrums and reminders to share were just so good. At pizza and cake time the tables were filled with seated toddlers using napkins and eating their slices mostly without parental intervention. I credit the parents. It is a reflection of good parenting and appropriate expectations for their ages. I was of course happy when several friends commented on how nice of an eater that Keegan is. He is slow but he is neat most of the time. And polite. Please, thank you, excuse me, asking to get down from the table. There is something to be said for manners. And role modeling is key. Kids have a right to have nice meal times surrounded by people who treat each other with respect. I'm sure my residential kids never got why we stressed this so much but then again they hadn't been raised that way. Once it becomes a habit for kids it just isn't that hard to enforce.