No elbows at the table, and explain to them why. It's, for one thing, if they're slouching

and they have their elbows on the tables, it really makes them seem or appear as if

they're actually not really mentally present in whatever is taking place and that table.

And that is disrespectful and to the other people, the other diners at the table. So

teach them to always sit up straight and keep their elbows off the table. Another good reason

to keep your elbows off the table is because you want to give the person next to you, to

the left and right of you, their personal space, and you don't want to be knocking things

down with your elbows on either side. If your children tend to fight a lot or bicker at

the table, just put them at different ends of the table and make sure that you keep them

separate and that you try to keep them engaged in conversation as much as possible so that

they're not open to any sort of opportunities to bicker back and forth. And again, the marble.

I think that the marble jars or the marble cups at the table are really good incentives

to help your kids sort of keep in line at the table. And teaching a child manners and

going through the learning process shouldn't be a punitive process. They should be rewarded,

they should be praised when they're doing things right and it should be looked at from

the beginning as a positive thing that your family is going through versus any sort of

negative vibes to it. So go ahead and reward your kids when they're doing well. Give them

stickers or give them a prize and again, if your children respond to competition, hey,

you know what, there's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition and especially

if you're going to reap the rewards of a peaceful and well behaved table at dinner.