Help youngsters enjoy practicing proper etiquette

Some fun tips from “Beauty and the Beast’s” friendly talking candelabra Lumiere may help:

How To Be The Proper Host

• Invitations.

Mail is the most formal, but you can also e-mail or call your guests with the party information including time, place and what to wear, whether fancy or casual.

• Introductions.

To make sure your guests are comfortable, introduce them to each other. 

• Mind Your Manners. Remember, guests come first. Let them be the first to be served and the first in line to play a game.

• Check In.

Make sure everyone is having fun and is involved …that’s the host’s job. Look out for anyone sitting alone without someone to talk to or play with.

At The Table

• Good Posture.

Even the gruff Beast appeared instantly more friendly when Belle encouraged proper posture at the table.

Not only does sitting up straight let you see everyone and everything on the table, it also helps you digest food better.

• Neat Napkins.

Even the most careful diner can’t always be tidy, so keep a napkin on your lap to catch anything that might fall.

• Passing Fancy.

Passing dishes is a safe and courteous way to ensure everyone gets to enjoy a bit of everything. Be sure the person to whom you are passing a dish has a firm hold on it before you let go.

• Pleasing Words.

Don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you” when passing dishes or when speaking with others during the dinner conversation.

• Make Your Excuses.

At the end of the meal, ask to be excused before leaving the table.

An Animated Inspiration

One way to both reward and inspire these behaviors, many parents have found, is with the help of a beloved fairy tale.

Disney’s Academy Award®–winning animated classic “Beauty and the Beast,” now available in a Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack, makes practicing manners fun.

Set in and around a quaint French village during the late 18th century, the animated film follows the fantastic adventures of Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman who encounters a prince under the spell of an enchantress who has turned him into a beast and his servants into animated household objects inside the castle. 

It is when this enchanted staff welcomes Belle to the castle with the lively musical number “Be Our Guest” that the most compelling inspiration for good manners occurs.

Ultimately, as Belle continues to treat the Beast with her gentle, good manners, she sees beneath the Beast’s exterior and discovers the heart and soul of a human prince.

It may be a while before your youngsters are invited to a ball, but the charming movie can help them appreciate everyday manners.

An enchanting cartoon featuring a talking tea set can delight little ones and help enlighten them about proper etiquette at the same time.