Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Meet Mr. Pig

When our children were tiny, innocent, little babies we held them close and happily fed them. We pinched their fat little cheeks and noted, in pride and amazement, "They're eating like little pigs!" Oh, and wasn't that contented baby "buuurrrp" just adorable? Awww.

Fast-forward several years. The sweet little darlings are still eating like pigs. Literally. And, Honey, it ain't cute.

 It's dinnertime and, after the blessing, the digging-in commences. And so does the piggish-ness. And the nagging. It goes something like this:

"Get your elbows off the table."

"Chew with your mouth closed. As in, keep your lips together until you swallow."

"We don't yell for a drink. We politely ask for one."

"Don't get up and reach for what you need. Ask for it. Politely."

"Use your napkin. Half of your food is on your face."

"I said, no elbows on the table!"

"No feet on the table."


"We do not sit on the table!"


"Chew. With. Your. Mouth. CLOSED!"


Ah...what a way to enjoy a meal. Right? Wrong. (Oh, and, um, the feet on the table and the sitting on the table? Yeah...that would be my youngest. Love that little man, but he's definitely been our most challenging child yet.) Bad manners are enough to ruin a meal, but the constant chiding doesn't do much to aid the digestion either; for the child or for the parent.

Enter...Mr. Pig. 


I stumbled across Mr. Pig on Pinterest. The genius behind this idea is a mom of six and she blogs about her helpful solutions here.  (Like I said, I just discovered the blog, but this lady has some seriously great ideas!) 

It works like this: "When someone acts like a "pig" at the table, (burps, reaches over someone's plate, yells, slurps, etc.) they get the pig passed to them. Whoever ends up with Mr. Pig at the end of the meal has to clear the whole table." No need to constantly fuss at them. Simply pass the pig.

Great idea, right? I can't wait to try it. Peace at the table at last!

I actually think pigs are cute; but I'd prefer that my children eat like little humans, not like little piggies. 


Jessica Geise is a follower of Jesus Christ, the wife of an amazing husband, and the mother of four children who are the loves of her life. She is passionate about homeschooling, enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else,  would rather buy a new book than new clothes, is always starting on a diet, and thinks that chocolate is the next-best medicine to laughter. Other than reading, her favorite hobbies are music, decorating, blogging, and making attempts at photography. She blogs about this, that, and the other at www.itsthelittlethings4.blogspot.com.




2 comments:

  1. Love this idea! I happen to have a pig--actually a piggy bank--and since mealtime cleanup chores are already assigned, I am thinking of collecting a quarter for each offense. Don't have a quarter? No problem, you can EARN one right after supper! :-)

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  2. Hey, that's a great idea, too! :)

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