Many people in previous generations were raised understanding that during dinner, you must put your napkin on your lap, keep your elbows off the table, and wait until everyone has their food before eating.
Unfortunately, table etiquette has shifted from a practiced skill to a fading idea with our generation. Most college students and younger individuals have not been formally taught proper meal etiquette.
The parents of the youngest generation, Generation Alpha, are raising their children one goal: keeping their children distracted at the dinner table by any means necessary.
Gen-Z has coined the term “iPad kid” to describe the children who would rather sit on their devices and play video games than go play outside with their friends. These kids are often spotted at restaurants with glazed-over eyes, mesmerized by the glow of their screens.
In the past, parents may have been quick to pounce if their kid was caught distributing delinquent behavior at the dinner table, possibly even sending their kids to a facility to learn table manners or teaching a formal lesson themselves.
Now, many parents laugh off bad behavior and shove a technological distraction into their child’s lap, hoping to avoid drawing attention to their family.
My family always taught me the polite way to act at the table. If I chewed with my mouth open, slouched, or got too loud, I was corrected. Every night when my dad sits down for dinner, he removes his hat and makes sure my brother does the same. He does this because it is the polite thing to do and he is teaching his children through demonstration.
I’m grateful for these lessons because now, when I go out to eat without my parents, I can carry myself in a polite and respectable manner. Meanwhile, I can recognize that the kids sitting in restaurants, completely captivated by their glowing screen, will not know how to remain an active participant in conversation and a desirable companion for meals when they are grown up.
Many business transactions happen during meals– meetings over lunch, customer meetings during coffee, linked companies changing their futures over dinner. Generation Alpha will struggle focusing on the conversation and adding to it since they have grown up not being included in the conversation, and being brushed aside. Some members of Gen-Z may even find it challenging to successfully navigate professional behavior during a lunch meeting.
Not to say that crying, complaining, or screaming kids aren’t annoying in a restaurant. However, I think there are more effective ways to keep a child engaged, such as coloring sheets, children’s books, compact 3D games, or other distractions that don’t require charging. This way, children won’t be disruptive, but can be actively improving his or her sustained attention.
