A vivid look at old-school dinner table rules that shaped family life, showing how structure once turned meals into moments.

Growing up, Jo Hayes ate dinner at the same time in the same way every night — at 6:30 p.m. on the dot, at a properly set table and right after the evening news. Her mother, father and all six kids ...

Earlier this year, mealtime at my house was feeling out of control. My kids were talking with their mouths open and complaining about each others poor manners. We introduced new rules gradually to ...

Teaching manners used to be a fairly straightforward, top-down parenting activity at the table. Parents told their kids not to talk with their mouths full, to keep elbows off the table, and to stay ...

These basic manners are sadly becoming rarer than you might think. While there are certainly plenty of outdated etiquette rules and traditional expectations still being followed by most people, ...