Who need a fork anyway?

I really think it's important to teach your kids good manners from a young age. With Jack, we try to instill saying please and thank you, among other things, which he does almost all the time.

But teaching table manners to an almost-3-year-old boy is like herding cats.

For the last three months, Jack has been sitting in a booster seat at the dining room table for all his meals. For the most part, he does pretty well. Sure, he has his moments, which are represented by the applesauce stain on the wall two feet behind his seat, but these things are to be expected sometimes.

Usually, we go through two placemats at his spot per day because someone insists on eating HEAPING spoonfuls of oatmeal and half the spoonful ends up next to the bowl. Occasionally, he drops some food on the floor. I haven't seen him throw food in months and now when he is finished, he puts his cup on top of his plate and hands it to me saying, "All done Mommy!" It's a place I didn't think we'd get to six months ago when he would show us he was done by flinging his food or untensils on the floor.

But tonight, he decided to test me. I was sitting with him, telling him if he ate all his peas and carrots, he could have a special treat. "Candy?" he asked with a smile. Let me be clear, this child has never had any candy. He won't even poop in the potty to get his hands on some candy. So why he would think that, I have no idea. "No, cookies!" I said. He got excited.

He then leaned over and tried to eat his vegetables, without using his hands. In the process, he laid on the plate, getting ketchup all over his shirt.

I told him firmly that we don't do that because it's bad manners. I reminded him to use his hands. He smirked at me and while giggling, leaned over again and tried to do the same thing.

I swooped in, removed the plate and told him dinner was over. He, of course, broke down into hysterics. Clearly, we have a future pie-eating contest winner on our hands and I just ruined his training.