Rules to Live By -- At Table

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit to you that my children sometimes complain about their food. But reality is --- they do, particularly my oldest who is by far our pickiest eater. I have had the "last straw" in regard to this a number of times ... but alas! it is difficult to discipline the children when their father does it as well. My 3 vegetables and 3 fruits a day rule just doesn't fly well for my donut-eating, So-Be drinking husband! And so, I have come up with a solution which (thus far) seems to be alleviating some of the stress I feel at mealtimes. I've typed out a beautiful set of rules to live by at the table which are being read before each meal (we rotate who reads it). My goal is to read it at each meal for 3 weeks, at which point I assume that the children will be able to recite them for me from memory -- if not, they will do nicely as a daily copywork lesson. I have explained to my sons that in doing this, I am working to save their future marriages! Smile. The rules are as follows. Please feel free to cut and paste them into your own document and use them in your own homes.

Rules to Live By -- At Table
1. Live and act in thankfulness for your food.
2. Take some of each food offered (a serving spoon size is the least you can take) at each meal.
3. Eat all of what you put on your plate (be careful how much you choose).
4. Only complimentary words regarding the meal are allowed at the table.
5. Be polite in your eating. Make every effort to not draw attention to yourself while eating.
6. It is unacceptable to negotiate number of bites you must eat (see rule 2).
7. Work to complete your meal in a timely fashion (within 20 minutes of beginning).
8. You may not ask to eat anything other than what is offered at the meal.
9. Any aberration or disrespect for these rules will be met with discipline commiserate for the age of the offender.
10. Always praise the cook --- even if only to thank him/her for providing nutrition.