Should the kiddie table still exist? Many people have fallen victim to being sent to the kiddie table and never “graduating” from it. This tradition is outdated and needs an upgrade.
Finding a Balance
I believe that the kiddie table is no longer needed. My family will have a few tables set up and people will move around and talk to who they want. There’s also no reason why teens should be forced to sit with messy, sticky and loud toddlers. According to Ariel Knutson of thekitchn.com, “Having your kids at the table creates better dinners and memories in the long term” this shows there should be a balance.
The balance we need is a mix of every age. The only way you will ever get to know your family is by talking to them. As it says by Megan Zander on mommynearest.com , “Being together as a family is just as important on Thanksgiving as the turkey itself, and I want my kids to be a part of the entire day.” How can you talk to someone if you never get to sit by them and you are stuck at the kiddie table? If you have a few tables and no assigned seats people will mingle and get to know each other.
What is a Graduating Age?
An older mentality would be you have to earn your spot at the main table. People who are older tend to be a stickler for the way their parents were and that often being children are below them and should sit at the kiddie table. Maturity plays a big role in the kiddie table and main table. Different topics shouldn’t be discussed around children or immature audiences. But then again, it is a festive occasion so should these adult topics really be discussed?
Junior Lily Borek says, “I personally don’t sit at the kiddie table, because my family believes that I am mature enough to sit at the main table. But my brother who is older than me sat at the kiddie table for longer. I believe the idea of the kiddie table is based on the maturity level for different conversations and topics.” Borek also mentioned how she graduated to the other table when she was about 10.
Graduating Tables
Mrs. Danielle Allen, English teacher said, “I still sit at the kiddie table and I’m 43 years old. Not enough people at the main table have passed away.”
Agreeing with Allen, at 43-years-old you shouldn’t be sitting at the kiddie table. You reach an age where sitting with children isn’t appropriate anymore due to different topics and interest levels. You may keep a kiddie table that’s lower to the ground for the children that are toddlers but a physical adult shouldn’t be doing that. The kiddie table should be gone. It is outdated, irrelevant, and just hurts peoples’ self-esteem. Why is a 43-year-old forced to sit with children all night? It doesn’t make any sense if you actually want to visit family. At a certain point, people need to start “graduating” to the table. Everyone deserves to talk to the whole family during the holidays and get involved in conversations.
Staying at the Table
On the other hand, some people don’t mind sitting at the kiddie table. Some say it makes for simple and lively conversations with younger people.
Borek stated, “When I sat at the kiddie table I really enjoyed it. I may have been a little kid, but my little cousins were very interesting when expressing how they feel about random things. It made me feel like a 7 year old again.”
Allen noted that she needs to sit near her toddlers now to help them eat and make sure they are eating. Should she be forced to only talk to small children because she needs to sit with her children. Having people of varying ages at the table would allow for lots of conversation.
People who enforce the kiddie table say it is earned to sit at the adult table because they had to go through sitting at the kiddie table all their years. But aren’t we all just family when it boils down to it?
