Children set the pace and manner of their eating habits by watching their parents eat. If the parents eat quickly, speak with their mouths full, use their hands, eat too quickly and reach over one another, their children will as well. If just one parent does these things, the children will likely be confused - they'll behave in a mixed, confused fashion, trying to please both parents at once by mirroring their behavior.

It's important that children learn to pace themselves properly while eating. This is far more important than most people give it credit for. If children do not become accustomed to the natural signals their body tells them when they have become full, they will psychologically disconnect the process of eating from their feelings of hunger. Instead of eating when they are hungry and only as much as they need, they will turn to food as either a habit - they eat only at particular times - or as an anxiety management mechanism, as when people compulsively snack to relieve tension.

It behooves children to develop good manners early. Bad manners can stay with someone for years, marking them to anyone familiar with accepted standards of table side behavior as boorish and uncultured. This can lead them to see themselves that way, potentially limiting their professional and personal success to a shocking degree. Cook well, eat well and set a positive example for your children to get the best results.