Best
Behavior
Princess Marie-Chantal’s guide to modern etiquette for families By Hester ABA
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rown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece is a New York transplant, mama to five kids, and the founder of her own children’s fashion line, MarieChantal. We caught up with her to learn about her new book, Manners Begin at Breakfast, a beautifully illustrated how-to guide she has written about modern etiquette for families. We hoped to pick up some tips about how to stop our children eating with their fingers, but came away with some profound insights about our impact as parental role models when it comes to manners. How did you develop a first interest in manners and etiquette? Who was your main inspiration? When I was little my father was busy building a business. Even though he was busy, he always insisted that we sit down together as a family at breakfast. We
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NewYorkFamily.com | April 2020
were dressed in our school uniforms and our parents expected us to be properly dressed, hair brushed, hands washed before we could sit at the table. It was expected of us at all mealtimes. What I remember isn’t strict austere rules but nice boundaries and happy family time. What does the title of your book, “Manners Begin at Breakfast”, mean to you? Manners Begin at Breakfast means that we start everyday, at the very beginning of the day, at the table teaching our children the first rules of manners. What are some of your etiquette pet peeves? A pet peeve of mine would be when I see a parent and his or her child at a restaurant where an IPad is placed on the table and no interaction is taking place at all. Mealtimes in most cultures are a celebration or a time to share our thoughts with one another.
