Especially as we approach the holidays. Just thinking about the traditional dinner out or gathering at Aunt Harriet's house is enough to make many of us bite our nails in anticipation of the kids' inevitable gaffes or tantrums. Even so, many parents themselves simply don't have the time to reinforce the needed lessons. There are classes for kindergartners and others for teens. Southern California etiquette teacher Theresa Thomas, for one, said she has no problem filling her classes.
Parents can only do so much.
It makes a difference in how people think of you. Unfortunately, the experts say, many parents have expectations of how their children should behave in public without explaining to the kids what they're supposed to do or giving them a chance to practice. But that's not always easy to accomplish. That's exactly what these classes promise without the glares of annoyed restaurant goers or hotel guests who don't think the kids' noisy antics are the least bit amusing. Write to Eileen Ogintz in care of Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053.