There may come a moment during the day when your mind may
think of dinner. Of course you will want your child to have a proper meal –
sitting at the table – without the benefit of the T.V., ipad, phone and other ancillary
mobile devices. In other words you want your much loved child to have a proper
meal. To do the meal full justice you will need to set the table.
A Formal Dinner Setup (Or, the family unites during the eleven
plus year.)
It is easier to describe the setting from right to left.
3 5 7 (Service Plate) 6 4 2 1
1. Oyster fork (Normally forks are on the left – but if you
are serving oysters then the fork is far right.)
2. Soup spoon
3. Fish fork
4. Fish knife
5. Dinner fork
6. Dinner knife
7. Salad fork
If your dinner is a little simpler then all you have to do
is leave the odd fork or knife out. (If there is fruit for the first course
then a spoon will replace the oyster fork.)
Eleven plus mothers and fathers may need a little help with the
serving of the meal. If you have helped with eleven plus questions, completed a
service run to drama, prepared the meal, cooked the meal, heard reading, set
the table and called the family together – then you may feel you need a little
help with actually serving the meal. What do you do? You call upon your eleven
plus child.
“Not now, please, I am struggling with question 35.”
“Please get off the chair, stop watching T.V. and help with the
jellied soup.”
“Oh please, not again.”
“We can do a deal. You help with the meal and I will help,
afterwards, with question 35 while the rest of the family wash up.”
“It is not fair!”
