From The Past: February 8, 2007

Tomorrow night, Andrew will attend his first Military Ball. He and his girlfriend are very excited.

I have never attended a dance where I would have to dress formally. I think it could be fun as long as money wasn’t an issue. Fortunately, Andrew will wear his JROTC uniform with a white dress shirt and bow tie.

I have tried to instill proper table manners in Andrew his entire life, so I believe this ball will be a great test of those manners. He brought home a rule sheet, what you might call a set of guidelines to go by for the ball. I won’t bore you with every guideline, but here are a few:

* Listen for the Adjutant to announce that the Receiving Line is open. Form a line to pass through the receiving line (from right to left). Couples should pass through together with ladies preceding the men. Cadets should provide their name and the name of their guest to the Adjutant (for example, say “‘Cadet Wilson and Ms. Walker”, etc.)

Later:

* Retrieve your champagne glass (filled with sparkling grape juice). DON’T DRINK. Cadet So-And-So will begin the toasts. Responses to the Toasts are listed in order on the Toast Card. Say the response, then take a sip from your glass.

Next:

* When instructed, men seat the ladies. That means, pull their chair out for them, allow them to sit down, and then help them scoot forward. DO NOT SIT, REMAIN STANDING for the final toast – To The Ladies! Make sure you assist ALL the ladies at your table if they do not have a date.

There is much more information at this point, but as I scanned down the page, I loved reading this:

* When going through the buffet line, ladies precede their dates. DO NOT HEAP YOUR PLATES. Take a small amount of everything you want. Once ALL tables have been through the buffet line, the Adjutant will announce that anyone wanting seconds may go to the buffet again.

* Table Manners Matter. Don’t talk with food in your mouth, don’t lean over your plate, don’t eat with your fingers except breads, don’t put your fork or knife on the table cloth – keep them on the edge of your plate, talk with your guests between bits of food in a quiet tone of voice. When announcements are made, stop talking and listen.

I especially appreciate this last bit of advice:

* Be careful going home. Make sure you are where your parents expect you to be. Don’t spoil a great evening by doing something silly (or stupid).

I am in no way making fun of these guidelines. I think it’s wonderful what JROTC has taught Andrew and continues to teach him.

I do find it humorous that he always thought those table manners wouldn’t matter that much. Now we shall see.