the importance of dinner table prayers and civility

I really liked this article-- food for thought, so to speak-- and shared with my wife and kids immediately after reading it.

From Patrick Henry Reardon in Touchstone (hat tip: Bona Vita who saved me a lot of typing)...

1. First, a person learns to pray at table, to thank God for his blessings, some of which the family shares at mealtime. He thus acquires the habit of gratitude, which is essential to a soul pleasing to God.
2. Second, because he has just thanked God for his food, a person cannot logically complain of it. This would contradict the prayer of thanksgiving...
3. Third, a person learns elementary self-control....
4. Fourth, at the family table a person becomes versed in the formalities of speech common in a polite society. Under the gentle dicipline of his elders, he acquires the ability to communicate with others kindly, a trait also vital to the contouring of character.