In addition to coaxing our kids to eat their vegetables, it seems my husband and I are forever correcting our kids at the dinner table. "Sit up straight." "Don't play with your food." "Chew with your mouth closed." The coaching never ends. We keep at it because we want our boys to be polished when eating in public or dining at friends' houses. It's a tough job, though, as it should be.

For us, table manners are automatic -- as simple as chewing and swallowing, say the editors at Scholastic Parent & Child magazine. For a child, learning to behave at mealtime is big stuff. It takes a whole new set of skills to master manners. And it's our job to teach those skills, no matter how hard the job. Here are a few tactics we all might employ during our respective mealtime madness moments.

• Role play table manners during a tea party or while playing "restaurant." You'll have fun, while practicing and teaching lessons all at the same time.
  
  

• Keep rules simple and positive so your kids can remember them. "We sit." "We eat with our forks."
  
  
• Reinforce rules during mealtime. Hand your child a fork and napkin, and remind him to use them.
  
  
• Set a good example. Role model the manners you want to see your child display. Eventually, he will follow in your footsteps.
  
  
• Get silly. Practice bad manners and ask your child to identify what you're doing wrong.

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Parents are the first line of defense in protecting their children from poor diets, says Dr. Gerard J. Musante, founder of the residential weight loss program Structure House.

Think of obesity the way you think about the diseases for which you get your child vaccinated, Musante tells Scholastic's Parent & Child Magazine. The "shot" your kids need in the diet arena is your behavior and good example.

Musante has a few tips for getting your kids in tip-top shape.

The first two years of life are critical for teaching kids how to eat right and move right, he says. So make sure you have the right foods in your house. If you don't, forgo the complaints later down the line about school vending machines. If the same junk fills your cupboards, you have no room to grumble.

Be a good role model too. And take your children to gymnastics, swimming, or dance classes. This will teach your kids to crave activity, not food. Combine with limited TV watching and computer time and you've got the makings for positively healthy kiddos.

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