hey guys
Ok, my wife had an argument with someone recently about what age a child should eat “properly” with a knife and fork.
This person (who won’t be described) had a go at my wife, saying that our daughter who isn’t even 4 was a disgrace because she still hadn’t quite properly learned to eat with a knife and fork, and that the child HAD to eat with their knife and forks in certain hands. Now my wife argued back that she wasn’t even 4 and that what did it matter what hands they used, e.t.c? Anyway the argument went on about parenting styles and the like, and how we MUST be bad parents because she wasn’t eating with a knife and fork permanently.
So when do other parents think it is acceptable to make a child eat “permanently” with a knife and fork during dinner, and should you insist on specific hands to holding the cutlery, or (as I feel to be the case) let the child make their mind up on which hands they want to use?
Sorry for being so vague about it all 
Toodles
Thanks everyone for your comments so far.
Truth be told I’d say our daughter was pretty damn happy 
and that we love her a lot. It doesn’t matter to us normally whether she uses a fork or her hands, so long as she eats. We’ll teach her about the knife and fork when she’s more able and older.
But it did upset my wife with the argument then to add to that our daughter got really anxious at dinner time last night and kept getting stressed she had to eat with the knife and fork properly, which really upset my wife and annoyed me that a child who isn’t even 4 should feel that kind of pressure. As far as I’m concerned that kind of thing just isn’t on. As it has been said, she is just a child after all.
Cheers everyone
mines nearly 3 and has a knife fork and spoon at the table, can use the fork and spoon okay but not so good with knife, she likes to use her hands but we try to encourage using her fork but make no big deal of it if she doesn’t, it would just make meal times stressful, we should just be grateful that they eat well and others should keep their noses out! everyone’s entitled to an opinion but if i were you i would just regard it as that and forget it. If your kids happy and trying to use them, hey who cares!