tea time with toddlers

Today I got out my tea set from when I was a little girl. My mom had a special tea set growing up that she still cherishes to this day, housed in her china hutch. When I was still in elementary school I knew it was important to her that I have a set of my own. I remember purchasing this tea set so vividly. We were up at family bible camp and one afternoon we went into Alexandria with the intent of finding a tea set for me. We went into antique shops and gift shops and finally we found this set. I can't quite remember how old I was when we did this...maybe upper elementary?

This morning I got the set out with 2 two-year olds and 2 four-year-olds and gave them very detailed instructions on how I wanted them to treat these treasured dishes. They completely rose to the occasion. It was a very polite and calm tea party. We talked a lot about manners and polite ways to ask for more as well as grateful ways to say thank you. I brought out one treat at a time and they sat so nicely and were excited about every new item. Their favorite part seemed to be asking for "more tea, please!" which was just water poured from the tea pot into their tiny tea cups.

The tea set will now go up high in my hutch and only be brought out when I can fully supervise its use. And I'm already excited for the day when I can go shopping with Elsie to be sure she has a set of her very own.