If they can't learn to behave with sporks, they will never learn to behave anywhere elseYou are so right, but something does occur when "nice" things are used.
When my kids were little, we would have friends or relatives visit with rowdy little ones, including boys. I would pull out the china tea set and invite them to a tea party. While I was setting the tablecloth out, the parents would warn against it. "Oh, they will break it, they will spill".
I just ignored them, put out little delicate cookies, then left the kids alone. Sure enough, the kids would sit down and act like proper English ladies and gents. The parents would be open-jawed at the "Thank you"'s, "Please", , and so on. Kids usually behave to the level of your expectations.
Amen to that! You are absolutely correct.
We have always used breakable everyday dishes in my house, except on the rare occasions when we have more than five very small children around. (When they get older they learn to be good dishwashers quick as well.)
But everything is breakable, although not irreplaceable. They only have to mess up once and suddenly they realize that there are natural consequences for misbehaving.
In addition, if my children ever accidentally dropped food on the floor of ANY restaurant or even home, including McDonalds, they got down and picked it up. Nothing irritates me more than seeing parents walk out of a restaurant with a pile of food under their table. It's is disgusting and inexcusable.
We have had challenges with our children and still do. They are not perfect and neither are we. I feel blessed however, that this wasn't one of our challenges. (I think that our children struggle the most long term with things WE struggle with. That is very humbling.)