@JohnBrady Beatrix's first flight was at 3 months old. I spent all day with her at the Denver Museum of Art.

Her first international flight (to Norway, no less) was at 6 months old.

Her first fancy restaurant was at 9 months old.

She's always known how to behave in these types of spaces because she has always been in these spaces.

Yes, a very privileged statement I know. But, the point is that if you expose kids to this stuff early and often they learn the expectations organically. The problem often is that folks don't even try it when they are babies/toddlers and therefore they don't learn.

@patrickrhone Yes, little kids really do have a strong desire to fit in. That's how they learn to do things like speaking! So I agree that with exposure they'll read the room and want to do what's expected. But the lapses can be ugly.

@JimRain I completely agree with this sentiment. If you teach your children to escape conversation, they will. If you want those conversations to be interesting, then you have to put interesting things in front of their eyes. You cannot allow them to simply see and do what everyone else sees and does (i.e. a small selection of games and YouTube feeds).