For the fifth straight year, October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com, presented by Concordia University. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delectable features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2011."

This one will get all the kiddie haters out there going. You know who I mean: the kid-less folks who think parents should chain their children to the kitchen table leg and never dare bring them out in public.

I ignore those folks. I want my kids to learn to appreciate (nay, love) food and to know proper behavior in restaurants. And they're human beings who have the same right to dine out as anyone else regardless of age. So, we take them out.

But, yes, we also take them home, when necessary. (We'll never forget THAT dinner at P.F. Chang's when we asked the servers – just as they were about to set down our plates of food – to turn around and wrap the food up to go. Our dinner shouldn't be everyone else's punishment.)

My two bits of obvious advice? First, give your children a variety of experiences to help them grow. Second, know their limits and don't push it, because when you do, everyone loses.

Here are some ways to get them out into the culinary world...

1. The fish fry. They may or may not love fried fish, so try and find a place with a kids menu or a full dinner menu. But make this one an experience. Show them that food is meant to be enjoyed, preferably with good friends and/or family and in a good atmosphere. Excellent choices: Serb Hall and Lakefront Palm Garden. My kids have enjoyed Kegel's, but there's often a wait and it's a somewhat more subdued atmosphere. I'm sad at the loss of the Bavarian Inn, because that was the scene of some of our most fun family fish fry nights.

2. The patio. Teach them to enjoy dining en plein air. This is also a good time to explain that even though the table is outside, you're at a restaurant and you must be considerate of other diners.

3. The oyster bar at St. Paul's Fish Co. They may not eat a single one, but you can show them how it's done and help them appreciate the variety of delectable foods out there, as well as the effect of ecology on our food. My kids have enjoyed comparing the shells of different oysters and talking about where they come from and how they get from sandy bed to plate. If all else fails, hold two shells in one hand and pretend the oyster is talking. Doesn't work on adults, generally, but it can have the kid in in tears, laughing.

4. "The coffee shop." Given a choice, my son will almost always say the place he wants to go to most is – nope, not the zoo, not the beach – "the coffee shop." My kids and I have whiled away hours and hours and hours of fun together, talking, reading, enjoying each other's company, along with a coffee (for me), milk for them and a yummy treats all around. Alterra is good. La Reve is quite nice and amenable to little ones.

5. A nice restaurant, when they're ready. When they can control their emotions and their legs, when they're willing to doll up a bit and try some food that may seem adventurous to them, take them to a more upscale place, where they can get another experience. When they get older, maybe they'll feel a little more at home there.

At all restaurants, kids should learn to be respectful of other diners, treat waitstaff and other restaurant staff with dignity and respect, to speak at an appropriate volume, etc. Teach these things and your kids will have a head start. Because surely you've noticed that these are the kinds of things a lot of adults could use a course in, too.