One of the best things that parents* can teach their children is manners. I always give “extra points” to the parents of children who say please and thank you when I’m making animal balloon sculptures.
Politeness pays! People are more apt to want to interact/help your child is he is polite. The basics of please, thank you, and excuse me come in so handy every day! As a clown I will give the patient, polite child a balloon much faster than the demanding rude child.
This applies to the classroom as well. School is preparation for the “real world” for when children get older and go on to further education and/or jobs. Being able to wait your turn and use courteous words gets you farther in life.
Civility breeds civility. By this I mean if your child is well-mannered, people will treat him better. Conversely, if your child is ill-mannered, people will avoid interacting with him. Which would you prefer?
And as always, your actions speak much louder than your words. Do you set an example? Are you polite and well-mannered? And not just to others but your child as well. That way they’ll be polite and well-mannered to you. It’s a two-way street!
How did you teach your child manners? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
*By parents I mean any primary caregiver of children.
As a parent of 3 girls, our goal has been to raise them with good manners. For the past ten years, I have repeated these many and many times to my girls: say please and thank you, chew with your mouth close, don't talk with your mouth full, elbows of the tables, open the door for others (if you are big enough to reach the knob and strong enough to pull it), say excuse me when you burp or when you want to get by someone... Endless little reminders that will keep them balance in these imperfect world of ours.
ReplyDeleteIt's work in progress, always room for improvement, but I am proud to say that my kids are learning a very good lesson... Thank you very much! Maria