Teaching kids manners is a task that is accomplished over time.
As a parent, it is definitely a priority for me and I want my children to grow up to be respectable adults. I also want them to be able to succeed in life, and in my opinion having manners is key to this.
Being a parent can be thankless job, but having children that are respectful of the work that you do just makes the whole process of things easier and more rewarding. When I worked I always got a little more motivated when my boss thanked me for a job well done, and vice versa, I got a better response when I thanked my employees.
What is the old saying, “You attract more flies with Honey than with Vinegar”
I have tried to teach my kids that they are not entitled to anything, and that they should be gracious when mom makes a good meal, my husband and I help them with a task, they receive gifts, or when we do extra things for them as a family. We write thank you notes when we receive gifts (not as promptly as I would always like), we say excuse me when warranted, and we respect our elders.
I am not an overlord, constantly drilling manners into my kids heads, but I try to remind them to say please, thank you, and you’re welcome when appropriate. So this morning, when my son corrected my daughter as she demanded me to get her Orange Juice, I beamed that he realized that the way she was treating me was not appropriate. However, he did not yell at her, he turned it into a teaching moment, and proceeded to sing her the song I taught him (when he was her age) on remembering manners.
Set to the tune of Head Shoulders Knees and Toes:
Please – Thank You – You’re Welcome, You’re Welcome
Please – Thank You – You’re Welcome, You’re Welcome
Please and Thank you, You’re Welcome
Please – Thank You – You’re Welcome! You’re Welcome!
It is simple, but it works. So let me get off my soap box on manners, but I will bask in the moment that my kids do listen to me sometimes and actually learn from what I teach them.
How do you teach your children manners? I would love to hear your methods, PLEASE 🙂 leave me a comment below!
FFM
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