Learn how to teach your child manners. When growing up, I remember being constantly reminded by parents to use the words ‘sorry, please, and thank you’. If I ever forgot it would always be “Manners cost nothing, or you are so rude”. As I became a teenager and met my friend’s parents they would always be so shocked at how polite I was.
They really respected it and were pleasantly surprised. However, now as an adult, I still use these manners all of the time but hardly ever see them returned by people that I meet. It seems that when you are younger they are more important than when you are older or perhaps that you should always use manners when speaking to parents.
I have spoken to other people about whether manners are important or not, some people consider the constant use of them as annoying which I can understand and to others, they are really important.
Nonetheless, I always encourage my children to use them subconsciously, nagging at them as my parents did to me. It’s not that I like going on at them about it, I just can’t help it. I also can’t help feeling embarrassed if my children do not come across as polite or respectful in public, which thinking about it doesn’t make too much sense.
1. Be a role model
As the parent, you are their main and most important role model. Whatever you do it is likely that they will look up to you. This means that if you would like them to be polite and use manners you must use them too.
2. Correction
If they do not use manners you need to correct them. But more so, you must let them know the logic of why you need to use manners. And teach them how not using them can make them seem not very nice or rude. Being persistent is the key here, the more you remind them, the faster it will become a natural behaviour.
3. They will learn without you
Generally, most schools will encourage good manners and may pick up on it when children do not use them.
4. Focus on the positive
If your child is being polite you should highly reward that behaviour. Mainly because kids love attention. If they get lots of good praise from behaving a certain way, they will want to keep it up.
I would like to know your thoughts on the topic, do you think manners are important? Do you find them annoying? Let us know in the comments section below.
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