Manners

Is it important to you that your child have good manners? To me, that's really high on the list of things my children need to learn. For some people, it's not a big deal but I just can't have girls who chew with their mouths open, don't hold the door for someone or interrupt when someone is talking. I think the biggest manner faux pas I see in kids these days is not saying please and thank you. It's bad enough when they say "I want" instead of "May I have" but not saying thanks is just not good. I got a real up close experience with this the other day with a child who kept asking me for things. I thought it was a little rude since the event wasn't for him and he wasn't really deserving of anything but he kept asking. But, you kind of let it slide when it's a kid. You cut them a break. And I cut him a bigger break when his chaperon did the same thing! If an adult has the nerve to walk up to someone and take something, why should a kid do it? They learn manners from us. We can't expect them to behave properly if we can't. At the same event with the rude boy, I saw a girl calling her mom over and over and over. She must have said Mom about 30 times. I thought she couldn't find the woman or something. But, there was the mom, standing right in front of the girl ignoring her while she talked on the phone. Now, I'm not saying to allow this type of behavior, but ignoring it does nothing. The mom shouldn't have been on the phone in the first place (but that's a whole 'nother show Oprah) and all she had to do was put the call on hold for a moment and tell her daughter politely not to interrupt and to wait patiently for her to be done. Easier said than done, but you have to use these teachable moments to teach your kids - not ignore their bad behavior and get angry with them for not using good manners! If you don't teach your kids to say please and thank you at home, they're not going to say it at school or at the park or anywhere else! Manners can't be taught by television. When is the last time you heard Hannah Montana say thank you or Squidward say please? And, yes, I know it's bad manners to point out that someone has bad manners, so please forgive me. Thank you and have a nice day.