Tea Party (Photo credit: annagarcia)
Did you know that September has been declared Children’s Good Manners Month?
OK. Everybody else will tell you that it’s Back to School Month or even Backpack Safety Month (please, please, please don’t overload the little guys. The Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that 4,928 emergency room visits each year result from injuries related to book bags and back carriers. It’s bad for both their posture and their long-term spinal health.)
Did you see that I said ‘please’? Thank you for noticing.
I try to set a good example – and encourage other parents to do the same. I believe that it is the most important way that we teach our children anything.
What comes immediately to mind is the embarrassing stories that so many of us have to tell. You know, the ones in which our toddlers use “language”? The kind we didn’t know they’d overheard from us? Thank goodness they so often do it when they’re small and cute — and we still have the option to clean up our language before they go to school!
So, how will you take advantage of this special month to improve your family’s etiquette? I must admit that I am far less concerned with which fork to use in a restaurant or who holds the door for whom than I am with the concepts behind them.
Our modern code of conduct is based on thoughts and actions designed to make others feel more comfortable. For example, long ago men started extending their right (generally dominant) hands to one another to show that they were unarmed. We teach our children to offer snacks or toys to their guests first, largely for the same reasons: to promote hospitality, peace and harmony!
Do you teach the rules, the concepts or both? Do you have any favorites? Thanks for reading – and for sharing your comments. It’s a really nice way to let us know that you’re checking in. (See? ‘rule’ AND ‘concept’!)
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And, to thank you for being a reader, we have a special back-to-school offer…. two (2) copies of What Kids Need to Succeed (with free shipping in continental US) for $30. One to keep and one to share. (A great way to thank someone???) Please click here to access this special offer.
