How many times have you been out in public and someone cuts the queue or doesn’t hold a door open for the person behind them? Or maybe you’ve been in line to order food and heard the person in front of you be very rude to the server? Unfortunately, this isn’t as uncommon as we think. Many people weren’t taught proper manners. In fact, some people don’t even realise they are being rude which is why teaching children about manners from a young age is a top priority. Here are some manners that you could consider teaching your child.
In general:
Let’s start off with some general manners that should be taught for everyday life. These include saying hello and goodbye when meeting/leaving someone. Please and thank you are also very important and should be used not just with family and friends but with anyone on the outside. Holding the door for others when walking in or out of an establishment is common courtesy but if not taught it might be looked over. Apologizing when you bump into someone in the street is also a manner that is looked over. Others include covering your mouth when you sneeze, being on time when you’ve promised to be somewhere at a certain time, cleaning up after making a mess, and also knowing how to communicate over a phone. Many people come across as rude on the phone as they haven’t been taught how to properly have a telephone conversation.
With friends/adults:
Knowing manners that have to do with socializing are also important so do teach your children to look people in the eye when they are talking to them, never to interrupt someone else talking, saying ‘excuse me’ when they need to get somebody’s attention, and not using foul language. It is also important to train children to share with their friends, to wait till it’s their turn, and not to make fun of anyone.
Dinner table manners:
You might be thinking we don’t need to teach manners while children are at home as no one will see them but remember what is done at home will be taken into the outside world. So when at the dinner table make sure to tell children not to speak with their mouth full, wash hands before eating, wipe their mouth with a napkin and not their sleeve, use the right utensils, and learn to sit appropriately at the dinner table. Another important manner that is becoming more and more relevant today is no technology at the dinner table. This can be very rude especially if done at a friend’s house or a restaurant.
The last point, which is actually the most important is that you set by example. You are your kid’s role model so if you don’t say ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ don’t expect your child to. Showing a child, the correct behaviour and manners by doing them yourself is the best way for it to sink in.
Here are some things that we’ve all done at some point or another:
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