How to Teach Proper Manner to Your Children


Good manners are not only a subject for parents to teach children. They are actions for parents to show children.

Do you say “Please” when you make a request of your child? Do you say “Thank you” to your child (not just for gifts, but when your child follows through on requests you have made)? Or are you requiring behav­iors of your child that you rarely model?

If you want your child to have good manners, you should display good manners to your child. Your child has an inborn ability to mimic your behavior, and the easiest way to teach good manners to children is to model them on a daily basis.

“Please” and “Thank you” aren’t just for Sundays or formal outings. Use them when your child passes the butter at the dinner table and helps carry the groceries in from the car.

Your display of good manners says to your child, “I value you as much as I do the stranger in the market who gets a ‘thank you’ when she tells me where I can find the lima beans.”

Your display of good manners says to your child, “I want you to be able to move adeptly at all levels of society and to respect and treat with tact all types of people.”

As one parent told her son, “I want you to be able to talk to any person as if you were talking to the presi­dent, because you may meet the president someday!” This parent obviously felt her son worthy to be in the president’s company and that her child had value far beyond his immediate social standing. This mother was giving her child a glimpse into his own potential, even as she was building the self-esteem he would need to reach that potential.

“Please.”

  • “Thank you.”
  • “I had a very nice time.”
  • “Pardon me.”

Those four little phrases should become a seamless part of a child’s confidence in facing strangers and working with others. When your child is an adult, good manners will soften your son or daughter’s pride when dealing with coworkers and subordinates. Good man­ners will give dignity to your child’s presence in any crowd. Give to your child the feeling that he or she is worthy of your best manners.

Filed Under: Family & Relationships

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About the Author: Roberta Southworth is a psychiatrist by profession. She likes to help out people by writing informative tips on how people can to solve their family and relationship issues. She is currently staying in Ireland. She has 5 years of couple counseling experience.

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